I recently learned that the Hollywood Center Motel on Sunset Boulevard was about to face demolition. While I had breezed by it countless times on the way to the Chateau Marmont, I had never bothered to get out and explore. With timing running out, I figured I’d better do so.
The 101 History of the motel is as follows, edited from the J.H. Graham website:
Built as a private home [around 1905], 6720 Sunset Boulevard became a bungalow court in 1922. It had been purchased by Edmund L. and Blanche Schultz. E. L Schultz had owned a drugstore chain in Denver. The couple and their daughter Jane came to Hollywood in 1920 after his retirement. In early 1922, Blanche commissioned contractor F.W. Hicks to build cottages on the parcel to create a bungalow court. The bungalows were rented as homes, not for transient guests. 6700 itself continued as the Shultz’ private residence into 1924. Edmund died in 1941, Blanche in 1945. Their daughter, Jane Sewell, became owner of the property and retained ownership into 1951 at least. Owners after 1950 made further alterations, such as converting some cottages into commercial spaces and changing duplexes to single-family use. In Fall 1951, Ernest Forssgren, owner of 6700 next door, split his parcel in half north to south and demolished the front of the building that occupied it. The back half of the building remained in place and was readdressed as 1447 Las Palmas. By 1952, Forssgren was also owner of the bungalow court. The two properties formed an L-shaped parcel with frontage on Las Parmas and Sunset. In January 1954, the property, which now included 6720 and 1447 North Las Palmas, was sold at auction. Alterations were fairly minimal. A low wall was erected along the Sunset frontage, which was later replaced by a tall breeze-block wall. In 1958, a swimming pool was installed near the west rear corner of the parcel. It became the Hollywood Center Motel around that time, addressed as 6620 Sunset.
In 1986, the Motel was the scene of a murder. From the San Francisco Examiner:
The Hollywood murder was discovered October 18, 1986, at the Hollywood Center Motel on Sunset Boulevard after an anonymous tip to L.A. police. The victim, Richard Keith Mayer, 20, a male hustler, known cocaine user and sometime rock band roadie, was found nude, wrapped in plastic bags and in an advanced state of decomposition. He had been strangled.
The suspect? Dean Karny, who was second-in-command of the infamous Billionaire Boys Club member. He had been granted immunity in two other murder cases in exchange for his testimony against the others. From the Peninsula Times Tribune:
Karny received his grant of immunity after he went to the Attorney General’s Officer in November 1984, four months after Hedayat Eslaminia’s abduction.
…but before Mayer’s dead body was found. Karny was protected under the federal witness program and went onto a new life. Not a bad deal.
It appears that the Motel was in operation as recently as 2014, maybe even as late as 2022 if you go by Yelp reviews. During the ensuing years, it continued to just sit and rot.
Would you rent a room here?
This is an episode of “Hoarders” waiting to happen. Think there’s any 7-Up left in that machine?
The Mercedes Benz fits in very well, don’t you think?
How ironic is it that the missing “L” now makes the sign read “Holywood.” Nothing holy going on here.
The photo below from the deadmotelsusa website shows the motel back when it was still in biz. The first shot is from the 1940s, when it actually looked respectable:
By the time of the shot below, midcentury modern elements had been added to the front while the hotel itself had become fairly worn-looking.
The Hollywood Center Motel was also featured in the 1997 film, “L.A. Confidential.” In a definite case of type-casting, it was used in a scene depicting a seedy tryst and murder.
I found this matchbook on ebay; I wonder what constituted “deluxe”?
While it’s always sad for me to see history demolished, in this case (as in so many), the current property is so dilapidated, it is probably even beyond an adaptive reuse situation…unless everything is completely rebuilt, and then where’s the history? At the very least, this cool retro concrete block wall should be saved.
No date of demolition has been announced, and there are no plans as to what the property would become, either.
See more Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood photos at my main website.
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