Ambassador Hotel, Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, circa 1934
I’m not sure why the Ambassador Hotel on was set so far back from Wilshire Boulevard, but at least the architects thought to provide a covered walkway to the street. I’m pegging this photo at around 1934—that’s the year that Jay Whidden and his orchestra played both the Screen Actors Guild ball and the Ambassador Hotel. Jay was a popular albeit now largely forgotten songwriter and bandleader from the 20s and 30s whose main claim to fame now is that his girl singer for a while was a pre-Hollywood Betty Grable.
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Looks like one of the last grand hotels that were built all over the country from circa 1880’s to 1920’s or so. In St. Augustine, FL there are a few; today, one is a college, (now Flagler College) and another is still a hotel (Casa Monica) and one is now a museum. They play the theme music from the movie “Somewhere In Time” on the sound system at the Casa Monica, which is so appropriate.
Gail, there was a very long battle fought to keep the Ambassador building. Ultimately that battle was lost, and so was the Ambassador. A large high school was erected in its place whose shape, ironically, mirrors the old hotel building.
What a shame… at least they made an attempt to adhere to the original landscape in terms of the architecture. Let’s hope the high school is never replaced by a high rise condo or office building. Sadly, that is what’s happening everywhere… small towns are starting to look like NYC, (example; Austin, TX, etc.)
I would like a copy of this book as my great grandfather was the bandleader “Jay Whidden”- pictured in the marquee at the Ambassador Hotel.
Hi Alice and thanks for stopping by. So Jay Whidden was your great grandfather? Wow! If you have any photos of him, I’d be happy to post them on this page.
I will see if my mother has a few pictures of him- I know that she has one of Jay pictured with Robert Montgomery ( Elizabeth’s father).
I will see if my mother has a few pictures of him- I know that she has one of Jay pictured with Robert Montgomery ( Elizabeth’s father). I know that Jay was a “regular” at the Ambassador Hotel and Gloria Swanson always attended his shows there.