Tracing Old Hollywood along Sunset Boulevard: What Still Stands, What You Can Still Do

You can still read the Strip like an archive if you know which doors to try and which stories to retire. Start at the West Hollywood end, where clubs from the 1960s and 1970s still book acts nightly, and follow Sunset east toward Hollywood, where a 1931 Art Deco tower serves dinner in what was once a mobster’s apartment and a 1940 ballroom opens its doors one hour before showtime. Along the way, a few myths fall apart. One of them involves a soda fountain and an aspiring star who was not discovered at Schwab’s.

The stretch where the marquees still mean something

The building at 8433 Sunset Boulevard opened as Ciro’s in 1940. In April 1972 it became The Comedy Store, and it has operated continuously there ever since. Today it enforces a two‑drink minimum and, since December 2024, locks phones in Yondr pouches during shows. That combination preserves the atmosphere comics want and the audience paid for. Expect to sit, not pace; the club asks everyone to remain seated during performances, and there is no public parking on site, so plan for a nearby lot or rideshare.

Two blocks west at 8901 Sunset, Whisky a Go Go still carries the date of its opening on most band histories: 1964. In 2026 it remains an all‑ages venue all the time, an unusual policy on the Strip. You can often buy same‑day tickets at the box office, a relief if your plans shift late. If you are bringing teens, the all‑ages door policy applies to entry only; alcohol sales still require ID at the bar counter.

A short walk east brings you to 9009 Sunset and The Roxy Theatre, which first opened in 1973. The Roxy posts a strict no‑re‑entry rule, and age limits vary by show. The pragmatic tip here is a budgeting one: the venue points fans to the Fonda Theatre’s box office at 6126 Hollywood Boulevard for in‑person purchases on Tuesdays from 1–6 pm with lower fees for Roxy tickets while supplies last. If you are cost‑sensitive and local, that small detour works.

Hotels that look like the movies and actually are in the movies

At 8358 Sunset, the fifteen‑story tower completed in 1931 is now the Sunset Tower Hotel. Its wood‑paneled ground‑floor dining room, The Tower Bar, publishes hours and a dress code instead of relying on rumor. As of 2026 the restaurant serves breakfast 7–11 am daily, lunch 11 am–3 pm daily, and dinner from 6 pm most nights, with Sunday dinner limited to hotel guests only. The house rules are explicit: no shorts, baseball caps, sweats, sandals, tank tops, phone calls, laptops, or photos inside. If you want dinner there on a Sunday and you are not staying at the hotel, book another night or choose lunch.

Keep the Art Deco thread going by looking east to Hollywood proper. The Hollywood Palladium at 6215 Sunset opened on Halloween 1940 with Tommy Dorsey’s orchestra and a young Frank Sinatra. It still hosts concerts and film events, and its policies are unusually clear to first‑timers: doors generally open one hour before a show; the box office is open day‑of‑show only; and the venue is standing‑room only. If you plan to park on site, you must purchase a parking pass in advance. Bags are screened, and anything larger than 12 × 6 × 12 inches goes to coat check for a fee. Many events are for ages 5+, but age restrictions vary by show; check the listing.

Pages and storefronts that still carry the old stories

Not every surviving piece is a stage. At 8818 Sunset, Book Soup opened in 1975 and built a reputation for floor‑to‑ceiling shelves and celebrity signings. In September 2026 the shop is open 10 am–9 pm Monday–Saturday and 10 am–7 pm Sunday. Most author talks inside the store are free to attend with an RSVP; some larger events are ticketed or moved to nearby venues on Sunset. That mix makes Book Soup an easy heritage stop even if your trip falls between concerts.

Down the hill to the east, you can read the street against the rumors. Schwab’s Pharmacy once stood at 8024 Sunset Boulevard, and for decades visitors repeated that Lana Turner had been discovered there. Turner herself corrected it. In her telling she skipped typing at Hollywood High, walked to the corner of Sunset and McCadden, and was spotted at the Top Hat Café, not at Schwab’s. Schwab’s is gone. The Top Hat is gone. What remains is the geography. If you stand in front of Hollywood High on Sunset and look southeast across McCadden, you can place the real moment exactly where she did.

Two other older sites still show up on the sidewalk even if they are not attractions you enter. The streamlined, ship‑like complex Crossroads of the World at 6671 Sunset Boulevard opened in 1936 as an outdoor shopping center and later became creative offices. You can view its central spire and international‑style façades from the street and, during business hours, from the courtyard gates. Farther east at 5800 Sunset Boulevard, Sunset Bronson Studios occupies the historic lot where Warner Bros. shot The Jazz Singer in 1927. It is a working studio campus, not a visitor attraction, but the restored classical administration building facing Sunset anchors the block and explains why radio row once radiated out from this corner.

Which stop fits your night: laughter, live music, or supper with a view?

Here is how the still‑operating landmarks compare if you are deciding where to put your evening.

Separating legend from the sidewalk

Two address pairs are worth keeping in your pocket if you like the detective work of Los Angeles history. First, Schwab’s Pharmacy sat at 8024 Sunset Boulevard, and it truly was a studio hangout. It just was not where Lana Turner was discovered. Turner placed that meeting at the Top Hat Café at Sunset and McCadden, across from Hollywood High. Second, the Garden of Allah stood at what is now the southwest corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights. The hotel closed in 1959 and the property has cycled through bank and redevelopment uses since, which is why books and memories still point you here but there is nothing to tour. If your goal is to see something tangible from the 1930s at street level, point yourself instead to Crossroads of the World at 6671 Sunset for its 1936 nautical streamline façade, or to the 1931 Sunset Tower for its vertical ribs and ziggurat roofline.

Key things to know for this route

• If you only have one night and want something you can count on without a car, pick the Hollywood Palladium or The Comedy Store. Both sit within a short walk of paid lots, and the Palladium is two blocks from the Red Line’s Hollywood/Vine station.
• For a sit‑down meal tied to the skyline, The Tower Bar runs on reservations and a strict dress code; Sunday dinner is hotel‑guests only. Lunch any day is more flexible.
• Fee‑savvy ticket buyers for The Roxy can purchase in person at the Fonda Theatre box office on Tuesdays 1–6 pm with lower fees, while supplies last.
• Whisky a Go Go is all ages, which makes it the rare Strip venue where teens can see a show. Bring ear protection; your bartender will still require 21+ ID for alcohol.
• Book Soup is open 10 am–9 pm Mon–Sat and 10 am–7 pm Sun, with free RSVPs for many in‑store talks and occasional ticketed events at partner locations on Sunset.
• If a guide claims Lana Turner was discovered at Schwab’s, you are on the wrong block. The address you want is the Top Hat Café’s corner at Sunset and McCadden, across from Hollywood High.

Reader Q&A

Is The Comedy Store still doing two‑drink minimums and phone pouches?

Yes. The club enforces a two‑drink minimum and operates phone‑free shows using Yondr pouches. There is no on‑site public parking, so plan for a nearby lot or rideshare. Those policies are why sets at 8433 Sunset feel close to the room The Store has run since 1972.

Can I bring kids to a concert on the Strip?

Whisky a Go Go is an all‑ages venue at all times, and many Hollywood Palladium events are listed for ages 5+. Alcohol sales still require 21+ ID, and volume can be intense. Balcony or farther‑from‑PA spots are better for sensitive ears.

How do I actually get into The Tower Bar if I am not staying at the hotel?

Reserve for breakfast, lunch, or Monday–Saturday dinner. The restaurant’s Sunday dinner is for hotel guests only. The dress code forbids shorts, baseball caps, sweats, sandals, tank tops, phone calls, laptops, and photos; plan accordingly.

Is there anything left to see of Schwab’s Pharmacy or the Garden of Allah?

Both are gone. If you want a physical 1930s site on Sunset, walk the exterior of Crossroads of the World at 6671 Sunset, or admire the Sunset Tower at 8358 Sunset. For Lana Turner’s discovery, stand at Sunset and McCadden across from Hollywood High, where the Top Hat Café once operated.

If you are choosing between a night of comedy, a club show, or a balcony‑level view over the city, let logistics choose for you. If you do not want a car, the Palladium and Comedy Store cluster near transit and paid lots; if you want a guaranteed table with skyline and a clear set of rules, The Tower Bar tells you exactly how to get one.

Published: September 9, 2026