An iconic Hollywood sign could soon be replaced by the logo of a trendy fast food chain, angering locals.
Norms Coffee Shop on La Cienega Boulevard has been a staple for Angelenos since 1957 with its recognizable Googies-style architecture created by Armét & Davis and its sawtooth-shaped sign out front.
But the sign may be renovated as chicken finger chain Raising Cane’s plans to move there in 2027, when Norms’ lease ends, according to Los Angeles Times.
“The idea of transforming Norms from a family-friendly, affordable restaurant to a place to go for fried chicken blows my mind,” Kim Cooper, writer for Esotouric’s Secret Los Angeles, told The Times.
Cooper was the one who discovered Cane’s was planning to change the space when he was examining the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission’s upcoming agenda.
Due to the historic status of the site, Cane’s must obtain permission to change the building.
The restaurant chain told The Times that it “plans to keep the legacy of Norm’s alive and maintain, forever, the iconic Googie-style architecture made famous by Armét & Davis as we begin improvements to restore the property.”
In a rendering of the new sign shared with The Times, Cane’s proposes simply replacing Norms with Cane’s, using the same font, while keeping the rest of the structure identical.
Norms Coffee Shop on La Cienega Boulevard has been a staple for Angelenos since 1957 with its recognizable Googies-style architecture created by Armét & Davis and its sawtooth-shaped sign out front. But the sign may be under renovation as chicken finger chain Raising Cane’s plans to move in 2027.
The restaurant chain said it “plans to keep the legacy of Norm’s alive and maintain, forever, the iconic Googie-style architecture made famous by Armét & Davis as we begin improvements to restore the property.” A rendering (pictured) shows they plan to replace Rules with Batons on the sign.
But that doesn’t at all stop Angelenos from rejecting Cane’s occupying the space, even with the promise of maintaining the architectural integrity.
“It’s much more than a building,” Cooper said.
‘This is a place that has been open 24 hours a day…
“Standards are a part of people’s lives and have been for 67 years, which in Los Angeles is basically a millennium.”
Television producer Damian Sullivan agreed, telling The Times: ‘Norms is in the same realm as Manns Chinese Theater and Panns and the Hollywood Sign.
“It’s so iconic for Los Angeles.”
The La Cienega Boulevard location is so memorable to locals that it was the subject of Ed Ruscha Norm’s painting, La Cienega, On Fire.
The first Standards were inaugurated in 1949 by Norm Roybark. The owner sold the company to CapitalSpring in 2015, according to The Times.
The La Cienega Boulevard location is so memorable to locals that it was the subject of the painting Norm’s, La Cienega, On Fire by Ed Ruscha.
The first Standards were inaugurated in 1949 by Norm Roybark.
He sold the company to CapitalSpring in 2015, according to The Times.
The other two dozen locations will remain in operation after 2027.