What happened to the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles?

In 2001, LAUSD purchased the property and announced its intent to build three schools on the site for the Wilshire Center-Koreatown community, one of the densest and underserved areas in the District. After an epic battle to preserve the hotel ended in defeat, the Ambassador Hotel was demolished in 2005-2006.

What was the Ambassador Hotel before?

military hospital
Founded by Frances Fitzgerald Gregg – the daughter of Bishop John Gregg – the Ambassador Hotel was originally built as a military hospital in 1872. Then in 1882 the building at that time called St Luke’s Home was occupied as a nursing home and remained so for 113 years until the staff and residents moved out in 1994.

Why was the Ambassador Hotel demolished?

In 2001, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) purchased the property with the intent of constructing three new schools within the area. After subsequent litigations to preserve the hotel as a historic site, a settlement allowed the Ambassador Hotel to be demolished in 2005, completed by early 2006.

Was there a Coconut Grove in Los Angeles?

The Cocoanut Grove was a nightclub inside the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles. It featured lavish exotic décor and was open between 1921 and 1989. The club continued as a filming location until the hotel was demolished in 2006.

Who bought the Ambassador Hotel in Sudbury?

Sandman Hotel Group
The hotel sat empty for the next two years, as the new owners, revealed to be Sandman Hotel Group, planned to build a new structure. It was finally demolished in July 2021, leaving only memories.

When was the first Ambassador Hotel built in Los Angeles?

The Ambassador Los Angeles was built as part of the Ambassador Hotels System. At the time the hotel opened in January 1921, the chain consisted of the Ambassador Los Angeles, the Hotel Alexandria in Los Angeles, the Ambassador Santa Barbara, the Ambassador Atlantic City and the Ambassador New York.

Since its inception, Los Angeles has been focused on the new, the now, the better, and as a result, is ridden with architectural ghosts. So perhaps the decline of the Ambassador was inevitable. Nevertheless, the assassination of RFK marked the downward turning point in the hotel’s history.

Where can I find old pictures of the Ambassador Hotel?

Image of the Ambassador Hotel, aerial view, Los Angeles, California, 1986. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles. Hoover vs. The Kennedys (1987 miniseries)

How much did it cost to build the Ambassador Hotel?

The Ambassador Hotel opened for business at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 1921, and quickly established a new standard of hotel luxury. The hotel cost roughly $5M (today’s equivalent of about $65M) to build, and every inch of the twenty-seven acre complex was grand and meticulously designed.