A vacant commercial building in Central Hollywood has been demolished, setting the stage for the construction of a mid-rise hotel tower.

The Thompson Hollywood, officially announced last year, would rise from an approximately half-acre site at 1523-1541 N. Wilcox Avenue.  Plans call for a 10-story building which would feature 200 guest rooms, multiple food-and-beverage venues, and amenities such as a swimming pool and a rooftop deck.

The hotel would be operated by Commune Hotels & Resorts, the San Francisco-based parent company of the Thompson brand.

Architectural renderings created by the Rockwell Group, the hotel's design architect, portray a boxy 200-foot tall building which would offer panoramic views of the Los Angeles basin.  The design team also includes Steinberg Architects, which is serving as the project's executive architect.

Although construction plans have been submitted to the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, it is unclear when a groundbreaking for the hotel will occur.

The project is being developed by Five Chairs, a Los Angeles-based real estate firm that has almost singlehandedly fueled Hollywood's boutique hotel construction binge.  South of Sunset Boulevard, the company intends to construct a seven-story inn which would be operated by Commune's youth-oriented Tommie brand.  One block north of the Thompson site, the company is nearing completion on the Dream Hollywood, the first Southern California outpost of the trendy New York chain.