The Smell, L.A. DIY Institution, Receives Demolition Notice

The Smell is a Los Angeles music and art space that’s hosted affordable, all ages shows since 1998. HEALTH, No Age, Ty Segall, Mika Miko, the Babies, Ponytail, and tons of others played at the institution. A 2009 DVD features 10 bands performing at the venue; the venue is featured on the cover of No Age’s Weirdo Rippers (below). Today, the venue shared the below photo of a notice that was posted to their door, which reveals that a company has apparently filed paperwork to demolish the Smell. L&R Group of Companies, “one of the largest parking property owners in the nation,” posted the notice to every building on the same block. The notice says that as long as the L&R’s plans comply with the city’s applicable laws and municipal codes, “public comment will have no impact on this project.” The Smell’s owner Jim Smith told LAist, “I suppose the signs have been there for many years, but I’ve suspected something like this was coming when our building was sold a year ago....I plan to do whatever I can to fight or delay this.” Smith says he’s still assessing the situation and plans to suspend further booking until he’s obtained more information. Update (5/31, 2:17 p.m.): The Smell have issued an official statement about the demolition notice that the venue received last week. They have also launched a GoFundMe page that seeks to raise $1.4 million “to take on this fight, and if necessary, to raise the capital required to purchase a new location.” Read the full statement below.

Update (06/02 6:20 p.m.): The Smell have shared an update on the situation, confirming that there are “no immediate plans to to level our building” and that “we are ‘probably’ safe for the immediate future.” Kevin Litwin, chief operating officer of L&R sub-company Joe's Parking, has confirmed to Pitchfork that he spoke to Smith on the phone and sent him a letter saying, “I appreciate the rich history and community that the Smell has brought to Los Angeles.” The letter also includes the quote below.

“We should have reached out earlier to communicate our intent to all our tenants so that they understood the process. The notice that was posted on your door last Friday was merely a formality to keep our options open. It is required to obtain a demolition permit in the event that it may be needed in the future. We support you and your message of providing a community within Los Angeles. We look forward to continuing our relationship with you.”

The Smell:

Late Friday afternoon, The Smell, along with most of our neighbors on the 200-block of Main Street, were surprised to learn that the owners of our building, L&R Group of Companies, had, without warning, posted demolition notices on all of our businesses.  As of this press release, no other information has been made available by either the building owners or the city, and there has been no indication as to how imminent this demolition is, or how much time we have to continue to operate.

Since Saturday, we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, from people sharing memories, lodging protests, taking personal action and initiative, to offers assistance and advice.  The response has been nothing short of inspirational.  Volunteers met over the weekend and decided that it is vital to the overall cultural well-being of Los Angeles, that The Smell continue to exist and to move forward.  In our view, The Smell has always been a community more than a physical space, and we will do whatever is necessary to assure that this community continues to thrive - if not in its present location, then in a new location suitable to its needs.

As of today, we are launching a Gofundme campaign to raise money to take on this fight, and if necessary, to raise the capital required to purchase a new location, so that we never have to go through a crisis like this again.  Details are posted on our website about how the community can help and get involved - both financial and otherwise.

We also ask that you take the time to sign a petition and share testimonials that we can present to the building owners and the city - the more signatures and testimonials, the better.

As stated earlier in this press release, we do not currently have any details beyond the demolition notice, but we plan on trying to clear that up with the building owners and the city as soon as possible.  As new information becomes available, we will share it publicly.

The Smell is more alive than ever and we thank everyone in the community for being a part of it throughout our 18+ year history.

All upcoming shows, petition, and gofundme infomation is available at thesmell.org