“I like my beers cold and my homosexuals flaming.”

-Homer Simpson
Micky's Bar, a West Hollywood community mainstay, tragically
burned to the ground in a 2007 fire. Dean Larkin Design was commissioned by the
nightclub's owners to bring this homosexual hotspot back to life, and West
Hollywood saw its much awaited re-opening in 2009.
Rising from the ashes, this project explores the “coming out” of
a space in the urban family. Like a family hiding their gay child,
society (directly or indirectly) often tucked away gay and lesbian
neighborhoods into the least desirable areas of its community. That same
societal shame was often reflected in the dark and uninviting architecture of
those neighborhoods.
Emerging from the shadows of yesterday, this bar’s interior is
flooded with natural daylight via skylights and glass floors.
Twenty-foot-wide full-height doors invite everyone in, while lighting effects
communicate the “high energy” of the inside environment to the outside viewer –
an “out” building existing in a synergetic equilibrium with the urban transit
corridor along which it resides.
Features like columns, back bar, bar tops, etc., use the latest
in LED lighting effects and 3form product resin materials to virtually glow
from within. Using a full spectrum of rainbow colors, these items adjust
to continually provide an endless backdrop of environments, from holiday themes
to special events, and to share these environments openly with the streetscape
beyond.
How has the change in society’s views on homosexuality been
reflected in its architecture? This building is unsympathetically,
unashamedly and unapologetically “out” to its neighbors. Perhaps, in the
end, the biggest revelation is the lack of disruption this building’s “coming
out” has made in its urban family, acknowledging that much has changed indeed.
The project was submitted for the 2010 AIA l LA Annual
Restaurant Design Awards. A panel of distinguished architects, design
professionals and restaurateurs convened to review the year’s entries and
designated projects for recognition in the categories of restaurants,
cafes/bars, and lounges/nightclubs. Evaluations were based on function,
ambience, and visual impact. Micky's, however, was not recognized for the award - and we believe the project deserves a second shot at glory. Once a drab and dated dive bar, a tragic fire ironically gave way to its re-birth. The bar is teeming with thirsty revelers on a nightly basis, and in true Hollywood fashion has been transformed into its own shining celebrity. The project has made a lasting impression not only because of its innovative use of lighting, materials, and indoor/outdoor spatial planning, but also for the positive impact it has left on the local community and urban street scape.