IDLE HOUR CAFE MOVES FORWARD TO CULTURAL MONUMENT STATUS

2010 The Year of Valley Adventures
The Idle Hour Cafe on its opening day - Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley Archives from Chris Nichols 2010 (click on image to enlarge)
Isabel and Michael Connolly at the opening of the Idle Hour Cafe. Gift to The Museum of the San Fernando Valley Archives from Chris Nichols 2010 (click on image to enlarge)

Working on behalf of the preservation of history and protection of historic artifacts is a little bit like working in the emergency room of a hospital. A crisis can happen at any time. In the blinking of an eye The Museum’s Chairman for Historic Preservation, Richard Hilton, saw the oldest home in Van Nuys destroyed contemptuously during a single night. The loss to future generations can happen without warning and often with callous disregard in a matter of hours.
It is great news for the San Fernando Valley that the group to save the precious old Idle Hour Cafe, led by Chris Nichols, has brought the landmark building one step closer to the protections of being designated a “cultural landmark.” THE WHOLE VALLEY OWES CHRIS AND HIS FOLKS A DEBT OF GRATITUDE!
The fearful “doomsday clock” and ticking ruin for the Idle Hour has been pushed significantly back.
Once there were as many as a dozen barrel-shaped buildings in our area of California. Today, in all of greater Los Angeles there remains only one, the Idle Hour Cafe at4824 Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood. Once, also there were wonderful “programmatic” structures shaped like oranges, hot dogs, giant donuts etc. all over Southern California. Today in LA, there are only 10 such buildings remaining (and, some like the Tail of the Pup and the Brown Derby, are languishing in some forgotten warehouse or another.)
border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432023934414147890" /> Interior Bar (still in the Idle Hour Cafe)

The Museum of the San Fernando Valley calls on our friends and neighbors to speak out on behalf of the Idle Hour Cafe – not for some gutted facade or placating bronze plaque. The Idle Hour is a true “anchor building” to the exciting new NoHo Arts District. We have a chance of seeing it restored to its once rightful position of a key nightspot in historic North Hollywood.
Besides! It’s the right and fun thing to do!
Interested parties should contact The Museum’s Chair for the Preservation of the Idle Hour Cafe, Sheila Kodimer at our telephone number:
1 (818) 347-9665
Leave your name, telephone number and email address, and Sheila will get back to you soon.

MUSEUM BEGINS ITS FOCUS ON THE HISTORIC IDLE HOUR CAFE

2010 - The Year of Valley History
Most recently called La Cana, the original Idle Hour Cafe is an important San Fernando Valley landmark. Photos for the Archives of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley by Gerald Fecht November 2009.
For sometime, we at The Museum of the San Fernando Valley have been worrying about the historic Idle Hour Cafe on Vineland Avenue in North Hollywood. As you can see from these snapshots, that I took the Saturday after Thanksgiving, the building is in pretty bad shape. Like all such structures; a fire, vandalism or wrecking ball can't be far away.
As more and more of you join The Museum Community, we are able to add important issues such as preserving and restoring the Idle Hour to our list of interests and activities.
To our good fortune, Sheilah Kodimer of North Hollywood has stepped forward to discover and report to The Museum about the status of the Cafe, the efforts of the Los Angeles Conservancy and historical preservation possibilities for the structure.

If you have information about the Idle Hour (photos, documents etc) and are interested in providing Sheilah with information, contact your Museum today. 1 (818) 347-9665