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 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 4 million. The landmark hotel was eventually demolished between late 2005 and early 2006. Gloria, the statue in front of the Ambassador Hotel, took a bubble bath on January 11, 1946, and traffic in front of the hotel was halted for many minutes. Gloria didn't take it voluntarily, for it was some practical joker who filled the fountain with an overdose of bubble bath. Traffic was resumed finally after hotel employees swept the bubbles off the statue with a fire hose.
Ambassador Hotel Hotels--California--Los Angeles Statues--California--Los Angeles Bubbles Practical jokes Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express photographs Herald-Examiner Collection photographs
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