In 1913 the Rosslyn Hotel constructed its new building at the northwest corner of 5th and Main Streets, a major expansion of the hotel from its earlier home on Main Street between 4th and 5th Streets.
The earliest Rosslyn Hotel on Main Street (between 4th & 5th)
(Image Courtesy of University of Southern California, on behalf of the USC Specialized Libraries and Archival Collections)
NW corner of 5th & Main Street in 1897!
(Image Courtesy of University of Southern California, on behalf of the USC Specialized Libraries and Archival Collections)
At that time, the area around Main Street was truly the center of Los Angeles. Through the teens and twenties, the financial, commercial, and entertainment center of Southern California was based in Downtown Los Angeles, and the Rosslyn Hotel was one of its premier destinations.
In 1923, as a result of the prosperity enjoyed by the Rosslyn and the surrounding district, the Rosslyn Annex was built across 5th Street, and today is still called the Rosslyn Hotel. The two buildings were connected by an underground marble tunnel, portions of which survive to this day.
Both buildings were designed by architect John Parkinson, who was one of the most prolific architects in Downtown Los Angeles, responsible for much of the area's finest architecture, including Union Station, Bullock's Wilshire, the Title Guarantee Building, the Continental Building, the Alexandria Hotel, the Los Angeles Athletic Club, Security Bank (now the Los Angeles Theatre Center), the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and Los Angeles City Hall.
At the end of World War II, Los Angeles decentralized into suburban subdivisions, resulting in the eventual removal of the interurban and trolley transit infrastructure. During the 1970s, the 2 Rosslyn buildings were acquired by different owners.
In the 1990s a renewed interest in Downtown's history and potential began to manifest. The area has seen new investment in housing and public infrastructure, most notably the opening of the Red Line subway and the many residential conversions of old buildings into housing. The city's Adaptive Reuse Ordinance has facilitated the revitalization of many old architectural treasures.
The Historic Core of Downtown Los Angeles is the most significant district of intact early 20th Century Beaux Arts architecture in America.
4 comments:
Thanks for your interesting post about the history of the Rosslyn Hotels. My grandfather, Dwight Hart, owned and operated the hotels during the first half of the 20th century - my mother was born in their suite on the 12th floor of the main hotel. I would love to learn some current information on the Rosslyn Lofts project.
Just moved in a couple of weeks ago. Already some interesting events and people among the halls of the Rosslyn. Beautiful building and I feel substantial effort is being put forth in improving its appearance. Very affordable! I see that it is up for sale. Uncertain future for the hotel Rosslyn, I suppose...
Bert:
Interesting information! The tunnel below Fifth Street intrigues me. Do you know if it's severed or just blocked off?
Also, just one minor comment about your statement "At the end of World War II, Los Angeles decentralized into suburban subdivisions...."
Actually, it was the streetcar system itself that planted the seeds of its own death. LA, from the early 1900s, was already a sprawling urban area of subdivisions, produced and connected by over a thousand miles of streetcar and inter-urban lines. Ridership peaked in 1924 as the auto became both more affordable and more flexible. But the sprawl didn't begin with the auto - it just continued what the streetcar had already put in place.
Post World War II brought a huge population boom but again, it didn't introduce a new trend - it just further mushroomed a decades-old suburbanization process.
I'm glad things are looking up for the Rosslyn Hotel and Main Street in general. I spent a night from Hell in the Rosslyn back in the 1970's. It looked okay from the outside, even had a coat of fresh paint on the inside but most of the residents and transients staying in the hotel were definitely down on their luck and many were mentally unbalanced druggies and drunks.
Screaming in the hallways all night, screaming out on the street along with constant sirens from emergency vehicles and cop cars. Three whores knocked on my door offering their services at discount prices. When I turned on the lights in the middle of the night it was "Cockroach City".
Needless to say when morning came I was more than anxious to get back to Planet Earth! Still those are the nights you remember from your travels, not those nights in the Holiday Inn. The whole downtown LA area has always fascinated me and your site reminds me I should get back and check it out again. Hard to believe Main Street is getting respectable though!
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