Overview
Located on Sunset Boulevard, "The Unicorn" is a transformative mixed-use development designed to honor and amplify the Sunset Strip's storied legacy as a cultural and musical hub. At its heart is a vibrant performance venue and night club that embraces the history of iconic neighbors like The Roxy, Whisky a Go Go, and The Rainbow Room while paving the way for a more inclusive and diverse music scene. This project blends luxury hospitality, fine dining, and world-class entertainment, creating a destination that captures the energy and spirit of Sunset Boulevard.

The City of West Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard Off-Site Advertising Signage Program was launched to reimagine the iconic Sunset Strip as a hub of cutting-edge design, public art, and creative advertising. This initiative aimed to transform a historically media-driven stretch of Sunset Boulevard into a vibrant cultural corridor that blends innovative architecture with community engagement.

Round 2 of the program, held in early 2022, invited developers, architects, and advertising companies to propose projects that integrated bold architectural concepts with modern signage technologies. The competition focused on fostering projects that enhanced the pedestrian experience, contributed to the Strip’s cultural and historic character, and supported sustainability and economic development in the neighborhood.

For the competition, AE Architecture, Inc. was hired on February 8, 2022, to conceptualize a transformative project at 9021 Sunset Boulevard. In just 16 days, the firm developed and branded "The Unicorn," a mixed-use development proposal that harmoniously combined hospitality, dining, performance spaces, and architectural innovation to capture the spirit of Sunset Boulevard. By February 24, 2022, the project concept was finalized and submitted, representing a bold vision for the future of the Sunset Strip.

The Sunset Strip has long been synonymous with groundbreaking performances and musical legends. The Unicorn’s nightclub and performance venue not only continue this tradition but also offer a new platform for more diverse musical acts, genres, and performers. By hosting everything from emerging talent and international stars to culturally rich and genre-defying performances, The Unicorn seeks to attract a broader audience while ensuring Sunset Boulevard remains a global destination for live music.

The Unicorn takes its place as a media-savvy destination with features designed to amplify the glamour and energy of Sunset Boulevard. An integral “step and repeat” wall provides a dedicated space for red carpet events, seamlessly built into the design and paired with perfect photo lighting to ensure every moment is captured in iconic style. Beyond its functionality, the wall transforms into a spectacle, drawing the attention of pedestrians and passersby alike. A parallel sidewalk experience enhances this sense of voyeurism and visibility, creating an interactive urban stage where guests and onlookers engage in the vibrant "see and be seen" culture of the Strip. Set within one of Los Angeles’ most bustling, media-themed neighborhoods, The Unicorn turns sidewalk life into an event of its own, sparking activity, intrigue, and excitement in a dynamic interplay of architecture, people, and the street.

The Unicorn’s event space reimagines Sunset Boulevard as a stage for the most extraordinary and diverse musical performances imaginable. It’s a venue where a legendary jazz quartet might captivate an intimate audience one evening, followed by a hauntingly beautiful ambient music set performed live with modular synthesizers. Picture an unforgettable evening featuring a globally renowned classical pianist paired with an avant-garde string ensemble, or a fiery tabla and sitar duo transporting listeners to another world. Envision a night where a gospel choir meets electronic beats for a rapturous blend of tradition and innovation or an experimental symphony composed entirely for percussion and wind instruments. By embracing every genre and musical frontier—be it folk ballads, neo-soul grooves, or orchestral reinterpretations of pop classics—The Unicorn extends Sunset Boulevard’s music scene beyond its rock and roll roots, becoming a landmark for groundbreaking, unforgettable performances in the heart of Los Angeles.

The Unicorn’s design reimagines the relationship between indoor and outdoor environments to create a vibrant, accessible, and immersive experience. At the heart of this concept is a sprawling, covered outdoor plaza that dissolves the boundary between the sidewalk and the venue, inviting the energy of Sunset Boulevard to flow seamlessly into its spaces.

This expansive plaza, designed for pre-show gatherings, casual dining, and post-performance mingling, serves as a dynamic extension of the street itself. By blurring the line between public and private realms, it becomes a catalyst for community engagement, offering a space where passersby and patrons can interact organically. Unlike traditional music venues that isolate the experience inside closed-off “black boxes,” The Unicorn celebrates openness and visibility, reflecting the spirit of Sunset Boulevard’s storied social and cultural life.

The plaza connects directly to the gastropub and nightclub, enhancing the flow between spaces and ensuring a continuous exchange of energy and excitement. Whether hosting pop-up performances, art installations, or simply serving as a place to pause and people-watch, the outdoor area transforms Sunset Boulevard into a stage where life unfolds, creating a truly welcoming and inclusive environment.

By bringing the vibrancy of the venue to the forefront of the streetscape, The Unicorn establishes itself as a dynamic centerpiece of the Sunset Strip, fostering a deeper connection between its audience, the surrounding neighborhood, and the legacy of this iconic stretch of Los Angeles.

The Unicorn is a five-story mixed-use development with 31,200 square feet of interior floor area above grade, excluding the underground parking and mechanical areas. The building includes three levels of luxury hotel guestrooms, each comprising 5,800 square feet, totaling 17,400 square feet of accommodations. It features a variety of uses, including a boutique hotel, office space, a tapas gastropub, a vibrant nightclub, and a state-of-the-art performance venue. A large, covered outdoor plaza extends the sidewalk, creating a dynamic space for dining, socializing, and events. Additional amenities include a rooftop pool deck as part of the hotel’s offerings and a 17,000-square-foot automated underground parking facility accessed via the Wetherly driveway. The design balances functionality and style, integrating diverse programmatic elements into a cohesive and engaging urban destination.

Remarkably, this groundbreaking concept was conceived and branded in just 16 days. Atelier Eyster Architecture, was brought onto the project mere days before the competition submission deadline. Despite the compressed timeline, the firm rapidly developed an iconic vision that reimagines the relationship between architecture and culture, delivering a project that is both a vibrant addition to the neighborhood and a landmark for Southern California as a whole.

The Unicorn embodies AE Architecture’s commitment to creativity, innovation, and precision, showcasing the ability to deliver a fully realized concept that integrates diverse uses and captures the cultural essence of its surroundings—all within an unprecedented timeframe. This project is not just a testament to architectural ingenuity but also a bold statement about the potential for design to shape and enhance urban life.