I just noticed today that Daniel Van Meter's tower of wooden pallets — aka City of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #184 — has been razed and cleared, along with the rest of the overgrown lot at 15357 Magnolia Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. Apartments or condos are on the way. Van Meter started building the tower in 1951 using pallets discarded from the old Schlitz brewery in Van Nuys. The structure reached 22 feet in height, with a single "room" under the unfinished pallets. The fire department in 1977 declared the pile of pallets a hazard, but City Hall was somehow persuaded to grant the tower historic status. After Van Meter died in 2000, his heirs sought to sell. Looks like they were successful.

The best recent description I've seen is from Joe Dungan, who pens an L.A. column for the website The Simon. He visited in March and found an official photographer recording the scene for posterity.

By the way, a photographer is currently on scene at the former Valley Music Theatre in Woodland Hills chronicling its features in advance of the wrecking ball.