On July 28, 2020, the Chateau Marmont announced plans to convert to a members-only hotel, although at least one restaurant would remain open to the public.
WHO DIED AT CHATEAU MARMONT PLUS
In order to preserve the privacy of the hotel and bungalows, higher fences plus coverings were used to discourage the public from looking into the grounds. The entire facility was re-carpeted, repainted, and the public spaces were upgraded. For the restoration, Balazs strove to create the illusion that the hotel had been untouched, notwithstanding renovations. Balazs needed to modernize the hotel, while also preserving Chateau Marmont's character. The hotel was acquired in 1990 by André Balazs. In The New York Times, writer Quentin Crisp praised the Chateau's "avoiding undue modernization and stayed deliberately in the romantic past." Restoration and operation under Balazs In 1976, after their acquisition and improvements began, the Chateau was named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. They repaired and upgraded many elements of the hotel, but tried to stay true to the hotel's character and history. Sarlot-Kantarjian planned to expand the hotel with a new wing. Sarlot and Karl Kantarjian of Sarlot-Kantarjian, a real estate development firm, for $1.1 million. Īfter sitting on the market for two years, the Chateau was sold in 1975 to Raymond R. News articles about the hotel from the 1960s and '70s described it as an "elderly castle", a "dowdy hotel", "rundown", and "shabby-genteel". Acquisition by Sarlot-Kantarjian īusiness was good for the hotel, although by the 1960s, the building was in disrepair, and the owners attempted to sell it multiple times. Craig Ellwood designed two of the four bungalows in 1956, after he completed Case Study Houses. Nine Spanish cottages, as well as a swimming pool, were built next to the hotel in the 1930s and were acquired by the hotel in the 1940s. ĭesigned and constructed to be earthquake-proof, Chateau Marmont survived major earthquakes in 1933, 1953, 1971, 1987, and 1994 without sustaining any major structural damage. From about 1942 to 1963 the Chateau was owned by Erwin Brettauer, a German banker who had funded films in Weimar Germany, and was noted for allowing black guests, breaking the long-standing color line in Hollywood and Beverly Hills hotels. ĭuring World War II, the hotel served as an air-raid shelter for residents in the surrounding area. During the 1930s, the hotel was managed by former silent film actress Ann Little. The property was also refurbished with antiques from depression-era estate sales. The apartments became suites with kitchens and living rooms. Smith converted the building into a hotel, an investment which benefitted from the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Smith, co-founder of Vitagraph Studios, for $750,000 in cash (equivalent to $12,760,000 in 2020). Conversion to hotel ĭue to the high rents and inability to keep tenants for long-term commitments during the Great Depression, Horowitz sold the apartment building in 1931 to Albert E. Local newspapers described the Chateau as "Los Angeles's newest, finest and most exclusive apartment house superbly situated, close enough to active businesses to be accessible and far enough away to insure quiet and privacy." For the inaugural reception, over 300 people passed through the site, including local press. On February 1, 1929, Chateau Marmont opened its doors to the public as the newest residence of Hollywood. When deciding upon a name for the building, Chateau Sunset and Chateau Hollywood were rejected in favor of Chateau Marmont, after the small street running across the front of the property. Weitzman, to design the seven-story, L-shaped building based on his French photos. In 1927, Horowitz commissioned his brother-in-law, European-trained architect Arnold A. Horowitz had recently traveled to Europe for inspiration and returned to California with photos of a Gothic Chateau along the Loire River. In 1926, Fred Horowitz, a prominent Los Angeles attorney, chose the site at Marmont Lane and Sunset Boulevard to construct an apartment building. 1.4 Restoration and operation under Balazs.