The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, off the famed Hollywood Boulevard, is one of Los Angeles’s most iconic hotels and most haunted. They say stars of the past still roam the halls of the historic building; starlet Marilyn Monroe, actor and musician Montgomery Clift, and Hollywood’s original bad boy Errol Flynn have all been sighted well past their expiration date.
The Roosevelt is adjacent to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and sits along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, making it a common resting stop for tourists visiting “La-La Land.” Many find themselves being a little too up close and personal with these stars from the past.
Quick Facts:
- The Hollywood Roosevelt was built in 1927 and financed by leading stars in the industry
- The first Academy Awards ceremony was hosted at The Hollywood Roosevelt on May 16th, 1929
- Famous stars have stayed at The Hollywood Roosevelt throughout the years, such as Clark Gable, Shirley Temple, Marilyn Monroe, Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Matthew McConaughey, Angelina Jolie, and Brad Pitt
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Throughout The Years
Hollywood’s growth in the 1920s, both in reputation and size, necessitated proper accommodations for its new and glamorous population. In 1927, local stars and movie magnates came together to construct the most glamorous hotel Hollywood had ever seen.
Actor Douglas Fairbanks and his Wife Mary Pickford, movie producer Louis B. Mayer, and Sid Grauman, the owner of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, put up $2.5 million in 1926 to construct a hotel close to the latter’s iconic theatre. They named it the “Hollywood Roosevelt” after former president Theodore Roosevelt.
The Spanish Colonial-Revival style building was the first of its kind in the area and became a favorite stay for Hollywood’s elite. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard often rented a penthouse on the 12th floor of the 298-room building. The 25,000-square-foot hotel was where Shirley Temple first learned how to tap dance.
In 1929 Hollywood Roosevelt hosted the first annual Academy Awards. The private event was attended by 270 of Hollywood’s brightest stars and laid the groundwork for the broadcasted television special we all know and love today. It remained the home of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences between 1927 and 1935.
Hard Times at The Hollywood Roosevelt
By 1984, The Hollywood Roosevelt had fallen on hard times. Occupancy was at five percent, and graffiti covered the once glamorous walls. Lawn chairs and card tables littered the two-story lobby. What once was a resort for Hollywood’s elite was now a center for Los Angeles’s homeless population.
In 1985 the first of three renovations took place; an initial $35 million, another in 2005 at $30 million, and a third in 2015 at $25 million.
Due to these renovations, the hotel has retained its illusive sense of nostalgia that attracts guests from far and wide. You can stay in the Gable and Lombard penthouse on the 12th floor or hang out in one of the 80 cabanas by the famous palm tree-encased Tropicana Pool.
Another option is to hunker down in the Marilyn Suite, room 1200, where bombshell Marilyn Monroe once resided for some time in the 1940s.
And according to hotel legend, she still does.
Who Haunts The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel?
Marilyn Monroe’s spirit has been seen in Suite 1200 and around the hotel for many years. Actors Erol Flynn and Montogomery Clift have also been recognized on numerous occasions.