Anoush Banquet Hall... Fugly?

L.A. Weekly blogger Wendy Gilmartin posted a story yesterday about in North Hollywood as part of her "fugly buildings" series. She so far has assailed places like the Museum of Flying at the Santa Monica Airport, the Days Inn in Santa Monica and the "post modern" KFC in Koreatown.

We didn't know anyone from the L.A. Weekly ever travelled over the hill, let alone that deep north — perhaps she got lost trying to get to the Getty? With her GPS apparently malfunctioning, Gilmartin looked up and gazed upon Anoush, which is located at 6730 Laurel Canyon Blvd., and had this to say:

"Anoush's banal, mixed references to the gateways and stonework of historic Roman, Persian and Islamic architectural forms is confused at best, tacky at worst, and amounts to a cultural stereotype on par with Bravo's new reality TV series Shahs of Sunset."

Ouch. OK, perhaps Anoush is not the crown jewel of the North Hollywood architecture scene. But I'd rather see it open and operating than closed down. As often happens in North Hollywood, when a building closes down there is no guarantee that something more beautiful and polished will take its place. It can go from a "confused" looking business to an empty eyesore, and stay that way for decades. One only need to travel a few blocks south on Laurel Canyon for proof of this:

Anoush isn't just a banquet hall, but is also an offsite catering service specializing in Mediterranean cuisine that can provide food for up to 1,500 people. The business started out as a "mom and pop" restaurant in Hollywood in 1986, according to its president, and now has two other banquet halls in the L.A. area besides Anoush. 

So, what do you think? Is it fugly? Should it be bulldozed? Is it a successful North Hollywood business that should be celebrated, not berated? Tell us in the comments.