culture// Idle Hour Bar Pre-Opening Party

Last night we got all dressed up and drove out to NoHo to attend Bobby Green's Opening Party for the Idle Hour Bar. And what a party it was – a great addition to his compilation of fine establishments.

Built in 1941 and known as the Idle Hour Cafe (for a brief moment it was also a Flamenco dance space called La Cana) it survived until 1984 when it's doors were permanently closed. A continuous eyesore for the neighborhood, it's a miracle that one of Los Angeles' last programmatic architectural sites was never demolished. Fortunately the barrel-shaped building was put up for auction and with our luck, was acquired by Bobby Green (1933 Group). If you aren’t familiar with the name, Bobby also owns and operates West and East Bigfoot Lodge, Sassafras and Thirsty Crow to name a few.

As if the task at refurbishing a skeleton of a building wasn’t enough work, Bobby brought in the Bulldog Café from the Peterson Museum. The Peterson, located in the heart of Hollywood, is undergoing a facelift of its own and decided to part with some of its historical pieces. Bobby was once again to the rescue and now the Bulldog sits on the patio of the Idle Hour and will be available for private parties.

If the story isn’t impressive enough, check out the photos…