May 12, 1912 The Beverly Hills Hotel opensLike Hollywood itself, the history of The Beverly Hills Hotel is a 20th-century tale of glamour, riches and romance. Famous for legendary guests, it is located on Sunset Boulevard within 12 acres of gardens.
The original hotel was designed by Pasadena architect Elmer GreyAs one of Old Hollywood’s lone surviving power hubs, it still packs in movie titans.
Hoping to develop a land rush, developer Burton Green, President of the Rodeo Land and Water Company, wanted to create a hotel for people to stay at while looking at property to buy in the area.
Margaret J. Anderson, a wealthy widow, and her son, Stanley S. Anderson, had been managing the Hollywood Hotel. She ordered the construction of the Beverly Hills Hotel, in close proximity to the Burton Green mansion.
In 1920, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks built Pickfair, in the nearby hills. More stars followed including Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, Buster Keaton, Rudolph Valentino, Tom Mix and Will Rogers.
“Guests are entitled to the best of everything regardless of cost!” -Margaret J. AndersonThe first five bungalows of the hotel were built in 1915. Gloria Swanson resided in one of the bungalows during her divorce. In 1942, Howard Hughes bought up half a dozen and lived there throughout the decades. Elizabeth Taylor spent six of her eight honeymoons there. Her father owned an art gallery on the ground floor of the hotel.
Bungalow 1, inspired by Marilyn Monroe
Bungalow 5 inspired by Elizabeth Taylor
Bungalow 3, inspired by Howard Hughes
Bungalow 9, inspired by Charlie Chaplin
Bungalow 22, inspired by Frank Sinatra
Movies Filmed at The Beverly Hills HotelA Sailor-Made Man (1921)
Designing Woman (1956)
Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1963)
Move Over, Darling (1963)
Funny Girl (1975)
California Suite (1978)
Filming Location Matching "Beverly Hills Hotel "
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Ownership 1928 to 1932: Interstate Company.
In 1916, when he was 15 years old, Walt Disney spent a summer working for the Company as a news butch out of Kansas City.
Ownership 1941 to 1954
Hernando Courtright, Bank of America VP, purchased the hotel with friends including
Irene Dunne, Loretta Young, and Harry Warner.
Courtright established the Polo Lounge. Celebrities like Will Rogers toasted polo victories at the hotel in the 1930s (they played in nearby lima bean fields). The dimly lighted room was popular with Marlene Dietrich, who sat on a bar stool with her fur coat. Frank and Dean Martin engaged in prodigious drinking sessions there. Charlie Chaplin liked Booth No. 1, while Marilyn Monroe preferred a less prominent corner.
In 1940, Dietrich, was instrumental in bringing about a change in policy in the Polo Lounge, which had made it compulsory for women to don skirts, which she refused to wear.
In 1966, Charles Bluhdorn, of Gulf & Western, negotiated his purchase of Paramount Pictures for $125 million in the Polo Lounge.
Signature salad: The Polo Lounge’s McCarthy Salad is the most popular dish on the menu. It’s been on the menu since 1948. It was named after the polo-playing millionaire Neil McCarthy.
http://www.dorchestercollection.com Hollywood’s “Architect to the Stars”, Paul Revere Williams, was responsible for a remodel in the 1940s. One of the most successful architects of his time, he wasn’t always welcome in the buildings he designed. He was the first African American member of the AIA in 1923.
Williams's client list included Frank Sinatra (the notorious pushbutton house), Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Lon Chaney, Sr., Lucille Ball, Julie London, Tyrone Power (two houses), Barbara Stanwyck, Bert Lahr, Charles Correll, Will Hays, Zasu Pitts, and Danny Thomas.
The hotel remains the heart of moviedom’s schmoozing scene in part because of its history. The pool alone is as close to sacred ground as it gets in show business. It’s where Raquel Welch was discovered, where Esther Williams swam every morning (a permanent guest pass was written into her MGM contract) and where the Beatles once took an after-hours dip.
Esther Williams poolside at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 1939Happy 100th Birthday to a Grand Old Lady – The Beverly Hills Hotel!
paradiseleased.wordpress.com/2012/04/29/happy-100th-birthday-to-a-grand-old-lady-the-beverly-hills-hotel/The Most Infamous Moments in the Beverly Hills Hotel Bungalows
www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/07/beverly-hills-hotel-bungalows-historyFrom a field of beans to one of the swankiest destinations on earth: Fascinating vintage images tell the story of The Beverly Hills Hotel
www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-7599889/Fascinating-vintage-images-tell-story-Beverly-Hills-Hotel.html The Dowager’s Makeover
www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/fashion/redesigning-the-polo-lounge.htmlBeverly Hills Hotel: Timeline for 100-year history
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-beverly-hills-hotel-timeline-for-100-year-history-2012may07-story.htmlA $1B Estate, 74 Horses and a Secret Daughter: Meet the Original Real Housewife of Beverly Hills
www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/lifestyle-news/meet-original-real-housewife-beverly-hills-a-1b-estate-74-horses-an-alleged-daughter-1239921/