In 1924 William Hanner, Charles Dix, and Robert Schops became the owners of the very first Cecil hotel in Los Angeles, California. they began with plans to create a beautiful, high end hotel to accommodate tourists and travelers for weeks & months at a time. The Cecil hotel went on to experience many things from murder to remodels all while increasing in value.
Loy Lester Smith was the commissioned architect on the project, Simon Barron Developments worked with W.W. Paden to complete the project. The hotel cost $1.5 million dollars to build while another million was invested in the interior. When complete the hotel featured 700 rooms on 15 floors. The design consisted of a combination of art deco and beaux architecture style. The lobby was made almost entirely of marble with stain glass windows and crown molding. Giant potted palms, Iron lamps, and large clocks complimented terrazzo floors and created a welcoming feeling.
The hotel reached a high point in popularity in the 1940's, unfortunately it was short lived as 5 years later the great depression began. The surrounding area quickly became know as 'skid row' and was home to around 10,000 individuals without. The hotel that once was targeting high end clients for months and weeks was forced to turn to a daily and weekly hotel for more undesirable clients.
