Spiffed-Up Screening Room
New York: In the building that housed the Waverly Theater, the 10,000-square-foot, trilevel IFC Center opened in June to much fanfare, after years in the planning. A 210-seat main theater is on the ground floor, as well as a 55-seat café. Two theaters are on the second floor—one seats 114, the other 61—and two editing rooms are on the third.
Los Angeles: On the Fox lot, the Darryl F. Zanuck Theater (10201 Pico Blvd., Bldg. 226, 310.369.2406) seats 474 people for screenings. Outside groups may book the space, which has both film and video capabilities, and can also receive live feeds. The space was recently remodeled, and features the ultra-high-quality sound system you would expect in a studio theater. (For more intimate screenings, two smaller theaters on the lot, the Little Theater and the William Fox Theater, hold 120 and 40 respectively.)
Hot Hotel Bar
New York: The Cabanas at the Maritime Hotel draw events year round. The north cabanas feature a working fireplace and a sunroof that encloses the fully heated outside space in winter. The south cabana is a similar space, but without the enclosure. Both cabanas can be combined for larger events in the warmer months. As at the hotels’ other venues (Hiro club and ballroom, La Bottega restaurant), the crowd at the Cabanas tends to be young and fashion-minded.
Los Angeles: Amanda Scheer Demme’s Tropicana Bar (7000 Hollywood Blvd., 323.769.7260) at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is the undisputed hotel bar du jour, with good reason: The huge outdoor lounge features cool linen-cushioned chairs, private bungalows, and soaring, neon-lit palm trees, all ringing a large swimming pool with a bold David Hockney mural painted at its bottom. The vibe is 1960’s luxury for the young Hollywood set.
New Retail Space
New York: Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven is the chocolatier’s eponymous Manhattan outpost, opened in November 2004. It’s a 2,500-square-foot space encased in glass walls that overlooks an 8,000-square-foot chocolate factory and its restored vintage equipment. The venue holds 400 guests, and for a cool bonus, Torres can give private demonstrations, or the facility can be in operation during an event.
Los Angeles: Evan Cole, cofounder of New York’s ABC Carpet & Home, opened HD Buttercup (3225 Helms Ave., 310.945.5440), an unconventional furniture showroom in a historic building, in May. Inside the 1931 Helms Bakery building in Culver City is an eclectic mix of inventory including 18th-century antiques, reproductions, modern pieces, and a nursery. Events can take over the entire 89,000-square-foot space, which includes a smaller warehouse that can be used as a hub— for bars, catering setups, or a DJ booth.
—Alesandra Dubin
Photos: Courtesy of Fox Studios, Evan Agostini/Getty Images (IFC Center), Etienne Frossard (Jacques Torres), Phil McCarten/Getty Images (HD Buttercup)
Posted 10.24.05
Related Stories
Coast-to-Coast Venue Ideas (Part 1)
New York: In the building that housed the Waverly Theater, the 10,000-square-foot, trilevel IFC Center opened in June to much fanfare, after years in the planning. A 210-seat main theater is on the ground floor, as well as a 55-seat café. Two theaters are on the second floor—one seats 114, the other 61—and two editing rooms are on the third.
Los Angeles: On the Fox lot, the Darryl F. Zanuck Theater (10201 Pico Blvd., Bldg. 226, 310.369.2406) seats 474 people for screenings. Outside groups may book the space, which has both film and video capabilities, and can also receive live feeds. The space was recently remodeled, and features the ultra-high-quality sound system you would expect in a studio theater. (For more intimate screenings, two smaller theaters on the lot, the Little Theater and the William Fox Theater, hold 120 and 40 respectively.)
Hot Hotel Bar
New York: The Cabanas at the Maritime Hotel draw events year round. The north cabanas feature a working fireplace and a sunroof that encloses the fully heated outside space in winter. The south cabana is a similar space, but without the enclosure. Both cabanas can be combined for larger events in the warmer months. As at the hotels’ other venues (Hiro club and ballroom, La Bottega restaurant), the crowd at the Cabanas tends to be young and fashion-minded.
Los Angeles: Amanda Scheer Demme’s Tropicana Bar (7000 Hollywood Blvd., 323.769.7260) at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel is the undisputed hotel bar du jour, with good reason: The huge outdoor lounge features cool linen-cushioned chairs, private bungalows, and soaring, neon-lit palm trees, all ringing a large swimming pool with a bold David Hockney mural painted at its bottom. The vibe is 1960’s luxury for the young Hollywood set.
New Retail Space
New York: Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven is the chocolatier’s eponymous Manhattan outpost, opened in November 2004. It’s a 2,500-square-foot space encased in glass walls that overlooks an 8,000-square-foot chocolate factory and its restored vintage equipment. The venue holds 400 guests, and for a cool bonus, Torres can give private demonstrations, or the facility can be in operation during an event.
Los Angeles: Evan Cole, cofounder of New York’s ABC Carpet & Home, opened HD Buttercup (3225 Helms Ave., 310.945.5440), an unconventional furniture showroom in a historic building, in May. Inside the 1931 Helms Bakery building in Culver City is an eclectic mix of inventory including 18th-century antiques, reproductions, modern pieces, and a nursery. Events can take over the entire 89,000-square-foot space, which includes a smaller warehouse that can be used as a hub— for bars, catering setups, or a DJ booth.
—Alesandra Dubin
Photos: Courtesy of Fox Studios, Evan Agostini/Getty Images (IFC Center), Etienne Frossard (Jacques Torres), Phil McCarten/Getty Images (HD Buttercup)
Posted 10.24.05
Related Stories
Coast-to-Coast Venue Ideas (Part 1)
IFC Center
Zanuck Theater
Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven
HD Buttercup
