Destruction date August 1967 | Function Nightclub | |
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Similar Ciro's, Gazzarri's, Garden of Allah Hotel, Schwab's Pharmacy, Rodney Bingenheimer's English D | ||
Pandora's Box was a rock and roll nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. It was at the center of the Sunset Strip curfew riots in the mid-1960s.
History
The club was located at 8118 Sunset Boulevard, at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights Boulevard. In 1962, the club was bought by deejay and Shindig! host Jimmy O'Neill. O'Neill's trendsetting booking policy made Pandora's Box the center of the Sunset Strip youth scene.
In 1966, annoyed residents and business owners in the district had encouraged the passage of a strict 10:00pm curfew and loitering law to reduce the traffic congestion resulting from crowds of young club patrons. This was perceived by young, local rock music fans as an infringement on their civil rights, and on Saturday, November 12, 1966, fliers were distributed along the Strip inviting people to demonstrate later that day.
Hours before the protest one of L.A's rock 'n' roll radio stations announced there would be a rally at Pandora's Box. The Los Angeles Times reported that as many as 1,000 youthful demonstrators, including such celebrities as Frank Zappa, Sonny and Cher, Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda (who was afterward handcuffed by police), erupted in protest against the perceived repressive enforcement of these recently invoked curfew laws.
In November 1966, the Los Angeles City Council voted to acquire and demolish the club. The club was demolished in early August 1967. The 1967 film Riot on Sunset Strip is a fictionalized depiction of the events. Buffalo Springfield's 1967 hit single "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey, What's That Sound)" was written by group member Stephen Stills in response to the riot.