LA’s Noir Legend Lives Again at Park Plaza Hotel

L1046201-EditFrom The Park Plaza’s Wikipedia page:

Though the neighborhood has gone through a period of urban decay and now urban renewal, the building, replete with angels at every corner, has lost none of its ethereal beauty and elan, making it truly one of the classic examples of Claude Beelman’s architecture left standing in the modern world. The building is now vacant, mainly used as a rental for movie shoots and special events, however, the City of Los Angeles thought the architecture significantly important enough to warrant a City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department Historic-Cultural Monument No. 267, as far back as the early 1980s. This is significant in that many other Wilshire Boulevard area landmarks fell prey to the wrecking ball during that time period, such as the notable Brown Derby. Luckily, despite the demolition of important landmarks all around it, the grand entrance and ballroom of the Elk’s No. 99 / Park Plaza building still bears its old “jazz age” grandeur, much to the relief of Los Angeles architectural aficionados. The elaborate interior murals and decorative paintings were designed and executed by Anthony Heinsbergen and Co, noted painter of many Los Angeles cultural landmarks. The central design of the lobby ceiling is based on the Villa Madama, a Renaissance era project by Raphael and Giulio Romano.

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4 comments

  1. I just love that stuff! I really love art-deco a lot, too. There are so many wonderful old places to see still in Los Angeles, which really gives it character, I think.

      1. Well don’t go crazy there! Just keep fingers crossed that they don’t take down any more of the old stuff to make way for more of the new…lol. Have you ever looked into the old Los Angeles Historical Society Archives and pictures from the 1800’s? It would just blow your mind, really!

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