Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles) :
The Ambassador Hotel was a famous hotel in Los Angeles, California and location of the famous nightclub Cocoanut Grove until it was demolished in 2005. The hotel was the site of the 2nd Academy Awards, 12th Academy Awards, and the June 1968 assassination of presidential candidate, United States Senator, and former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
The Ambassador Hotel has disappeared! An irreplaceable chunk of Los Angeles history has vanished along with the 84-year old, massive 500-room hotel. Amazingly, the once mighty and infinitely legendary Ambassador Hotel has recently been demolished. It's been four years since the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) officially gained control of the property. Many had wanted to see the hotel declared a city historical landmark, completely restored as a resort hotel, and the land to be kept as a single parcel for the hotel, or at the very least have the hotel converted into a school as a last ditch effort to save it. Unfortunately, the LAUSD owns the hotel and property and has other things in mind. They somehow reached the unwavering conclusion that a new high school must sit on precisely the same spot as the hotel, despite there being a number of other locations in the immediate vicinity where it could have gone, which would have given the hotel the recognition and preservation that it and the City and people of Los Angeles well deserved. Instead, the site that was among the richest points of Los Angeles history ever, is now a vacant lot, but for one building.
The swimming pool of the hotel from top:
History of Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles):
As the fight for control over the property and preservation issues ensued, the hotel and facilities were used so regularly as a set for film and television, people were calling it The Ambassador Studios, perhaps fitting for a place where six Academy Award ceremonies were held (including the year Gone with the Wind swept the awards). For decades, the hotel's Cocoanut Grove was the hot spot for live entertainment on the West Coast, where people like Bing Crosby and Barbra Streisand had their start, and Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and many others came to perform. Gene Kelly, Diana Ross, Judy Garland, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole and Julie Andrews all played the Grove. The hotel served as the stomping grounds for a staggering list of Hollywood legends, heads of state, and what would be an endless list of famous personalities from the 20th Century. Presidents Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon stayed there. When Soviet Leader Nikita Khrushchev visited the U.S. in 1959, he stayed at the Ambassador. Ronald Reagan used the Ambassador when he was making his bid for governor of California. In 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was shot in a pantry off of the Embassy Room (and died 25 hours later), following his California Primary victory speech, perhaps a pivotal moment in world history had he become president, which appeared to be very likely. Marilyn Monroe had her start as a model, as a client of the poolside modeling agency. Howard Hughes and Jean Harlow were some of the many longtime residents who made it their home for a time. All of this history, and so much more, happened at The Ambassador Hotel.video Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles) :
Scenes from Oliver Stones movie The Doors were filmed at the old Ambassador Hotel. This movie was the first film shot in the Ambassador after it closed and was purchased by Donald Trump. It has since been sold to the Los Angeles Unified School System and a school complex is currently being built there.