22 Foot Tall Stack Of Beer Pallets - Deemed Art - Might Be Torn Down

[matcom]

<snip>

It's unclear how serious members of the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission were back in 1978 when they designated Daniel Van Meter's "Tower of Wooden Pallets" a historic monument.

Commission member Bob Winter later joked that "maybe we were drunk" when they recognized the 22-foot stack of crumbling, termite-infested Schlitz beer pallets. Winter called it "the funniest thing we ever did."

Van Meter's creation became Monument No. 184, taking its place on the same registry as the Hollywood sign, Union Station and the Pantages Theatre.

In 2000, Van Meter died at age 87, and his family took over the lot on Magnolia Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. Now his heirs, who never liked the tower and were often at odds with its eccentric creator, want to clear the land of feral cats, strange plants and the tower itself so a developer can put up 98 apartments.

Van Meter's relatives stand to make millions from the sale of the 1.43-acre lot. But the tower is in their way. Knocking down a monument, even one that may be about to topple on its own, requires layers of bureaucratic process, including public hearings and detailed reports.

http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-me-pallets26jan26.story

[flamingyouth]

1. I've been by that site many times

I always wondered why it was allowed to remain, given the value of the land. Now I know. :D

[Bozita]

2. Commish shits on Schlitz (alternate headline)

[trof]

3. They don't know about matches in that town?

Just asking...
;-)

[uncle ray]

4. it may be a ugly pile of pallets

but it's one hell of a story.

for those too lazy to read, it's basically a land owner giving a big "FUCK YOU" to developers, only to have his family inherit the land, and sell out to the developers he so hated.