Just months after its post-Palisades Fire grand reopening, the California Coastal Commission unanimously approved a plan that will demolish and replace the coast’s beloved Gladstones restaurant with a celebrity chef’s new fine dining location.
Although the vote took place earlier this month, the project has been in the works for years — ever since architect Frank Gehry and chef Wolfgang Puck won the right to take over and rebuild the property, nestled in between Malibu and the Pacific Palisades, in 2018.
The plan calls for demolishing the existing 12,000-square-foot seafood restaurant and replacing it with a 17,500-square-foot contemporary dining space featuring ocean-view decks and a public promenade near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and the Pacific Coast Highway, or, as the restaurant website puts it, “where the sun meets the sea.”
Renderings released by the California Coastal Commission show a sleek glass-and-wood structure designed by architect Frank Gehry, who’s best known for the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, who helped pioneer California and modern fusion cuisine, is expected to oversee the menu at the new establishment.
Despite the unanimous vote, some residents have pushed back on the project, citing Gladstones as a long-time community staple. Community members also expressed concern over the loss of beach parking spaces and the impact of years-long construction in an area still recovering from January’s Palisades Fire, which scorched thousands of acres and narrowly spared the longtime beachfront eatery.
“I’m pretty sad about it,” resident Joya Pillor told KTLA’s Gene Kang. “I’ve been going to Gladstones since I was little. It’s such a special beach restaurant with so much history and so many memories — from graduation dinners to Father’s Day meals with my family.”
Commissioners said the project includes 20 special conditions addressing coastal access, environmental impacts and public safety, emphasizing that the redesigned restaurant will still provide public amenities and beach access once completed.
No demolition date has been set, but crews are expected to begin the teardown in the coming months.
Gladstones, which has operated for more than 50 years, reopened on July 4 after surviving the Palisades Fire — a milestone the owners celebrated with longtime patrons and first responders who helped save the restaurant.
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