The Hollywood & Western Building, also known as The Mayer Building, and formerly known as the "Hollywood Western Building," is a four-story Art Deco office building located at 5500 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. It was designated Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #336 on January 1, 1988.
Designed by S. Charles Lee, and built by Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg, the building opened on December 8, 1928. The building was the first location of Motion Picture Association of America, Central Casting, the Hays Office, and The Ben Hecht Company. Hollywood Billiards, Hollywood's oldest pool hall was located in the lower basement of the building. Over the years its tenants have also included Newman Drug Co., Rexall, Bargain Saver, Hollywood Rehearsal Studios, Studio 9, Rock City Arcade, and Cosmopolitan Book Depository.
By the 1970s, the building was being used to produce pornography, and was slowly converted in individual rehearsal studios as the area where the building was located became increasingly crime-ridden and dangerous. The building was used in Hollywood Shuffle, and was a regular shooting location for numerous TV productions. It was also used as a rehearsal studio for such bands as Guns N Roses and White Zombie.
The building was heavily damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and was vacant for several years. It has since been renovated, and its tenants as of 2008 included the local offices of Los Angeles City Councilman Eric Garcetti.
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