CUT and sidebar
Beverly Hills, Calif.
Richard Meier & Partners Architects

Grand old dame of Beverly Hills gets a Modernist makeover

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	Click here for slide show. Photo © Tim Griffith

Richard Meier & Partners has given the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, a grand old dame constructed in 1926 and listed on the National Register, a Modernist makeover with “CUT” and “sidebar,” a new restaurant and lounge that flank either side of the hotel’s French Renaissance-inspired lobby.

CUT, featuring celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck’s steak and seafood cuisine, takes advantage of the existing building shell. Arched bay windows inspired the plan’s geometry. At the south windows, a painted steel trellis planted with white wisteria extends through the façade and into the dining room, following a semicircular path. A new skylight at the center of the dining room includes translucent suspended glass panels to diffuse and reflect daylight throughout the dining room. The architect removed existing window treatments and, along the west façade, added painted aluminum sunscreens to protect diners from strong afternoon sun. The two-tier dining room is finished with golden-toned quartered white oak floors. Banquette seating of ash and black leather floats on minimal wood supports, while tabletops repeat the floor finish with one-inch oak laminations. Dining chairs with aluminum frames and black mesh seats, designed by Charles Eames, lend classically modern profiles to these spaces.

Across the lobby, the architect gave “sidebar” a more intimate character suitable for a lounge. A bentwood bar, comprised of laminated solid white oak with stainless-steel detailing, provides a dramatic counterpoint within an otherwise rectangular volume. Sofas and settees are upholstered in mohair, combining colors of sage with jewel-toned pillows and black leather ottomans. Vintage table lamps in polished nickel, designed by Josef Hoffman, punctuate these seating groups. Ceilings in both the lounge and the restaurant feature an acoustically absorptive wood system that integrates lighting, sound system, linear diffusers, and sprinklers. At the exterior windows, panels with steel mesh can be drawn closed and illuminated to create a more intimate atmosphere.

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Formal name of project:
CUT and sidebar

Location:
Beverly Hills, Calif.

Gross square footage:
6,500 sq. ft.

Owner:
CTF Hotels and Resorts
2912 Westchester Ave.
Orlando, FL 32803
Michael C. Kiggen, vice president design & construction

Architect:
Richard Meier & Partners Architects LLP
1001 Gayley Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-208-6464 tel.
310.824.2294 fax
www.richardmeier.com

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