Wilshire Grand Hotel, 2005.

Place

Wilshire Grand Hotel (Demolished)

Opened as the Statler Center, the Wilshire Grand was the first major downtown hotel constructed since the Biltmore in 1923.

Place Details

Address

930 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90017
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Year

1950

Style

Decade

Property Type

Community

At this hotel's 1950 groundbreaking, the governor of California and actress Celeste Holm hailed the first major downtown hotel to be developed since the Biltmore in 1923.

The Statler Center, as it was called, exuded modern styling and contained a whopping 1,275 guest rooms, plus a thirteen-story office wing and a covered parking garage.

The hotel later operated as the Statler Hilton, Los Angeles Hilton, and lastly the Wilshire Grand Hotel.

The Wilshire Grand served for many years as a popular location for tourists and businesspeople. Its interior was updated several times, including a major remodel in the 1980s.

The building was demolished in 2013. It will be replaced with a new Wilshire Grand, designed by AC Martin, and will be the tallest building on the West Coast.

Dick Whittington, Security Pacific Collection/Los Angeles Public Library | Studebaker dealership (future site of Statler Center)
J. Eric Lynxwiler Collection
J. Eric Lynxwiler Collection
Chris Nichols Collection | c. 1950.
Chris Nichols Collection | "This hotel is a dream
Larry Underhill | c. 1950.
Larry Underhill | "One of L.A.'s smartest ultramodern buildings
Courtesy Marc Wanamaker/Bison Archives