West Hollywood planning to renovate historic log cabin building

California Construction News staff writer

The City of West Hollywood is planning to renovate the historic Log Cabin building, which houses the West Hollywood Recovery Center (WHRC) on N. Robertson Boulevard with the California State Legislature approving 1.15 million in appropriated funding to support the project.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 102 into law on July 10.

Also, $500,000 was approved from the California Department of Housing and Community Development and $650,000 from the California Department of General Services.

“We are grateful to Senator Allen and to Assemblymember Zbur for helping the City of West Hollywood and the West Hollywood Recovery Center to champion funding to support renovations for this historic space, which is vital in safeguarding recovery services in our community,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne. “Countless thousands of people have been helped by 12-Step meetings offered at the Log Cabin and I’m thrilled that we can look forward to many more years ahead in an improved space for life-changing meetings and community recovery.”

The building was built on property purchased by the City of Beverly Hills in 1928. The northerly portion of the property was leased to the Lions Club in 1936, which constructed the Log Cabin in its style as a Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) clubhouse.

In 2022, the City of West Hollywood purchased the property and began a feasibility analysis with the West Hollywood Recovery Center to determine a renovation plan.

As a result, the plan is to refurbish the existing log cabin structure by bringing the facility up to health and safety and ADA requirements while meeting historic preservation standards; provide a long-term facility with the West Hollywood community that accommodates the needs of the recovery community; and create a renewable energy hub with additional site work for a public parking lot, streetscape improvements, landscaping, and incorporation of EV charging stations and photovoltaic panels.

The West Hollywood Recovery Center hosts more than 90 separate addiction recovery meetings a week, over 4,500 meetings a year.