Sad news from Santa Monica Boulevard: the former home of the Friars Club of Beverly Hills is being torn down. The storied club was founded by Milton Berle in 1947 and quickly attracted some of the most eminent comics and actors of the time, like Al Jolson and Jack Benny, as members.
Unfortunately, even though the building came to be an institution as well as an architectural curiosity, Beverly Hills lacks local ordinances that might otherwise protect historic landmarks from destruction or alteration. It’s a real shame – you don’t find too many old-school social clubs like that anymore, let alone one that boasts Mel Brooks and Don Rickles as members.
