King Edward Hotel
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Along Fifth Street in downtown Los Angeles, the King Edward Hotel recalls the days when travelers had plenty of hotels to choose from within a few busy blocks. Opened in 1906, the building belongs to the same downtown hotel boom that produced several of its familiar neighbors.
Downstairs, the King Eddy Saloon became a landmark in its own right. Its history includes a Prohibition-era speakeasy, giving this corner a story that reaches beyond rooms and registration desks. Apparently a traveler didn’t always have to go far to find a drink, even when finding one required a little discretion.
UPDATE: The Healthy Housing Foundation acquired the King Edward in 2018 for affordable housing. The hotel and King Eddy Saloon received Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument status in 2020, adding official recognition to this longtime Fifth Street landmark. 10-26
St. George Hotel
Los Angeles, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Time seems to have slipped past the St. George Hotel on East Third Street. The old brick building recalls a downtown where hotels offered rooms above busy sidewalks and travelers arrived without an online reservation.
Completed in 1905, the building was originally known as the Bisbee and was commissioned by Thomas Higgins. Architect Arthur L. Haley designed the six-story structure, which went through several names before becoming the St. George. Plenty of changes at the front desk over the years, but the building stayed put.
UPDATE: The St. George survives as residential apartments, with a rehabilitation completed in 2004 providing affordable housing inside the historic building. Another old hotel with a useful life beyond its traveling days. 10-26
Roosevelt Hotel and Cinegrill
Hollywood, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
Across Hollywood Boulevard from the Chinese Theatre stands the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, with the Cinegrill name adding another familiar touch to this old Hollywood address. Opened in 1927, the hotel has welcomed generations of visitors looking for a little movie-town atmosphere.
The Roosevelt earned its place in entertainment history on May 16, 1929, when the first Academy Awards were presented in its Blossom Room. The ceremony lasted about fifteen minutes. Apparently handing out Hollywood’s biggest honors didn’t always require an entire evening.
The Cinegrill brought its own nights of cabaret, comedy, and music to the hotel. Between the performances downstairs and the famous guests upstairs, there was plenty happening without stepping onto the boulevard.
Ghost stories have become part of the Roosevelt’s reputation, too. Marilyn Monroe’s reflection is said to appear in a mirror, while Montgomery Clift figures in tales of unexplained activity upstairs. Whether the stars ever left is a question best saved for a late-night conversation in the lobby.
UPDATE: The Roosevelt remains an operating hotel, and the Cinegrill Theater again presents live entertainment and screenings. Nearly a century after opening, this Hollywood landmark still offers reasons to stay past the credits. 10-26
Ansonia Apartments (James Edmonds Hotel)
Los Angeles, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Look above Sixth Street in Westlake and check out the rooftop sign for the Ansonia Apartments. The lettering belongs to a Los Angeles tradition of announcing hotels and apartments well above the front door. Handy for finding the building, and even better for anyone traveling with a camera.
Also historically identified as the James Edmunds Hotel, the Ansonia recalls the neighborhood’s apartment-hotel days. These buildings offered an urban address near shops, transportation, and Westlake Park, now MacArthur Park. A resident could enjoy city living with a stretch of greenery just a short walk away.
The sign’s exposed framework is part of the attraction. Seen against the sky, it gives the building a presence beyond the surrounding rooftops. Sometimes the name overhead becomes as memorable as the architecture below. There’s something about those large rooftop letters that a little sign beside the entrance just can’t replace.
Ansonia Apartments (James Edmonds Hotel)
Los Angeles, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Take a look along the neighboring streets and the Ansonia fits into a larger collection of old hotels and apartments. Each had its own name to advertise, leaving Westlake with a skyline full of reminders of its residential past. Following the signs makes for a worthwhile detour around the neighborhood.
UPDATE: The Ansonia continues in residential use on West Sixth Street. The rooftop sign shown here records another of the familiar names that helped give Westlake its distinctive skyline. An old hotel identity remains overhead while everyday life carries on below. 10-26
Asbury Apartments
Los Angeles, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles is the Asbury Apartments. The rooftop sign calling out the Asbury can be seen for blocks like many of the other hotel and apartment building signs in the area.
Near MacArthur Park, the Asbury Apartments rise above Sixth and Carondelet streets with rooftop lettering that gives sign hunters a reason to look up. Like several neighboring apartment buildings, the Asbury advertised its name across the skyline instead of leaving all the work to the entrance.
Built during the 1920s, the tower offered an ambitious version of apartment living near what was then Westlake Park. Architects Russell & Alpaugh designed the building, which was originally promoted under the San Jacinto name before becoming the Asbury. Its height gave residents a view over a neighborhood that was growing steadily around the park.
Asbury Apartments
Los Angeles, CA Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn
Early buyers were offered an “own-your-own” arrangement, a predecessor to the condominium living familiar today. A private home in a tall building, with the city spreading out below. The idea gave buyers a different option from maintaining a house and yard, while keeping them close to the conveniences of town.
UPDATE: The Asbury survives as a residential landmark overlooking the MacArthur Park area. Its rooftop signs have benefited from restoration through the city’s LUMENS neon-preservation program, helping keep this familiar Westlake name part of the skyline. A welcome survivor among the neighborhood’s old apartment-house marquees. 10-26
El Royale Apartments
Los Angeles, CA Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo
Over on Rossmore Avenue, the El Royale Apartments announce themselves with rooftop lettering worthy of a Hollywood entrance. The name has the right amount of flourish for a building that opened in 1929, when an apartment address could come with plenty of architectural ceremony.
Designed by William Douglas Lee, the El Royale belongs to the same year as his Chateau Marmont. Decorative details, a prominent roofline, and views toward the Wilshire Country Club helped make the building something more than another place to rent a room.
UPDATE: The El Royale remains a residential apartment building in Hancock Park. Its historic architecture and familiar rooftop name continue to recall the days when a little Hollywood grandeur could be part of coming home. 10-26
King Edward Hotel
St. George Hotel
Asbury Apartments
Asbury Apartments
