It’s nice to know that once upon a time, architects designed and developers built apartment buildings that weren’t just square boxes. Yes, square boxes are more efficient, and yes, they maximize floor space (and therefore profits) but get a load of the French Chateau apartment building at 900 S. Hobart Blvd on the southeast corner of James M. Woods Blvd, 3 miles west of downtown LA. This photo is from 1937, which I assume is when it was built as it looks brand spanking new and the trees are mere saplings. The Los Angeles cityscape would be so much more interesting if we had more of these, wouldn’t it?
** UPDATE ** – The French Chateau Apartments is now a condo building and is Historic Cultural Monument #815, City of Los Angeles.
John Vicente posted this video on Instagram.
Brace yourself! The Ashmont Apartments are still with us, and those saplings are now fully grown trees. This image is from July 2022.
That is one beautiful building. Thank God it has survived the wrecking ball, unlike so many others in your city. I would be proud to call it my home.
So nice to see one building that stayed the same. Happy New Year to you, Martin!
I love these old apartment buildings. There are a number on Olympic and on Wilshire that I used to pass by when returning home from a trip to the L.A. County Museum in years past. Glad some have survived!
I only quibble about the ugly paint job. That ubiquitous grey is just so unflattering.
I loved that video. Thanks for the link.
Still think there are to many trees. Blocks the beauty of the building. I like the 37 picture as it is less cluttered.
Better looking cars as well in 37.