Culver Hotel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Culver Hotel |
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| Former names | Hotel Hunt |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Deco |
| Address | 9400 Culver Blvd. |
| Town or city | Culver City, California |
| Opened | September 4, 1924 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 6 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Claud Beelman and Aleck Curlett |
| Other designers | Harry Culver |
| NRHP reference No. | 97000296 |
| Added to NRHP | April 14, 1997 |
The Culver Hotel is a famous historical building in downtown Culver City, California. It was built by Harry Culver, who founded Culver City. The hotel first opened on September 4, 1924. Local newspapers called it the "Culver skyscraper."
It was first known as Hotel Hunt. Later, it was called Culver City Hotel. This six-story building has a special style called Renaissance Revival. It was designed by architects Curlett & Beelman. They also designed other famous buildings in Los Angeles.
Because Culver City became a big movie center, the hotel welcomed many famous stars. Some even lived there for months! Harry Culver, the city's founder, also had his office inside the hotel.
Over the years, the hotel became old and needed repairs. In the 1980s, it was closed and almost torn down. But in the 1990s, it was partly fixed up and reopened. It became a part of the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The hotel's big comeback really started in 2007. A family who owned hotels bought the building and began a major renovation.
Since 2007, the hotel has been greatly improved. Its water pipes and electricity were updated. All guest rooms and public areas were redone. The hotel replaced 140 handmade windows. The public spaces were completely redesigned. All these changes kept the building's original look. Today, the Culver Hotel also hosts live jazz music and special events.
The hotel has a unique flatiron shape. It is located right next to the historic Culver Studios. It is also a few blocks from the Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, which is now Sony Pictures.
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A Star-Studded History: The Culver Hotel's Movie Connections
The Culver Hotel has appeared in many movies and TV shows. It was seen in the Our Gang short film Honkey Donkey. Other shows include The Wonder Years, Party of Five, and 7th Heaven.
It also appeared in films like Last Action Hero and Stuart Little 2. TV series such as Bones and Cougar Town also filmed there. Today, many TV shows, movies, and commercials still film in Culver City. Parts of the hotel's outside and inside have been used to look like streets in London, apartments in Barcelona, or cafes in Paris.
Who Owned the Culver Hotel?
The hotel was first built by Harry Culver. He was the founder of Culver City. The hotel stands where the city's first movie theater used to be. Mr. Culver's first office and a special safe are still on the second floor.
Later, the famous actor Charlie Chaplin owned the hotel. It is said that he lost it in a poker game to John Wayne. John Wayne, another famous actor, owned the hotel for several years. He eventually gave it to the YMCA.
Lou Catlett restored and reopened the Culver Hotel in the mid-1990s. At this time, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. After that, Abraham Hu bought the property. He ran it with his son Xing and Eddie Harrah until 2007. The Mallick family then bought the hotel. Maya Mallick led the big renovation.
Today, the Culver Hotel is a 4-star boutique hotel. It has 46 guest rooms. It also has a bar, dining areas, and spaces for meetings and events. Live music is played there every evening.
Famous Guests and Residents
The Culver Hotel has welcomed many famous people as guests. These include actors like Clark Gable, Mickey Rooney, Greta Garbo, and Judy Garland. Other stars who stayed there were Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, and Red Skelton.
Even Buster Keaton, Dorothy Dandridge, and Douglas Fairbanks were guests. Later, Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan also stayed. Some guests, like the boy band 98 Degrees and reality TV stars, even lived there for months.
Dwight D. Eisenhower, who later became President, had an office in the hotel in 1952. This was during his campaign for President. The nearby Jazz Bakery often puts up world-famous musicians at the Culver Hotel.
The casts from famous movies also stayed here during filming. These include actors from Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz. More than 100 actors who played the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz stayed at the hotel.
Images for kids
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Event Space - Yello Heard on 2nd floor
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Guestroom robe and shower
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Guestroom bathroom
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Culver Bookcase
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Culver Hotel at Twilight
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The front entrance at night
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A full view of the Culver Hotel
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View of the side of the building
