Until I came across this brochure, I never knew there was a hotel in downtown Los Angeles solely for women, and am very glad to hear there was a safe place they could go to. This is from 1919.
Andie P said: “There were several in the “greater Los Angeles area” many single women came to the region to work in the film industry and they needed housing. Besides the many “rooming houses” just for females, there were at least half a dozen hotels. One was in Culver City not far from my dad’s cousin’s venetian blind factory. Many of his female workers lived there.”
Yes, the Woman’s Hotel (and many others like it in Hollywood) was used by young women in the film industry, trying to break into the business. Ironically, it was also a final stop for older actresses whose careers ended abruptly, many due to the advent of sound or for personal reasons, forced to live a very humble life. There was a story about one of cowboy star Tom Mix’s leading ladies who, despite fame and wealth, ended up in such a hotel for the rest of her days. It was boarding houses like this that inspired actors to form the Motion Picture Retirement Home in Woodland Hills.
You’ll notice the “See America First” emblem in there. This is a travel related campaign, so I doubt residential clientele was the purpose at this time even though it rises soon after in Los Angeles lodgings. Also, those mentions of the streetcar routes all lead to Southern Pacific stations (Edendale ran on the same line to the Glendale/Burbank trains, and Central was downtown.) No mention of either Santa Fe or Union Pacific connections, but the yellow cars got you to those terminals. Catering to women and children and the issues involved were growing concerns with the railroads. I can’t help but wonder if there was an outside hand in this hotel’s existence.