The Synecdoche Of Hollywood & Western

I have a certain habit of becoming obsessed with specific buildings or neighborhoods and saturating myself with the subject until I become fascinated by the next building or place. I don't overcome my fascination or my interest, I merely add to my pile of knowledge and then leave to pursue more. The buildings tend to be ones that are often overlooked. Currently I have become very interested in a building called "The Hollywood & Western". Besides the obvious beauty of the structure itself, the history of the building has captivated me. In addition, this building can represent Hollywood as a whole. There's a word for this.
Synecdoche:
Part of something is used to refer to the whole thing (pars pro toto), or
A thing (a "whole") is used to refer to part of it (totum pro parte), or
A specific class of thing is used to refer to a larger, more general class, or
A general class of thing is used to refer to a smaller, more specific class, or
A material is used to refer to an object composed of that material, or
A container is used to refer to its contents.

At the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue, on the edge of Thai Town and Little Armenia, the four-storey Art Deco building, aptly named the "Hollywood & Western Building", is the current obsession of mine. Designed by S. Charles Lee, and opened in December 1928, the building has stood through the neighborhoods' changes, inside and outside the structure. When originally built, the building contained the first offices of the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), Central Casting (in charge of finding extras and stunt doubles), as well as various production offices. By the 1970s, those organizations had moved elsewhere and the building was being used for porno film shoots as the neighborhood had deteriorated severely. In the 1980s the interior of the building (which had been turned into studio space), was rented out to various bands (including White Zombie and Guns N' Roses) who practiced, recorded, and occasionally lived there. Most of the neighborhood was gnawed upon by gang activity, drug abuse, homelessness, vandalism, and prostitution. The apartment building next door is the location of the infamous 1985 case where the slumlord owner was sentenced to live in his own run down building for 30 days. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake severly damaged the Hollywood & Western building and it wasn't until several years later that it was restored. For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, the building was home to squatters. Currently the ground floor has a CVS pharmacy and the fourth floor has the offices for LA city councilmember Eric Garcetti. The majority of the building is restored but vacant. The future looks good, however. The building has been restored to it's Art Deco splendor and the surrounding area received a Metro Rail station, new shopping center, and new apartments. Hollywood as a whole has seen large-scale re-investment and revitalization.

Very seldom do we think of all the people who have inhabited a space. Rarely do we dwell on how many people have had sex in a room over it's lifespan; how many people have died there?

The silent sentinels atop the Hollywood & Western Building have stood over everything from 1928 to now, and will continue to preside over a grand work of art.