Hotel Stowell
Hotel Stowell | |
.png) The building in 1913 | |
Location within the Los Angeles metropolitan area | |
| Location | 416 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°02′55″N 118°14′55″W / 34.0485°N 118.2485°W |
| Built | 1913 |
| Architect | Frederick Buckley Noonan |
| Architectural style | Art Nouveau/Gothic Revival |
| Part of | Spring Street Financial District (ID79000489) |
| LAHCM No. | 1029 |
| Significant dates | |
| Designated CP | August 10, 1979 |
| Designated LAHCM | April 5, 2013 |
Hotel Stowell, later El Dorado Hotel and El Dorado Lofts, is a historic building located at 416 S. Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles, California.
History
[edit]Hotel Stowell was designed by Frederick Buckley Noonan for Nathan Wilson Stowell and built for about $400,000 in 1913 ($13 million in 2025).[1][2][3] The hotel was the first in downtown Los Angeles to feature a bath with every room.[4] Charlie Chaplin once lived in the building[5] and c. 1940 rooms ranged from $1.50 ($34.47 in 2025) to $2.50 ($57.45 in 2025) per night.[3]
Decades after opening, Stowell Hotel had devolved into a flophouse named El Dorado Hotel.[5] In 1979, the Spring Street Financial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with El Dorado Hotel listed as a contributing property in the district.[2]
From 2008 to 2011,[3] the building was converted into a 65-unit condominium complex and renamed El Dorado Lofts;[6] it also underwent a seismic retrofit.[7] The total cost of the conversion was $25.7 million ($36.8 million in 2025).[3]
In 2013, the building was declared Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument No. 1029.[8] A French brasserie opened in the building's lobby in 2015.[9]
Architecture and design
[edit]Hotel Stowell is a twelve-story reinforced concrete building faced with terra cotta and enameled brick.[2] The building features a Art Nouveau/Gothic Revival design[1] with a brightly colored facade.[2] Two neon signs extend from the second to tenth floors.[10]
Inside, the building's former lobby features Ernest Batchelder tiles.[5][7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "Hotel Stowell". City of Los Angeles. 2013 – via Historical Marker Database.
- 1 2 3 4 "Spring Street Financial District". National Park Service. August 10, 1979.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 1 2 3 4 Michelson, Alan. "Hotel Stowell, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA (1913-1914)". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. University of Washington. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
- ↑ "Los Angeles Citywide Historic Context Statement, Context: Commercial Development, 1859-1980, Theme: Hotels, 1870-1980" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. July 2017.
- 1 2 3 Stewart, Jill (October 1, 2015). "A First Look at Le Petit Paris, the Most French Place in Downtown L.A." LA Weekly.
- ↑ "El Dorado Lofts". downtownla.com. Retrieved October 5, 2026.
- 1 2 Liu, Isabella (July 5, 2024). "Le Petit Paris Los Angeles Ca". Alabama Supercomputer Authority.
- ↑ "Historical Cultural Monuments List" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
- ↑ Jensen, Danny (September 21, 2015). "Photos: A Gorgeous French Brasserie Just Opened In A Historic DTLA Hotel". LA Weekly.
- ↑ Sitton, Tom (2008). "GC 1323 - Historic Sites Surveys" (PDF). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
- 1910s architecture in the United States
- Hotels in Los Angeles
- Buildings and structures in Downtown Los Angeles
- Historic district contributing properties in California
- National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles
- Hotels established in 1913
- Hotel buildings completed in 1913
- 1913 establishments in California
- Defunct hotels in Los Angeles
- Spring Street (Los Angeles)
- Downtown Los Angeles