Tail O’ the Pup is an iconic
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
hot dog
A hot dog (uncommonly spelled hotdog) is a food consisting of a grilled or steamed sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced Hot dog bun, bun. The term hot dog can refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener (Vienna sausag ...
stand actually shaped like a hot dog. Built in 1946, the small, walk-up stand has been noted as a prime example of ''"programmatic" or "mimetic"''
novelty architecture
Novelty architecture, also called programmatic architecture or mimetic architecture, is a type of architecture in which buildings and other structures are given unusual shapes for purposes such as advertising or to copy other famous buildings w ...
. It was one of the last surviving mid-20th century buildings that were built in the shapes of the products they sold.
History
Designed by architect
Milton Black, the stand opened at 311 La Cienega Boulevard in June 1946 to luminary-studded, searchlight-lit fanfare. Eddie Blake purchased the Pup in 1976 from its celebrity owners, the dance team of
Veloz and Yolanda
Frank Veloz (1906–1981) and Yolanda Casazza (1908–1995) were a self-taught American ballroom dance team, husband and wife, who became stars in the 1930s and 1940s, and were among the highest paid dance acts during that era. They performed on ...
.
Despite its appearance in countless movies, television programs and commercials, the stand faced demolition in the mid-1980s, creating an outcry that resulted in the stand being moved a couple of blocks from its original location at 311 North
La Cienega Boulevard
La Cienega Boulevard is a major north–south arterial road that runs between El Segundo Boulevard in Hawthorne, California on the south and the Sunset Strip/Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood to the north. It was named for Rancho Las Cienegas, ...
to 329 North
San Vicente Boulevard
San Vicente Boulevard is a major northwest-southeast thoroughfare located in the western portion of the metropolitan area of Los Angeles, CA.
The boulevard begins at Venice Boulevard between Crenshaw Boulevard and La Brea Avenue and travels in ...
.
The hot dog stand closed in December 2005. The structure was moved into a
Torrance warehouse after Regent Properties, a development company, purchased the Pup's site from landlord
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over 2 ...
, and announced plans to build 152 condominium and apartment units.
The City of Los Angeles in 2006 declared Tail O’ the Pup to be a cultural landmark.
Blake's grandson Jay Miller and his wife Nicole inherited the Pup in 2017. After a failed attempt to have it reopened in a partnership with Killer Shrimp, the structure was donated to the
Valley Relics Museum.
The 1933 Group purchased the structure in 2018 with plans to restore the stand to its original appearance, find a new location, and reopen it.
The stand reopened in July 2022 in West Hollywood.
See also
*
Coney Island Hot Dog Stand
Coney Island Colorado (commonly The Coney Island) in Bailey, Colorado is a 1950s diner shaped like a giant hot dog, with toppings. The building has been called "the best example of roadside architecture in the state".
The diner has indoor se ...
*
Randy’s Donuts
References
External links
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The Tail o' the Pupimage
The Tail o' the Pupimage via:
Taschen
Taschen is a luxury art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. As of January 2017, Taschen is co-managed by Benedikt and his eldest daughter, Marlene Taschen.
History
The company began as Taschen Comics, pu ...
,
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
The Tail o' the Pupimage via:
CityNews
''CityNews'' (corporately styled City''News'') is the title of news and current affairs programming on Rogers Sports & Media's Citytv network in Canada. The newscast division was founded on September 28, 1975 as ''CityPulse'' as a standalone loc ...
Calgary
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Restaurants established in 1946
2006 disestablishments in California
Hot dog restaurants in the United States
Landmarks in Los Angeles
Novelty buildings in California
Restaurants in Los Angeles
1946 establishments in California
Restaurants disestablished in 2006