Today’s post is a departure from my usual daily vintage photo of Los Angeles. But first, a bit of backstory. Recently, I did an on-camera interview for a documentary about some of Marilyn Monroe’s effects found in a public storage facility in the mini mall on the former site of the Garden of Allah Hotel. I mentioned that there was a scale model of the hotel, and gave the filmmakers the details of the guy who has it. A couple of days ago, the cinematographer emailed me to say that they scanned the model using a special camera and have superimposed the image they took using a drone they sent over what is currently a construction site. I can honestly say that in the 15 years I’ve been researching and writing about this place, it’s the first time it felt real to me. Pretty amazing, huh?!
Martin good morning
This is amazing, love it, so sad it is gone.
Would love to sit by the pool and listen to stories about its history
Film maker came to the right guy for sure
Hope life is good
Hey Brian, and thanks. This image puts it all into perspective, doesn’t it?
For sure, wish we could still go there
Love your daily posts thanks for your hard work
It is just so hard to believe anyone would have thought it was a good idea to get rid of these amazing buildings. These would have rented for a TON of money or been sold as condos for bank. What a shame.
This really makes it so real to me too. I’ve read your book and looked at old photos but this is just breathtaking to take in.
To be fair, by the late 1950s, the property was in a poor state of repair. What’s a shame is that it couldn’t have been well-maintained when it was open because today it would be as legendary as the neighboring Chateau Marmont.
This is amazing. I’ve read your books about the hotel and imagined what the layout of the property was. I got it close in my mind but it’s great seeing what it really would have looked like. Thanks for sharing this!
I think this is the closest any of us are likely to come to experiencing the Garden of Allah Hotel ourselves. Unless, perhaps someone makes a VR version. OOOO! That’s a thought!
That’s beautiful. That corner looks so much better in the days of the Garden.
WAY better!
How cool is that? Great work!
I remember the model being on the 2nd floor of the bank.
This is brilliant!
And when can we see the documentary?
Hey Skip, I have no idea where they are in their production schedule, but rest assured, when I know, I’ll let everyone know!
That is very near sheer perfection to see it this way.
I couldn’t begin to imagine the scope and layout; individual photos just didn’t do it justice.
Which bungelows were occupied by whom? Bogie, Flynn, Alla, Harpo, the Intrepid Trio, et al?
Has the pool been excavated yet?
It puts a whole new perspective on the place, doesn’t it? All remnants of what once was there has now been removed in preparation for building the Frank Gehry 8150Sunset project – http://www.8150sunset.com/
I love it!!! So much nicer than a construction site. What was so wrong with keeping that corner the way it was? Thanks much Martin
LA’s weather kind of had a detrimental effect on places like this, & not for the obvious reasons. People didn’t have to build for harsh winters & a lot of “on the cheap” construction went on. Nazimova was going broke & the bungalows build quality apparently fit that category. Read reports almost zero insulation & tenants could hear arguments two bungalows away with everyone’s windows closed! Also read almost immediate rodent infestation which became an ongoing issue even during its prime.
In the early ’60s Beverly Hills wanted to demolish Greystone Mansion & only refrained from doing so because the demolition estimates were for $500,000! (The massively thick steel reinforced concrete walls saved the place.) At about the same time Malibu wanted to demolish the Adamson House for a parking lot. In that environment what chance did the poorly constructed & maintained Garden of Allah have?
Hi Matt. I didn’t know that about Greystone or about the Adamson House, so you’re right. The Garden of Allah Hotel didn’t stand a chance.
I had many of my old classic photos and autographs stored at the public storage facility located behind the strip mall which once was the property where the Garden of Allah Hotel stood. After I was told the property had been sold to developers so all the items in storage needed to be removed; I asked the owners of the storage facility if I could chisel up some of the floor tiles that supposedly were the flooring of the Garden of Allah Hotel gym area. The tiles had a layer of cement covering them which made it next to impossible to remove but I was able to chisel out a few. Do you suppose there are any photos of the gym/pool area that would show these tiles?
Hi Clint. You can see the tiles in this video:
http://www.playgroundtothestars.com/2012/10/video-tiles-under-site-of-garden-of-allah-may-be-all-thats-left-of-long-gone-sunset-strip-hotel/
Thank you for the video Martin.
I’m happy to know I have some pieces of The Garden of Allah
The Garden of Allah Hotel & Bungalows is sooooooo much more enchanting and neighborhood-scale-appropriate versus the upcoming Frank Gehry architorture, imho. It so obvious that L.A. and WeHo’s elected officials receive amazing “campaign contributions” from property developers. Sunset Boulvard traffic was bad enough at the start of the 21st Century, and the numerous, jumbo-sized mixed-use barf that’s sprung up has only made it worse. And more offensive than additional stress, noise, and air pollution from additional traffic, there’s no attempt at dovetailing with the neighborhood’s existing scale or design or preserving the area’s sociologic character. City Planning seems to have bcome an oxymoron. imho. Sign me Debbie Downer in Pasadena