This collection is comprised of approximately 1,000 slides capturing buildings along Wilshire Boulevard. The slides were taken during Tuesday afternoon walks in 1978-1979 by Marlene Laskey and her 15-year-old daughter, Annie, who was the primary photographer. Marlene (1933-1989) was a Michigan native who moved to Los Angeles in the 1950s and became a Los Angeles historian and architecture enthusiast. At the time of her death from cancer, Marlene was working on a Master of Urban Planning degree at UCLA, and was an interviewer for UCLA's Oral History program.; Title supplied by cataloger; The highest resolution available for this image is 300 dpi. Looking south across Wilshire Boulevard showing the exterior of the Ambassador Hotel, the 500-room structure designed by renowned architect Myron Hunt and opened for business in 1921. 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.
Type
image
Format
1 slide :color ;5 x 5 cm. Photographic color slides
Ambassador Hotel Hotels--California--Los Angeles Lost architecture--California--Los Angeles Streets--California--Los Angeles Wilshire Boulevard (Los Angeles, Calif.) Los Angeles Photographers Collection photographs Marlene Laskey/Wilshire Boulevard Collection photographs Slides Hunt, Myron,1868-1952
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
