A little piece of surfing/skating history may be shut down and replaced by a Chipotle. Kind of. I just assume “neighborhood redevelopment” means Chipotle is on its way. In this case, we’re talking about the site of the original Zephyr and Jeff Ho Productions building at 2001-2011 Main Street, which in its current form is the Horizons West Surf Shop. If you surf, you know this place. If you don’t, you saw it in “Dogtown and Z-Boys” and “Lords of Dogtown.” People are pretty pissed off that the building’s owner may redevelop this spot out of existence, and supporters seek “historic landmark” status in an attempt to save the place. Read about it here and here.

I’ve never been to a Chipotle. I’m sure it’s a nice place. And the landlord owns the building, so they can do whatever they want with it. But I think what they want to do is lame, for two reasons:

First, Horizons West isn’t just a place with historical significance for surfers. It’s also a great surf shop. They actually sell surfboards, not just surf clothes (which is increasingly rare on this street and in the world). Second, and more importantly, if they don’t preserve this place outright, the landlord will pursue a “compromise” to satisfy all the people they’ve upset. But here’s the problem with compromise:

After seeing a copy of “Dogtown and Z-Boys,” developer Juli Doar, Herrmann’s granddaughter, voluntarily withdrew her application for a demolition permit and organized two public meetings at which community members aired gripes and brainstormed ways to commemorate the Zephyr team’s contribution to skating. Doar hopes to propose a plan that would integrate art that celebrates the team and its culture into the building’s design. LA Times

This is a dumb compromise. The developer wants to “integrate art that celebrates the [Zephyr] team” into the design of the new condo/retail space? What will this “art” be? A statue? A plaque? A hula girl tchotchke? Whatever form it takes, one thing is certain. It’ll probably be shaped like a Chipotle.

Related posts:

1. C.R. Stecyk – Godfather of Dogtown
2. Lords of Dogtown Trailer
3. Cool Cats and Hot Dogs on Ice
4. Black Slime Invades Downtown
5. John August live blogs Sundance