Garden of Allah Hotel 19 images Created 3 Oct 2019
The Garden of Allah Hotel was once Hollywood's most famous (perhaps infamous) hotel during the 1930s - 40s. In 1918, Nazimova, a successful silent film actress who co-starred opposite Rudolph Valentino in “Camille”, bought an 8 room Spanish-style mansion on the southwest corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights Blvds. The building was surrounded by 3 1/2 acres of lush tropical plants and fruit trees. At the urging of her manager, she decided to turn her estate into a hotel. After months of construction building 25 villas, Miss Nazimova's Garden of Allah Hotel opened on January 9, 1927, with an 18 hour party. Some of Nazimova's early guests included Hollywood's royal couple, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, as well as stars Rudolph Valentino, Charlie Chaplin, and Tom Mix. Two years after she opened, the Depression hit and Nazimova lost the hotel, but managed to hold on to an apartment for herself, where she lived until her death in 1945.
The hotel had several subsequent owners. Some of the celebrities who visited were in town working on films, others lived there long-term. Some were between marriages or homes; some were there for the parties from sunset until dawn. Frank Sinatra, John Barrymore, Marlene Dietrich, Ginger Rogers, Greta Garbo, and Errol Flynn resided there. The Garden was also a sanctuary for the many literati who gravitated to Hollywood in the '30s, including Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway. Its popularity waned in the 1950s and it closed in August 1959, after one last huge party. The property was sold to Lytton Savings and Loan which demolished the complex and built its offices and a large strip mall. Another proposed redevelopment is planned.
The 19 photos in this gallery were taken between 1936 - 1954.
The hotel had several subsequent owners. Some of the celebrities who visited were in town working on films, others lived there long-term. Some were between marriages or homes; some were there for the parties from sunset until dawn. Frank Sinatra, John Barrymore, Marlene Dietrich, Ginger Rogers, Greta Garbo, and Errol Flynn resided there. The Garden was also a sanctuary for the many literati who gravitated to Hollywood in the '30s, including Robert Benchley, Dorothy Parker, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway. Its popularity waned in the 1950s and it closed in August 1959, after one last huge party. The property was sold to Lytton Savings and Loan which demolished the complex and built its offices and a large strip mall. Another proposed redevelopment is planned.
The 19 photos in this gallery were taken between 1936 - 1954.
