From Imig Manor to The Lafayette

San Diego’s Imig Manor Hotel opened in 1946, boasting Hollywood celebrity Bob Hope as its first guest. The San Diego press reported this on June 28:

The west coast’s first large postwar built hotel, Imig Manor, officially opened today. Costing $2,000,000, the hotel has 180 units under its block-square colonial-style roof. In the center is a large patio with a swimming pool and two outdoor dining and dancing halls. Twenty-two shops line the block and one-half of corridor on the main floor.

Despite its lavish $2 million cost, not all the press was positive:

Add “Who Said the War’s Over” department: At a preview dinner for the “working press” at swanky Imig Manor last night, reporters were required to buy their own drinks at prevailing prices from the hotel’s bar.

Below is a contemporary shot of how the hotel, now named The Lafayette, looks today:



The Long Beach Press-telegram gave a bit more background on Larry Imig himself, on June 29, 1946:

Larry Imig, 31-year-old former sailor, last night formally opened his new $2,000,000 hotel, Imig Manor, built with a fortune he made in a construction business that began after he traded a car for a vacant lot 10 years ago. The 180-room hotel located on the edge of the business district, has a large swimming pool, nighclub, 700-seat dining room, bars, coffee shops and a shopping center. Imig will live in a half-block long penthouse atop the three-story structure. Imig received a medical discharge in 1935 after three years as a naval enlisted man on the U.S.S. Langley and got a job as an auto salesman in San Diego. After he had been at his job a year, a woman offered to trade a vacant lot for one of his cars and convinced him he could make a profit by building a house on it and selling it. In the following 10 years, he built 2000 homes and obtained enough money to finance half the construction of his new hotel.

Below are panels from a vintage brochure, showing interior views of the property and a map of the area:







How the diner looks today:



…and the pool:





The Mississippi Room and Circle Bar (above) are now Lou Lous’s Supper Club:





Consortium Holdings, who now owns the hotel and has been pumping money into the property at a feverish pace, has done a beautiful job of honoring the history of the hotel while bringing it into the 21st century for a whole new array of patrons. The photos in the brochure makes the hotel look a bit staid and stuffy; today, the property is vibrant and creative. Good job, CH!

See more Lafayette Hotel photos at my main website.

Back to the Lafayette: Lou Lou’s

I had been anxious for Lou Lou’s Supper Club (formerly the Mississippi Room) at the Lafayette Hotel to open. The neon sign beckoned me with the bright red lights that glowed through the glass block and spilled out onto El Cajon Boulevard.



When it finally did open this Spring, I went online in March to get tickets for a Sunday night show. I was sooooo excited to experience an old fashioned supper club with live music and cocktails. The inside did not disappoint! Like the rest of the Lafayette Hotel, it was an eclectic ADHD fantasy. 



The jungle theme was evident even in the light fixtures:



Each piece of wall art screamed out for attention.



And that golden bandshell at the end of the dance floor!



Wow!



Two snakes encircled the name of the club.



Unfortunately, the evening was a bust for me. The email confirmation I received when I booked my reservation had this to say:

Absolutely thrilled you're joining us. In the spirit of crafting an unforgettable experience tailored just for you, we've got a quick favor to ask. If you're navigating the culinary world with any food allergies or dietary preferences, do us a solid and shoot an email our way. This way, we can tweak your experience to perfection. We'll manually update our guest lists to ensure your adventure with us is as smooth and delightful as possible. Cheers to you.

For an 8pm show, we were to arrive at 6pm. Two hours to wait for the show to start? Not really an issue; with a cocktail followed by dinner, that should make for a relaxing evening.

It was easy to get a table by the stage; but it was difficult to read the menu with the dim lighting. Having skipped lunch that day, I was hungry and anxious to see the culinary treats that awaited us.

I noticed that the menu had nothing but beverages; no food. When the waitress arrived, I immediately inquired about getting a food menu. “Oh, we don’t serve dinner for the Sunday night show.”

“Ex-squeeze me? The email specifically stated to let the Club know ahead of time about any dietary restrictions.”

The lady at the table next to us whipped her head around like Linda Blair in, “The Exorcist,” adding, “Yeah, we got the same email!”

The waitress calmly replied, “Yeah, the team needs to fix the communication. Sorry. I can save your table for you though if you want to leave the hotel and grab something to eat.”



One tasty (albeit overpriced) cocktail later, we decided to skip the show and get dinner at Beginner’s Diner.



Note: make sure to check out the bathrooms at Lou Lou’s.



Real matchbooks!



That kinda makes up for the overpriced cocktails.



Will I go back? Yes, but you can bet your sweet bippy I’ll confirm that dinner is being served ahead of time!

See more Lafayette Hotel photos at my main website.