Tail o' the Pup

West Hollywood, California, United States

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Tail o' the Pup is a hot-dog-shaped novelty food stand designed by architect Milton J. Black. It opened in 1946 on La Cienega Boulevard and was later moved to San Vicente Boulevard, where it closed in 2005; LAist reported that its plaster hot dog went into storage. The preservation-focused 1933 Group acquired it in 2018, and it reopened on July 20, 2022, at 8512 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. Its operators describe it as a defining example of California novelty architecture.

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Tail o' the Pup

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Site-level location · 34.0836° N, 118.3814° W

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The story

The stand has survived two moves, a closure and years in storage.

The stand was created by architect Milton J. Black and finished in 1946, according to LAist. It opened on La Cienega Boulevard that June, and LAist places it at 311 La Cienega Boulevard. LAist describes it as part of a Los Angeles architectural movement, called Programmatic, in which buildings took the form of what they sold. Its operators describe it as one of the defining examples of California's golden era of novelty architecture.

LAist, in 2009, wrote that in 1985 people wanted to close the Pup and build a hotel, the Sofitel, and that in response to massive public outcry the stand was moved around the corner to 329 San Vicente Boulevard. In 2005, after the developer who owned the land wanted to build a retirement home there, it was agreed that the Pup would close and put its plaster hot dog in storage. LAist reported that the City of Los Angeles had designated it a cultural landmark in 2006.

The stand's owners say it was acquired in 2018 by the hospitality group 1933 Group, which Time Out described as preservationist-oriented. On July 20, 2022, which the owners note was National Hot Dog Day, it reopened at 8512 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, as Time Out reported. Time Out added that the building the expanded eatery occupies is where the Doors recorded L.A. Woman in 1971, marked with a plaque. The owner's website, whose footer is dated 2026, describes the stand as open and serving.

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