Back in September, a friend of mine and I hit up Fantasy Island, a then-recently abandoned strip club here in LA. The structure was unique as it had a lighthouse built into the side of the main building, a spiral staircase running in its center that led up to a second story.
It was originally a Kelbo's Hawaiian restaurant, one of at least two here in LA. It was built in the late 1940s using bricks from other old brick buildings being torn down around it. Drinks back then ranged from $0.80 to $1.75. By the early 1990s, the place had lost its original facade and most of its original customers, forcing it to shut down. Within a couple years, the Fantasy Island strip club moved in, which was in operation through the middle of last year.
Now, it's just rubble. A developer bought up the property to turn into condos. Who knows whenever they'll be built, if ever.
Funny enough, this was the first time I had ever been inside a strip club, abandoned, operating or otherwise. When we walked in, I didn't know what the place would smell like. Now I know what abandonment smells like. This... did not smell like that. Clearly I won't be going into any other strip clubs any time soon.
Enjoy!
The exterior (pulled from Google Street View):