Ambassador Hotel

The landmark Ambassador Hotel, located at 3400 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles is, unfortunately, best known as the site of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. The hotel's famed Cocoanut Grove night club was the site of many Academy Awards ceremonies, and a favorite of celebrities from the 1920s until

Related Topics:
Los Angeles - Assassination - Robert F. Kennedy - 1968 - Cocoanut Grove - Academy Awards ceremonies - 1920s

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the 1960s.

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The assassination marked the beginning of the hotel's demise, hastened by the decline

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of the surrounding neighborhood. By the 1970s, the gang and drug problems in the area near

Related Topics:
1970s - Gang - Drug

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the hotel were already becoming severe, and worsened as time went on. Despite a renovation of the

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Cocoanut Grove in the mid 1970s, and a period when it was run by Sammy Davis, Jr., the hotel

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was not able to return to its former splendor, and closed in 1989.

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From its closing until 2004, it remained a frequent site of movie, music video and television filming, having hosted films such as The Graduate, Beaches and Catch Me If You Can. The television series Angel holds the distinction as being the last production to shoot in the hotel for an episode in its third season.

Related Topics:
The Graduate - Beaches - Catch Me If You Can - Angel

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Since 2004 it has been totally closed as it is now the subject of a battle between the Los Angeles Unified School District, which wants to clear the site and build a high school and preservationists, who want as many elements as possible saved from the historic building and integrated into the future school.

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The extent to which any of the most historic elements will be saved is unknown. The key areas include the Cocoanut Grove (which has been renovated numerous times, destroying much of its architectural integrity), the kitchen where Robert Kennedy was shot, and the 1950's coffee shop designed by one of the earliest noted African-American architects, Paul Willams.

Related Topics:
Cocoanut Grove - Robert Kennedy - Paul Willams

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Preservationists have given up hope of saving the bungalows, also designed by Williams, or any of the other outbuildings on the enormous site, and the school board has already cleared all of the foliage, including the many towering palm trees, in anticipation of the demolition.

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According to CNN reports, an out-of-court settlement has been reached at the end of August 2005, which allows the Ambassador demolition to go forward in exchange for a one-time 5 million USD payout directed towards saving select historic school buildings in the vicinity. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/31/ambassador.hotel.ap/index.html

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