Hotel Lankershim
Hotel Lankershim | |
.jpg){kind=spacer} 1910s postcard featuring Hotel Lankershim | |
  Location of building in Los Angeles County | |
| Location | 700 S. Broadway and 230 W. 7th Street, Los Angeles, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°02′43″N 118°15′12″W / 34.04515°N 118.25331°W |
| Built | 1902-1905 |
| Architect | Robert Brown Young |
| Demolished | 1980s |
| Part of | Broadway Theater and Commercial District (ID79000484) |
| Designated CP | May 9, 1979[1] |
Hotel Lankershim was a landmark hotel located at 7th Street and Broadway in the Broadway Theater District in downtown Los Angeles's historic core.
History
[edit]Hotel Lankershim was designed by Robert Brown Young for James Boon Lankershim, whom the building was named after.[2] Construction started in 1902 and was completed in 1905. Prior to construction, the land was the site of a vineyard owned by Judge Wilson Hugh Gray.[3]
The hotel had 200 servants, 250 rooms, and 160 baths at its opening, and was considered far superior to the other hotels in Los Angeles at the time.[3] Lankershim lived and worked in the building during its early years,[2][4] and the hotel also ran a shuttle to and from nearby train stations during this time.[5] Circa 1915, the hotel marketed itself as within a "stone's throw" of Bullock's and Hamburger's Department Store, as well as the Orpheum, Morosco, and Majestic theaters.[6]
In 1919, Lankershim sold the lease to Wallace W. Whitecotton, operator of Berkeley's Shattuck Hotel.[7] In 1926, Whitecotton sold the lease to E.P. Severcool and E.B. Edmonds.[8]
In 1979, the Broadway Theater and Commercial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with Hotel Lankershim listed as a contributing property in the district.[1] Despite this, the building was largely demolished in the early 1980s following structural damage caused by the 1971 Sylmar earthquake. Post demolition, a six-story parking structure was built on the building's remaining first floor, which was converted to retail.[2]
Architecture and design
[edit]Hotel Lankershim featured three eight-story towers atop a one story base.[2] Each tower featured a stone and brick facade,[1] and two light courts separated these towers, providing light, air, and a fire escape directly to each room.[2] Overall, the building was an imitation of San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel.[3]
Inside, the hotel featured a granite tile floor, polished stone columns with gilded capital, a polished wood recessed ceiling, and numerous chandeliers.[9]
Gallery
[edit]-
Location of Lankershim Hotel; note adjacent Van Nuys Building (Isaac Newton Van Nuys was Lankershim’s brother-in-law) -
Hotel Lankershim with airships postcard 1909 -
Exterior view c. 1907 -
Looking west from Pacific Electric Building
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References
[edit]- ^ a b c "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form - California SP Broadway Theater and Commercial District". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. May 9, 1979.
- ^ a b c d e Michelson, Alan. "Lankershim Hotel #2, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Early Los Angeles Historical Buildings (1900 - 1925)". Water and Power Associates. p. 1. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ Harper, Franklin (1913). Who's who in the Far West. Marquis Who's Who, Incorporated.
- ^ Stargel, Cory; Stargel, Sarah (2009). Early Downtown Los Angeles. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-7003-7.
- ^ "Los Angeles Herald 2 January 1915 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". Los Angeles Herald. January 2, 1915.
- ^ "Lankerhsim Lease Is Sold". Los Angeles Times. July 26, 1919. p. II1. ProQuest 160735547.
- ^ "Lankershim In New Hands: Toledo Men Will Operate and Improve Downtown Hotel; Other Hostelries Change Owners". Los Angeles Times. December 29, 1926. p. A20. ProQuest 161959046.
- ^ "Image / [Hotel Lankershim lobby] (3 views)". University of California - Calisphere. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
