Title supplied by cataloger.; Photographs in this series were taken between January and March 2005. The massive 500-room Ambassador Hotel, designed by renowned architect Myron Hunt, opened for business in 1921 on the site of a former dairy farm, and occupied 23.7 acres at 3400 Wilshire Boulevard. The hotel served as the stomping grounds for a staggering list of Hollywood legends, heads of state, and an endless list of famous personalities from the 20th Century. It is said that as many as seven U.S. Presidents stayed at the Ambassador, from Hoover to Nixon, along with heads of state from around the world. A pivotal moment in world history happened in 1968, when Robert F. Kennedy was shot in the pantry area of the hotel's main kitchen, following his California Primary victory speech in the Embassy Ballroom. The death of RFK coincided with the beginning of the hotel's demise. The Schine family had owned the Ambassador for about 50 years, until its doors were closed on January 3, 1989 after 68 years of service, selling for $64 million. The landmark hotel was eventually demolished between late 2005 and early 2006. During the demolition of the Ambassador Hotel, portions of the area where the 1968 shooting took place were set aside and removed from the site. Interior view of the pantry area at the Ambassador Hotel. This pantry is completely deteriorated and run down; cracks, peeling paint and mold are visible all along the ceiling, walls, and cement floor. The double doorway seen at the end of the room leads to a hallway connecting the kitchen and pantry to the backstage area of the Embassy Ballroom.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
Ambassador Hotel Lost architecture--California--Los Angeles Abandoned buildings--California--Los Angeles Kitchens--California--Los Angeles Hotels--California--Los Angeles Historic American Buildings Survey Collection photographs Heritage Documentation Programs Collection photographs Hunt, Myron,1868-1952
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