Before finding this photo, I’d never heard of the Guardian Arms Apartments at 5217 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood at the corner of Harvard Blvd. So I don’t have much information to pass on, other than to admire the craftsmanship that went into apartment buildings back in the 1920s. (The building opened on June 30, 1928.) I love the arches along the ground floor, the four rows of bay windows, and the detailing along the top of the building, which is eight stories up so very few people would ever even notice. (Source: jhgraham.com)
The Guardian Arms Apartments is still around. This image is from May 2022.
Thanx, Martin, as always. That stately building (and I have driven by it many times), is between Western and Kingsley. The reason i bring that up is back in the day, Western Avenue was where they filmed all the poverty row B westerns. My guess, and a darn good one, is that apartment building probably was home to many film people. It looks like it has a Hollywood story to tell! Not everyone lived in Beverly Hills, right? Couple of streets down, you head on Melrose and same deal with apartment buildings near Paramount Pictures. (5555 Melrose). It’s a fun Hollywood trip to connect these buildings to movie studios. The studios (both big and small) contributed to the local economy, especially construction.
Ah yes, Tom, I suspect you might have a good point about the building being convenient to movie folk. That would make for lively Saturday nights at the Guardian Arms!
You bet, the only debit back then was no air conditioning! You had to sleep on the fire escape, and I bet folks did!!!!! Reminds me of the HONEYMOONERS with Jackie Gleason. AC turned the city around.
What stories those buildings could tell! It must have been neat to live there with Hollywood actors and actresses!