This 1924 aerial view is a nice reminder of how residential Hollywood Blvd was before it became fully commercial. What we’re looking at here is the Garden Court Apartments at 7021 Hollywood Blvd a block west of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, which the apartments predate by 10 years. Opening in around 1917, the 190-room building was advertised as “the most modern in the west,” and the L.A. Times called it “the most beautiful and complete apartment house.” It must have been something because among its more notable residents include Clara Bow, Louis B. Mayer, Carl Laemmle, Mack Sennett, Stan Laurel, and John Gilbert. It came down in 1984. (Source: waterandpower.org)
This is roughly how that site looked in June 2024.
Gosh, this one hits hard. Los Angeles was absolutely gorgeous at one point. So lush too.
What a stunning building. Wonder what the reason was to take it down. We visited as kids, in the late 70’s, and went to Graumanns, of course I cannot recall it. In the 90’s, there was an old train caboose that sold tickets to Hollywood home tours. We were sitting there as a bank robbery unfolded in front of us. Then when I moved there in 2007, it was still an empty lot that was about to be developed. I knew a guy that worked with the people that designed it.
I sure wish more of those old buildings survived.
From everything I read, the place was pretty rundown and neglected toward the end of its run.
I recall when it was abandoned that fires kept happening in it. Deliberately or for warmth or something, I don’t know. It was an imposing sight. I didn’t realize it was there as late as 1984. I thought it was the end of the ’70s when it came down.
I remember when it was abandoned and full of us punkers — we called it Hotel Hell
The wikipedia page mentions you, I mean mentions that, in the info!
The 1916 era view up Orange from the house next to the Garden Court: https://martinturnbull.com/2019/03/21/looking-north-along-north-orange-drive-toward-the-magic-castle-and-the-bernheimer-estate-hollywood-hills-los-angeles-circa-1916-2/
Meanwhile, Charlie Chaplin was filming an outdoor scene in the vacant lot on the west side at the next corner..John Bengtson has it documented now on his silent locations blog.
Thanks, Martin. Just caught the pix. Amazing, the architecture of days gone by. I agree, towards the end all these places get rundown and trashed. Hotel Hell was mentioned. That all said, the current shopping mall is beautiful, although parking is expensive. Not that far away is what used to the Warner Brothers movie theater, later called Pacific Hollywood Theater. 6433 Hollywood Blvd. Carol Burnett worked there as an usherette, and she often mentions it in interviews, born and raised in Hollywood. She could probably tell all kind of stories about the area, some not even documented.
One thing to remember! Nice to look back, but…. there was NO air conditioning back in the day! Could you imagine living in that place with no AC. Fans and open windows! AC truly put LA on the map, same thing with Phoenix, Las Vegas etc.
I noticed that ad mentioned gas lighting. The ’20s seem a little late for that. No?
There was gas and electric then, but the big thing was AC. Air conditioning was invented in the early 1900s, but it was sparse, probably expensive and not to what we are accustomed to. So in the 20s in LA you were stuck with fans. Even at the movie studios, that had accomodations, producers and directors used fans. AC is what really turned LA around in the 40s and 50s.