Wilshire Hotel Denied Status as Landmark : Development: Commission rejects designating Sheraton-Town House a cultural monument. Three mayoral candidates want to save the hotel.

The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission on Wednesday cleared the way for the demolition of the landmark Sheraton-Town House hotel on Wilshire Boulevard, once a hangout for movie stars that is scheduled to be razed for a parking lot.

Immediately after the commission’s 3-2 vote against designating the neoclassic Georgian building as a cultural monument, three Los Angeles mayoral candidates said they would work to save the building.

Councilman Nate Holden, whose district includes the hotel, said it was ridiculous to turn it into a parking lot. “It would really hurt the business community,” already shaken by the announced closure of the historic Bullock’s Wilshire building across the street, he said.

Holden said he would make a motion Friday to ask the City Council to take jurisdiction over the matter. “We won’t let them demolish it,” he said.

The offices of Councilmen Joel Wachs and Michael Woo, two other mayoral candidates, also said they were preparing to introduce motions to save the building. Wachs had already written a letter to the Cultural Heritage Commission supporting landmark status for the building, which would have delayed and possibly prevented demolition.

“We have to do all we can to protect and upgrade the Wilshire corridor,” Woo said.

The Los Angeles Conservancy said it was planning a rally at noon Sunday at Commonwealth Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard to build support for saving the building.

The commissioners who voted against preserving the building--Takashi Shida, Amarjit Marwah and Reynaldo Landero--said they did not think it was an outstanding architectural resource. Shida said the numerous witnesses who testified during the packed meeting had not documented that “this was an architect whose genius influenced the age.”

As for the argument that the hotel’s past as a haunt for the likes of Howard Hughes and Elizabeth Taylor gave it historical significance, Shida said: “These are parts of what would happen in (any) large hotel.”

Commissioners Helen Madrid-Worthen and Billie Beasley Jenkins voted in favor of historic designation.

Architectural historians, urban planners and preservationists argued Wednesday that the building was indeed of historic significance--a key part of the Wilshire corridor’s heritage--and has potential for contributing to its economic comeback. Among the witnesses was former state historic preservation officer Knox Mellon and representatives of the American Institute of Architects and the Los Angeles Conservancy.

The city Planning Department and the current state historic preservation officer also submitted letters in favor of historic designation. And a transportation union representative argued that saving quality buildings along the Red Line subway, which is under construction, is crucial to preserving jobs not only in transportation but in the offices and other businesses along Wilshire.

“How can you do this?” shouted Joan Young at the commissioners after the hearing. The Hancock Park resident, who called herself “a plain old citizen,” had tears in her eyes. “This is absolutely devastating to me. They should be thinking of how to help a part of the city that’s really beautiful,” she said.