| Hotel Lankershim | |
| U.S. Historic district Contributing property | |
.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 / 34.04515; -118.25331 |
| Built | 1902-1905 |
| Architect | Robert Brown Young |
| Demolished | 1980s |
| Part of | Broadway Theater and Commercial District (ID79000484) |
| Significant dates | |
| Designated CP | May 9, 1979 |
| Delisted CP | April 12, 2002 |
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
Hotel Lankershim was designed by Robert Brown Young for James Boon Lankershim, whom the building was named after. 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.
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. Lankershim lived and worked in the building during its early years, and the hotel also ran a shuttle to and from nearby train stations during this time. 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.
In 1919, Lankershim sold the lease to Wallace W. Whitecotton, operator of Berkeley's Shattuck Hotel. In 1926, Whitecotton sold the lease to E.P. Severcool and E.B. Edmonds.
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. 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, and the building was removed from the register in 2002.
Architecture and design
Hotel Lankershim featured three eight-story towers atop a one story base. Each tower featured a stone and brick facade, and two light courts separated these towers, providing light, air, and a fire escape directly to each room. Overall, the building was an imitation of San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel.
Inside, the hotel featured a granite tile floor, polished stone columns with gilded capital, a polished wood recessed ceiling, and numerous chandeliers.
Gallery
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Location of Lankershim Hotel; note adjacent Van Nuys Building (Isaac Newton Van Nuys was Lankershim’s brother-in-law)
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Hotel Lankershim with airships postcard 1909
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Exterior view c. 1907
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Looking west from Pacific Electric Building
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See also
References
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Broadway Theater & Commercial District (Boundary Increase)". United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service. April 12, 2002.
- ^ Michelson, Alan. "Lankershim Hotel #2, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA". University of Washington Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
- ^ "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.