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iconic L.A. DIY venue The Smell set for demolition

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The Smell on cover of No Age’s ‘Weirdo Rippers’

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The Smell, the iconic Los Angeles DIY venue that has been in operation since 1998 and has been a home to such bands as No Age, The Mae Shi, HEALTH, Mika Miko and more, has been given notice that paperwork has been filed to demolish the building. LAist reports:

Jim Smith, the owner of the Smell, tells LAist that he found out about the demolition on Friday night. “I suppose the signs have been there for many years, but I’ve suspected something like this was coming when our building was sold a year ago,” he said. “I plan to do whatever I can to fight or delay this,” he said.

Smith said that between the sale last year and now, operations at the Smell have carried on as they always have. Smith, who has owned the Smell for more than 18 years, has not been made aware of any timeline for demolition. While he’s “still in the process of gathering information and accessing the situation,” Smith said he plans to suspend booking beyond what has already been scheduled through the end of August, until he knows more about the situation.