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Home Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection Ambassador Hotel, Cocoanut Grove entrance from main lobby

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Ambassador Hotel, Cocoanut Grove entrance from main lobby

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Order Number	00085039
Title	Ambassador Hotel, Cocoanut Grove entrance from main lobby
Photographer	Zimmerman, Tom.
Collection ID	Los Angeles County Building Survey Collection
Location/Accession	GPC_b6_i40
Date	2005
Physical Description	1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm.
Notes	Title supplied by cataloger.; Photographs in this series were taken between January and March 2005.
Historical Data	The massive 500-room Ambassador Hotel, designed by renowned architect Myron Hunt, opened for business in 1921 on the site of a former dairy farm. It occupied 23.7 acres at 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, bordered by 8th Street, Catalina Street, and nearly to Mariposa Avenue. The hotel served as the stomping grounds for a staggering list of Hollywood legends, heads of state, and an endless list of famous personalities from the 20th Century. It was also home of The Cocoanut Grove nightclub, which was 'the' West Coast hot spot for live entertainment where people like Bing Crosby and Barbra Streisand got their start, and Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others came to perform. It is said that as many as seven U.S. Presidents stayed at the Ambassador, from Hoover to Nixon, along with heads of state from around the world. A pivotal moment in world history happened in 1968, when Robert F. Kennedy was shot in a pantry off of the Embassy Room (and died 25 hours later), following his California Primary victory speech. The death of RFK coincided with the beginning of the hotel's demise. The Schine family had owned the Ambassador for about 50 years, until its doors were closed on January 3, 1989 after 68 years of service, selling for $64 million. The landmark hotel was eventually demolished between late 2005 and early 2006.
Description	Interior view of the Ambassador Hotel lobby, showing an entrance to the Cocoanut Grove nightclub. For decades this was "the" hot spot for live entertainment on the West Coast, where people like Bing Crosby and Barbra Streisand got their start, and Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others came to perform. The hotel's demise is visible along the ceiling, with chunks of paint seen peeling off.
Publisher	Heritage Documentation Programs (U.S.). Historic American Buildings Survey.
Subject	Cocoanut Grove (Los Angeles, Calif.). Ambassador Hotel. Lost architecture--California--Los Angeles. Abandoned buildings--California--Los Angeles. Hotel lobbies--California--Los Angeles. Nightclubs--California--Los Angeles. Hotels--California--Los Angeles. Corridors. Historic American Buildings Survey Collection photographs. Heritage Documentation Programs Collection photographs. Hunt, Myron,1868-1952.
Format	Photographic prints
Credits	Photographs taken for Historic American Buildings Survey or the Historic Landscapes Survey: documentation is on file.
Reproduction Information	Images available for reproduction and use. Please see the Ordering & Use page at http://tessa.lapl.org/OrderingUse.html for additional information.
Sub-Collection Name	Los Angeles County Building Survey Photo Collection