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Title
Ambassador Hotel, main lobby
Alternative Title
Los Angeles County Building Survey Photo Collection;
Creator
Zimmerman, Tom
Contributor
Photographs taken for Historic American Buildings Survey or the Historic Landscapes Survey: documentation is on file
Date Created and/or Issued
2005
Publication Information
Heritage Documentation Programs (U.S.).; Historic American Buildings Survey
Contributing Institution
Los Angeles Public Library
Collection
Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection
Rights Information
Images available for reproduction and use. Please see the Ordering & Use page at http://tessa.lapl.org/OrderingUse.html for additional information.
Description
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. It occupied 23.7 acres at 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, bordered by 8th Street, Catalina Street, and nearly to Mariposa Avenue. 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 was also home of The Cocoanut Grove nightclub, which was 'the' West Coast hot spot for live entertainment where people like Bing Crosby and Barbra Streisand got their start, and Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others came to perform. 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 a pantry off of the Embassy Room (and died 25 hours later), following his California Primary victory speech. 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.
Interior view of the Ambassador Hotel, where a beautifully decorated lobby greeted guests and visitors upon their arrival. The carpeted lobby shows separate groupings of couches, chairs and table lamps, as well as lavish chandeliers the length of the corridor. The Controller's Office is the 1st doorway on the left, a stairwell leading to a lower floor is also on the left next to a column, and the "Health Club and Street Parking" doorway is at the end of the hallway. The hotel's demise is visible along the ceiling, with chunks of paint seen peeling off.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm.
Photographic prints
Identifier
00085029
Los Angeles County Building Survey Collection;
GPC_b6_i30
CARL0004769710
http://173.196.26.125/cdm/ref/collection/photos/id/384
Subject
Ambassador Hotel
Lost architecture--California--Los Angeles
Abandoned buildings--California--Los Angeles
Hotel lobbies--California--Los Angeles
Chandeliers--California--Los Angeles
Furniture--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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