Hotel Normandie facts for kids
The Hotel Normandie is a special old hotel in Koreatown, Los Angeles. You can find it at 605 S. Normandie Ave. This hotel has 92 rooms and suites for guests. It was built a long time ago in 1926. It was designed by architects Percy Eisen and Albert R. Walker in a style called Renaissance Revival, which means it looks like buildings from the Renaissance period in Europe.
A famous writer named Malcolm Lowry stayed at the hotel and wrote a big part of his novel Under the Volcano there. This book is now considered one of the 100 best novels ever written!
Because it's so important, the Hotel Normandie was named a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2012. This means it's a protected building because of its history and special design.
Contents
Hotel Normandie: A Look at Its Past
How the Hotel Normandie Began
In March 1925, plans were made to build the Hotel Normandie. It was going to be a four-story building with shops on the first floor and about 100 rooms upstairs. The cost was expected to be around $200,000.
A Popular Spot for Students
By 1931, the Hotel Normandie became a very popular place. It was chosen as the official hotel for students and alumni from big universities like Stanford University, the University of Southern California, and the University of California Los Angeles.
Modern Updates for the Hotel
In 1964, the hotel got a big update! Paul and Adelaide Stockhammer bought the building for over $750,000. They spent another $250,000 to make the hotel more modern. The Stockhammers had experience running hotels in other states like New York and Florida.
A New Purpose in Later Years
Later, in the late 1970s, the Hotel Normandie changed its purpose. It became the Normandie Wilshire Retirement Hotel, a place for older adults to live.
