West End Hotel
West Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Over on Sawtelle Boulevard, the West End Hotel features a marquee with plenty of old neighborhood character. The name fits its West Los Angeles location, though the building’s history reaches back beyond its years as a hotel. A small place with a longer story than the sign might suggest. 11-05

The structure once housed Thayer’s Hall, a gathering place in early Sawtelle. Before this stretch became part of sprawling Los Angeles, the hall offered the community a place to meet. The building’s lodging years came later, adding another use to an address already familiar around town.

A 1929 remodeling turned it into the Chicago Hotel, followed by the Roosevelt name in 1933. The West End eventually became the identity familiar to later passersby. Quite a few names for one building, each marking another chapter along Sawtelle Boulevard.

UPDATE: The building survives, with later signage reading “West End Studios.” The lettering has changed, but this former community gathering place remains part of Sawtelle’s older streetscape. Another reason to keep an eye on the smaller buildings between the larger destinations. 10-26

Sheraton Townhouse Hotel
Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Overlooking Lafayette Park, the former Sheraton Town House Hotel recalls a grander chapter of Wilshire Boulevard lodging. Opened in 1929 as luxury apartments, the Norman W. Alpaugh-designed building later became a hotel, with Hilton and Sheraton among the names attached to its history. 03-06

After closing in 1993, the building faced an uncertain future. Preservation efforts helped secure another use for the tower instead of another empty corner along Wilshire.

UPDATE: The Town House was rehabilitated as affordable housing, reopening in 2001. The former luxury hotel survives with residents in its rooms and another chapter unfolding beside Lafayette Park. 10-26

Brooks Hotel
Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Across Sawtelle Boulevard from the West End is the Brooks Hotel, another old lodging name worth a look. Its sign recalls a West Los Angeles where neighborhood hotels served travelers and longer-term residents before the freeways reshaped the drive across town. 11-05

The building opened as the Harris Hotel in 1939 and became the Ross Hotel in 1948, eventually taking the Brooks name. It stands a block north of Santa Monica Boulevard, putting this little hotel close to the old Route 66 corridor.

UPDATE: The Brooks building survives on Sawtelle Boulevard. Together with the West End across the street, it preserves a small collection of hotel history that’s easy to miss while heading toward the larger commercial strips. 10-26

Hotel Clark
Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Near Pershing Square, the Hotel Clark makes its presence known with large lettering on the side of the building. Opened in 1914, the hotel belongs to the days when downtown Los Angeles offered travelers a choice of substantial hotels within walking distance of shops, theaters, and streetcars. Finding a room didn’t necessarily mean heading out toward the freeway. 03-06

Named for railway businessman Eli P. Clark, the hotel presented an impressive address on South Hill Street. Its tall facade and rows of windows fit into a downtown that was growing upward, with hotels competing to accommodate the people arriving to conduct business or see the city.

The Clark later spent decades closed, with redevelopment plans taking far longer than anyone waiting for a room might have expected. Its familiar exterior remained while work toward a reopening moved through a long series of delays. For passing photographers, the lettering was still there even when checking in wasn’t an option.

That long pause finally ended in 2026, bringing guests back through the entrance. A working hotel again gives the old name on the wall a purpose beyond reminding motorists of what used to be inside.

UPDATE: Hotel Clark welcomed guests again in September 2026. The restored property now offers 348 rooms, dining venues, and a pool deck, giving this downtown address an operating hotel behind the lettering once more. A lengthy vacancy, but fortunately not a final checkout. 10-26

Los Feliz Hotel
Los Angeles, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Along Los Feliz Boulevard in Atwater Village, the Los Feliz Hotel catches the eye with its tall roadside marquee. The small lodging property dates to 1950, putting it squarely in Southern California’s postwar motel era. Eleven rooms and a prominent sign made for a much smaller operation than the big hotels across town. 09-06

The city’s SurveyLA historic-resources survey identified the property as a rare surviving example of a 1950s motel in Atwater Village that retains its historic character. Its low-rise buildings were classified as Minimal Traditional, with the roadside sign supplying a little extra showmanship above the modest accommodations.

An older business description called it a New England-style hotel and noted family ownership beginning in 1988. A vintage postcard also advertised the property as the Los Feliz Motel, giving this little corner stop another name in its history. Hotel or motel, the tall lettering helped travelers find their way in.

UPDATE: The Los Feliz Hotel continues to offer lodging on Los Feliz Boulevard, within Los Angeles rather than Glendale. City survey records list its construction year as 1950, though the exact date it first welcomed guests remains unconfirmed. A small survivor with a documented place in Atwater’s roadside history. 10-26

Aztec Hotel
Monrovia, CA
Photo courtesy Chris & Ginger

Along the original Route 66 alignment in Monrovia, the Aztec Hotel offers a roadside stop with an unusually elaborate exterior. Plans reported in 2007 called for restoring its original appearance, with assistance from the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation. There was certainly plenty of detail worth bringing back into view. 06-07

Opened in 1925 and designed by Robert Stacy-Judd, the hotel draws its architectural inspiration from ancient Maya buildings, despite the Aztec name. Sculpted patterns and dramatic ornament give it a look unlike the usual roadside lodging. No giant arrow needed to make this place stand out.

Ghost stories have also become part of its reputation, with accounts of unexplained activity adding another layer to the old hotel’s atmosphere. Whether anything unusual checks in after dark remains a matter of local lore.

UPDATE: The Aztec survives in Monrovia, and lodging operations have been closed, . The property was reported for sale in 2025 and again in 2026, leaving its next chapter unresolved. 10-26

Trianon Apartments
Hollywood, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

A little French chateau atmosphere turns up in Hollywood at the Trianon Apartments. The rooftop sign makes the introduction, while the building below supplies steep rooflines and a distinctive corner tower. Apparently an apartment address could come with a touch of storybook scenery. 09-06

Designed by Leland A. Bryant, the Trianon belongs to the late-1920s enthusiasm for elaborate apartment buildings inspired by European architecture. There’s plenty to admire below the lettering, making this one worth a look from sidewalk level, too.

UPDATE: The Trianon remains a residential apartment building on North Serrano Avenue. Its chateau-style architecture and rooftop sign preserve another distinctive piece of Hollywood’s skyline. 10-26