The Silver Platter, Westlake’s oldest gay bar, is currently at risk of being demolished.
Opened in the early 1960s, the Silver Platter has long been known as a safe space for immigrant gay and transgender communities in Westlake. The building dates back to the 1920s.
Last month, a developer filed an application to demolish the bar and adjacent store fronts—which include a travel agency and glass shop—to make way for a seven-story, 55-unit apartment complex, according to online Building and Safety records. The developer has indicated that at least some of those units will be “affordable.”
Esotouric first reported that the developer claimed there were no historic resources on the property and that it was not eligible for historic preservation, on a form filed with the city planning department.
However, a 2008 city survey found that 2700 W. 7th Street “appears eligible for the National Register, California Register, and as an L.A. Historic Cultural Monument because it is one of a limited number of intact commercial buildings constructed during the period of significance and appears to meet the eligibility standards prepared in the Westlake CRA Survey Historic Context Statement.”