Tag Archives: Ambassador Hotel

Matchbook collection from 15 vintage Los Angeles restaurants and bars

Here’s a quick pop quiz for you: Of the 15 LA restaurants represented here in Tara Gordon’s photo, which ones have you (a) heard of, or (b) not heard of, or (c) visited personally? I’ve heard of them all but … Continue reading

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Harry Belafonte playing the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel, Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, circa late 1950s

Here we have Harry Belafonte playing the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd. To headline at “the Grove” you had to be a pretty big deal, so I’m guessing this photo (and the two below) was … Continue reading

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Aerial photo of the Ambassador Hotel under construction, Los Angeles, 1920

From the moment it opened its doors on January 1, 1921, the Ambassador Hotel became a focal point for LA’s social life, especially at its premier nightclub, the Cocoanut Grove. This aerial shot shows it under construction in 1920. Wilshire … Continue reading

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Evening shot of the Ambassador Hotel, Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles (undated)

I don’t know when this photo of the Ambassador Hotel was taken, or who took it. But I like to think it was someone out for an evening stroll, all gussied up in their snazzy clothes after an evening dinner … Continue reading

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Angelenos attend the 17th Annual Candlelight Ball at the Cocoanut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, December 12, 1952

It’s hard to tell in a black-and-white, photo, but it looks like the Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel was decked out in white for the 17th annual Candlelight Ball. It appears to have been a fundraiser for the … Continue reading

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An orchestra entertains Ambassador Hotel guests while standing in the Lido swimming pool during an outdoor dance, circa 1920s

No wonder they called it the Roaring Twenties with this sort of shenanigans going on. This shot was taken at the Lido pool at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd. It’s undated, but by the looks of the clothes, I’d … Continue reading

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An American Airlines aircraft on display in the gardens of the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 1937

From Dave DeCaro’s always-fascinating Davelandweb.com site, comes this interesting shot. If you’re American Airlines and you want the public to see your latest aircraft, you need to find a location with plenty of space. The gardens out front of the … Continue reading

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Aerial view of the Ambassador Hotel, Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, 1940

This 1940 aerial view gives us a whole different perspective of the Ambassador Hotel which stood on Wilshire Blvd at Alexandria Ave. The hotel opened in 1921, when the land along that part of Wilshire Blvd was cheap and plentiful, … Continue reading

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Looking east along Wilshire Blvd from the Gaylord Apartments at Kenmore Ave, Los Angeles, 1928

In this photo taken from the Gaylord Apartments (which are still around) on Kenmore Ave we’re looking east along Wilshire Blvd in 1928, when the Immanuel Presbyterian Church (also still around) was under construction. We can see the shape of … Continue reading

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Entrance to the Cocoanut Grove nightclub, Ambassador Hotel, Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles

Once—just once, is that too much to ask?—I would have loved the chance to walk through this ornate entrance (look at the detailed artwork around the arches and columns) and into the famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub at the Ambassador Hotel … Continue reading

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