Hollywood Fire: Hollywood and Vine Location Does Make a Difference

The fire at Hollywood and Vine is a very serious matter for everyone who worked in the businesses that aren't there now. But, I doubt that it would have gotten this much attention if it had happened somewhere else.

• "Hollywood & Fire"
  Los Angeles Times (April 30, 2008)
• "Blaze Erupts in Building Housing Hollywood Nightclub"
  FoxNEWS (April 30, 2008)
• "Spectacular blaze erupts in nightclub at Hollywood and Vine"
  San Diego Union-Tribune (April 30, 2008)
• "Spectacular blaze erupts in nightclub at Hollywood and Vine"
  The Associated Press (April 30, 2008)

Hollywood and Vine was really hot this morning. Sorry: that was too good a line to ignore.

The good news is that nobody seems to have been hurt: the bad news is that quite a few business were burned out, including Basque nightclub.

The building is important for cultural reasons:

• Scenes for "Ocean's Eleven" were shot at the Basque
• Over the decades, the location has seen a :
  • Howard Johnson's
  • Nightclub called Deep
  • music studio
• Nearby landmarks:
  • The art deco Pantages Theatre (just east of the fire)
  • The Capitol Records building

those places are important it today's America, so: yes, a fire at Hollywood and Vine is more important than one at most other intersections.