Building Wraps Nixed ... Plastic Burns!

— Photo by TJ Sullivan —

You want something done right? Call the fire department.

Forget messing around with lawyers, like some office workers did in their effort to remove one of those veritable condoms of vinyl and plastic that have consumed office buildings throughout Los Angeles, blocking windows with unwanted advertisements and turning structures into super-billboards.

Though the attorneys in the aforementioned effort appear to have won that one battle, Los Angeles fire inspectors succeeded in removing nearly 20 of the unsightly skins in one fell swoop.

The Los Angeles Times blog LA Now reports that the owners of nearly 20 buildings have been ordered to remove the wraps because ... duh ... plastic burns.

Here's a snippet from the LA Now post:

Fire officials discussed the crackdown as they stood next to a six-story supergraphic advertising Tropicana orange juice on National Boulevard near Westwood Boulevard.

"This would take a fire from the first floor to the top in no time at all," said Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Kurt Fasmer.

I don't know if the supergraphic pictured above is one of the near 20 included in the crackdown.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

And Then the Wrapping Came Off

— Photo by TJ Sullivan —

Well, that didn't take long.

The building wrap pictured above came down on Wednesday, less than three days after it was the subject of a story in the the Los Angeles Times.

There are, however, still plenty of buildings under wraps in LA.

Here's a snippet from today's story about the Statue-of-Liberty wraps:

[...] Foes of supergraphics have accused McNeilly of attempting to use a patriotic symbol to secure a legal settlement that will allow him to put commercial advertising on buildings that never had them to begin with. McNeilly sued the city a decade ago over its efforts to remove a multistory, patriotic mural in Westwood.

He won a settlement in 2003 that allows commercial advertising on the building's west side -- a wall that currently displays an advertisement for the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic."

"The history is, he takes out these patriotic signs so that he can eventually sell advertising," said Dennis Hathaway, president of the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight.

McNeilly would not say how much money he makes from the supergraphic in Westwood, but he explained that advertisers were willing to pay up to $100,000 per month for a single, tarp-like supergraphic, depending on its size and location.

A photo of a Statue-of-Liberty wrap is at this link.

— TJ Sullivan in LA

Billboard Wraps Have Office Workers Miffed

Here are today's links to my posts at NBC:

- Car buyer law stalled for lack of action ...

- Lingerie Bowl players concerned about rep ...

- Office workers miffed at billboard wraps ...








— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA's Invasion of the Building Wraps

— Photos by TJ Sullivan —

I took these shots of building wraps Monday afternoon on the Westside. All are within a mile of each other and each has appeared in the past few months.

Related Posts at NBC:

- Big Billboard Ruling Upholds City Ban

- Statewide Billboard Ban a Hard Sell

— TJ Sullivan in LA

LA Times Increases Price, Few Notice

Here are today's links to my posts at NBC:

- Temporary ban on signs a hard sell ...

- LA Times ups price, few notice ...

- Sportsmen's Lodge gone, or not, maybe ...








— TJ Sullivan in LA

LAO: Fighting Signs with Signs

My latest post from LA Observed's Native Intelligence:

No stopping …
No Parking …
Loading Only …
Street Cleaning …
Permits Exempt …
Sundays and Holidays Exempt …
Anti-Gridlock Zone …

Los Angelenos learn the meaning of these terms the way most people acquire knowledge, by paying tuition, albeit in the form of parking citations and fines. Those who say we in LA don't read have obviously never parallel parked on our streets, where we not only read, but debate the subtext and hidden meanings intended by the author. Is "stopping" the same as parking, or something permanent? Is "Flag Day" a holiday? What exactly qualifies as "loading?" And, can Hondas park wherever in Beverly HIlls, or is that particular privilege afforded only to late-model Jaguars and UPS vans?

Confusing as it can be, there's now one more lesson -- a sign that regulates unregulated signage -- the course materials for which have been posted at various locations throughout the city, most recently along Olympic Boulevard on the Westside ...

Read the rest at LA Observed's Native Intelligence

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