The Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday backed a developer's plans to replace the iconic Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City with a 520-unit residential complex and mixed-used development. The council voted 13 to 1 to deny an appeal of the project, allowing Midwood Investment & Development to demolish the once-popular event center and hotel at Ventura Boulevard and Coldwater Canyon Avenue.
It was one of the first to unionize in the San Fernando Valley and one of the first union hotels in Los Angeles. Others were concerned about the project's 97-foot height, the construction noise and the environmental impact. In its heyday, Sportsmen’s Lodge was a movie studio hangout and a popular venue for weddings, bar mitzvahs and New Year’s parties. The event center and restaurant opened in 1946 and the hotel in 1962. The hotel permanently closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.