It appears that work is getting underway on yet another large hotel near the world famous intersection of Hollywood and Vine.

Earlier this week, an Urbanize reader noticed construction crews erecting a protective barricade around the perimeter of the vacant office building at 1800 Argyle Avenue.  The five-story structure, sandwiched between Yucca Street and the Hollywood Freeway, is slated to be demolished for a new hotel managed by the San Franciso-based Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group.  According to a memo released by CRA/LA in November 2013, the proposed development would consist of a 16-story tower with 225 guest rooms, 6,000 square feet of meeting space and 3,000 square feet of restaurant space.  The building would also feature a pool deck and 107 automobile parking spaces, contained within three above-grade levels and a subterranean garage.

Although an exact development timeline for the hotel is uncertain, heavy equipment was spotted yesterday clearing asphalt from an adjacent parking lot.  According to a construction foreman, the existing office building is scheduled to be demolished during the next several weeks, depending on when a cell tower which sits atop the structure is removed.  The build out for the new tower could commence in the late summer or early fall of this year.

The proposed hotel is one of numerous high-rise developments planned for properties surrounding the venerable Capitol Records Building, including a pair of residential towers which would stand at the southwest and southeast corners of Argyle Avenue and Yucca Street.