Hotel Figueroa

Hotel Figueroa (also the Figueroa Hotel, colloquially The Fig) is a hotel building in the South Park district of Downtown Los Angeles. Originally opened as a hostelry exclusive to women, the hotel underwent a transformation into a Moroccan-themed space in the 1970s before being restored to its initial Spanish Colonial architecture in 2014.

Hotel Figueroa
Hotel chain	Hyatt
General information
Architectural style	Spanish Colonial, Mediterranean Revival.
Address	939 S. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Coordinates	34°02′43″N 118°15′50″W / 34.04541°N 118.26378°W / 34.04541; -118.26378
Construction started	1925
Opened	1926
Renovated	1976 (conversion to Moroccan theme) 2014 (conversion to original architecture)
Owner	Brad Hall
Technical details
Floor count	13
Design and construction
Architecture firm	Stanton, Reed and Hibbard
Other information
Number of rooms	268 (261 hotel rooms, 7 suites)
Public transit access	Pico
Website
www.hotelfigueroa.com

Founded in 1926 by the YWCA, the hotel was established to provide a haven for professional women, allowing them to lodge without the requirement of a male escort. It became a gathering place for business women and club women, initially catering exclusively to women with men having limited access to the building. Two years later, they expanded their clientele to include men to boost business. Following a period of decline in the 1950s and 1960s, Swedish entrepreneur Uno Thimansson purchased the hotel, converting it into a Moroccan-themed space that was known for its affordability compared to other hotels. The hotel remained this way until 2014 when a joint venture between GreenOak Real Estate and Urban Lifestyle Hotels acquired the property. They started a restoration process in order to return it to its original Spanish Colonial architecture, which was completed in 2018.

History

1921–1951: Construction and early years

 

Female construction workers haul and pour concrete while on the roof of Hotel Figueroa, 1926.

In 1921, the Young Women's Christian Association secured a $1.25 million loan in order to build a hotel that could host professional women traveling alone, buying a plot of land in Downtown Los Angeles. At the time the hotel was established, women were prevented from booking a room in hotels unless they were accompanied by a man.^[1][2] The YWCA raised money from supporters in order to fund the hotel's construction, which started in 1925. The construction finished ahead of schedule with 13 stories and 409 rooms, and the hotel was dedicated on August 14, 1926.^[3]

Men were allowed within the hotel but were confined to the third and fourth floors. Married couples and their children had access to the first three floors, while the remaining floors of the hotel were exclusively reserved for women.^[4] The hotel hired Maude N. Bouldin as the first manager of the hotel, making her the first female manager in the United States.^[5]

In February 1928, the hotel switched to a traditional business model and opened the higher floors to men, with YWCA President Grace B. Ashley announcing a campaign to raise $300,000 in order to settle the mortgages the YWCA had for the hotel. In October 1929, following the Wall Street Crash, the YWCA was sold the hotel, although its headquarters remained there until 1951.^[6]

1951–2014: Decline and conversion to Moroccan theme

 

The hotel and pool in 2006.

As business declined in Downtown Los Angeles, the Hotel Figueroa experienced a decline as well. The new hotel owners downsized the room count from 400 to 285, ensuring that each room now had its own bathroom.^[7]

In 1976, the hotel was bought by Swedish entrepreneur Uno Thimansson, who converted the hotel into a space inspired by Moroccan architectural influences.^[8] During its Moroccan-themed phase, the hotel was known for its affordability compared to other hotels in the area.^[9] Thimansson introduced spaces such as the Tangier Room and the Club Fes, along with other areas in the hotel as part of the renovation.^[10] In a March 2014 interview, Thimansson stated that the hotel did not renovate, with the Los Angeles Times noting that the hotel had nearly as many negative reviews as positive ones on Tripadvisor, due to the absence of modern amenities.^[8]

2014–present: Renovation and restoration

In July 2014, a joint venture by GreenOak Real Estate and Urban Lifestyle Hotels purchased the hotel for $65 million.^[11] Initially intending to keep the establishment as a 3-star hotel, new owner Brad Hall decided to restore the hotel to its original architecture after discovering the history of the property.^[12]

It was planned to undergo renovations in phases so that the hotel could stay open. However, in October 2015, the decision was made to shut down operations in order to overhaul the building.^[13] The renovation was started in November 2015 and was initially expected to last a year, but it was extended to three years during the restoration process, having a total cost of $60 million.^[14] The renovations were done by Santa Monica-based agency Studio Collective with help from Rockefeller Kempel Architects, who expanded the guestrooms and modernized the interior.^[15][16] The hotel was reopened in February 2018 with 268 rooms, two restaurants, and four bars.^[9][17] In 2020, it was used as a voting center during the COVID-19 pandemic in Los Angeles.^[18]

In December 2023, restaurant employees informed the management of their intention to establish a union. Six days later, Noble 33 announced the closure of their five hotel restaurants, with the workers filing a complaint with federal labor regulators alleging that the management was attempting to suppress labor organizing in the hotel.^[19] Noble 33 argued that the existence of a union within their restaurants would breach the hotel's current agreements and would harm both parties. However, the hotel denied the claim that the decision to terminate staff was influenced by its management, stating that the group would not have been requested nor authorized to do so.^[20] In April 2024, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders joined striking hotel workers who demanded that hotels provide better pay and improve working conditions, as the hotel was one of 24 that had not reached an agreement with the workers since the start of the labor dispute.^[21]

Architecture

The hotel was designed by architecture firm Stanton, Reed and Hibbard. The style has been described as Spanish Colonial or Mediterranean Revival architecture. Its height was capped at 13 stories (130 feet) in order to adhere to the city's height limit at the time of completion.^[22]

Exterior

 

Sign painters create a new sign on the walls of the hotel, 2012.

The sides of the hotel serve as canvases for hand-painted advertisements, a practice that dates back to the 1980s.^[23] They have been pained by the company Walldogs, who have worked with the hotel since 1994 and have done advertisements campaigns for Bethesda Softworks, Square Enix, and DICE.^[24][25][26] In 2008, the hotel briefly switched to using vinyl wallscapes, but the use was stopped due to the city's crackdown on vinyl billboards lacking proper permits.^[27] The back of the building features a mural depicting plants, created by muralist Bella Gomez.^[28][29]

The outside also features a pool shaped like a coffin on the ground level, which stands as the only remaining hotel pool on the ground floor in the city due to changes in architecture regulations.^[30] The reason for the pool's shape is unknown, but according to the hotel's general manager, Connie Wang, there is a rumor suggesting it was "built in the shape of a coffin to bury the patriarchy".^[1]

Interior

 

The lobby of the hotel in 2013.

From 1976 until 2014, the interior was decorated by Arabian-inspired items, such as fabric swags, carpets, jeweled lanterns, and colored glass.^[10] As part of the overhaul, a liquidation sale featuring the items from the hotel took place from December 3 to December 31, 2015.^[31]

Upon the completion of its 2018 renovation, the hotel was characterized by the Los Angeles Times as exuding a "cozy, warm, and welcoming vibe," featuring numerous artworks by women displayed in the lobby and guestrooms.^[32] The interior design team restored the windows and refurbished and skylights for nighttime illumination in the guestrooms, focusing on giving the guest rooms with the more comfortable beds and enhancing the bathrooms with artwork.^[33]

The hotel features pieces in the Featured Artists Exhibit, which highlights local female artists in the area. Multiple local female artists have been featured in the hotel's art program, including Alison Van Pelt, Lily Stockman, Jesse Mockrin, Nancy Baker Cahill, and Alexandra Grant.^[34][35]

Restaurants and bars

Upon reopening after the 2014 renovation, Breva was the sole restaurant, and Bar Figueroa was the only bar, with the Veranda and Bar Alta launching at subsequent dates.^[36] In 2021, the hospitality group Noble 33 took over the food and beverage operations for the hotel, opening the Sparrow Italia brand within the hotel during the same year.^[37]

Reception and impact

In 2018, The Telegraph gave the hotel a score of 8/10, stating that the hotel's "current incarnation pays tribute to its history, with a strong emphasis on women’s art".^[30][38] The New York Times wrote that "upscale boutique hotels are all about attention to detail, which seems to be a work in progress at the Figueroa".^[39] Business Insider wrote in 2020 that "when it comes to historic significance and flair, the Figueroa is tops in downtown Los Angeles", stating that the "highly walkable location adds major convenience points with an address across the street from the buzzing L.A. Live entertainment complex, and the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Center just yards further".^[40] In 2022, Cosmopolitan wrote that Hotel Figueroa was "a charming boutique hotel with plenty of leather accent and abstract art".^[41]

The hotel's restaurant Sparrow Italia was featured in multiple Thrillist lists, with one list writing that the "historic Hotel Figueroa’s coastal Italian eatery set on a sexy covered patio is highlighting its Italian-Med menu during DineLA with a three-course feast".^[42][43]

The hotel served as a filming location for the television series True Blood and for the music video of Prince's 2004 song "A Million Days."^[8][44]

References

1. Yuccas, Jamie (March 25, 2023). "Nearly century-old Los Angeles hotel serves as beacon for women's rights". CBS News.
2. "Happy 95th Anniversary, Hotel Figueroa". NBC Los Angeles. August 14, 2021.
3. Moon, Freda (August 8, 2023). "California's Hotel Figueroa is a historic retreat for solo women travelers to Los Angeles". SFGate.
4. Meares, Hadley (November 15, 2013). "The Figueroa Hotel: The Surprising Feminist Origins of a Sexy Downtown Staple". PBS SoCal.
5. Platt, Heather (October 18, 2018). "America's first female hotel manager". CNN.
6. Hemmerlein, Sandi (November 26, 2019). "Where to Explore Downtown L.A.'s Most Historic Hotels". PBS SoCal.
7. Vincent, Roger (April 23, 2015). "Downtown L.A.'s quirky Hotel Figueroa to get Mediterranean makeover". Los Angeles Times.
8. Reynolds, Christopher (May 2, 2010). "Hotel Figueroa, former Holiday Inn respond differently to high-end downtown neighbors". Los Angeles Times.
9. Reynolds, Christopher (August 22, 2018). "These redone and recently relaunched downtown L.A. hotels will take you to the Jazz Age and back again". Los Angeles Times.
10. Maese, Kathryn (October 15, 2007). "Location Scouting 101". Los Angeles Downtown News.
11. Firnhaber, Bethany (July 27, 2014). "Hotel Buyers Check In With Pricey Purchase". Los Angeles Business Journal.
12. Alden, Audrey (July 19, 2018). "How The Hotel Figueroa Went From YWCA Haven To Hipster Hangout". LAist.
13. Barragan, Biana (October 28, 2015). "South Park's Hotel Figueroa Will Be Closing Until Next Year". Curbed.
14. Narayan, Shwanika (August 23, 2018). "$60M Makeover". Los Angeles Business Journal.
15. Salcido, Marie (November 6, 2018). "Check out Downtown L.A.'s Hottest Hotel Makeover". Sunset.
16. Im, Jimmy (May 22, 2017). "Malibu to Downtown: 4 Los Angeles Hotels to Book Now". The Hollywood Reporter.
17. Lagdameo, Jennifer Baum (November 28, 2018). "An L.A. Hotel Reconnects With its Feminist Roots Via a Vibrant, Art-Filled Renovation". Dwell.
18. Forgione, Mary (October 28, 2020). "Hotel Figueroa has long stood up for women. Now it will be a voting center too". Los Angeles Times.
19. Holmes, Mona (February 12, 2024). "The Restaurant Group Behind a Popular Downtown Hotel Closes Five Restaurants, Lays Off 100 Unionizing Employees". Eater.
20. Carcamo, Cindy (February 5, 2024). "Restaurant workers wanted to unionize at this L.A. hotel. Now the restaurants are closing". Los Angeles Times.
21. Harter, Clara (April 5, 2024). "Senator Bernie Sanders joins striking workers at Hotel Figueroa in downtown L.A." Los Angeles Daily News.
22. Carone, Patrick (August 13, 2019). "Designed, Built and Financed by Women, This 100-Year-Old Hotel Stays Relevant by Leaning Into Its Past". Entrepreneur.
23. "Keeping the dying art of hand-painted billboards alive in Los Angeles". LAist. October 17, 2013.
24. "E3's Iconic Game Ads Are Painted By Hand". Kotaku. June 22, 2017.
25. Martin, Matt (June 5, 2018). "Fallout 76 towers over E3 with coveted Figueroa billboard spot". VG247.
26. Boessenkool, Antonie (August 24, 2014). "Who does that? Paint the town big". The Orange County Register.
27. Vaillancourt, Ryan (May 9, 2011). "Signs of the Times". Los Angeles Downtown News.
28. DeRenzo, Nicholas (October 1, 2018). "This Hotel Has Become a Canvas for Feminist Art". Hemisphere.
29. Doherty, Patricia (January 24, 2022). "Sleep Surrounded by Live Greenery and Calming Artwork in This Serene LA Hotel Suite". Travel + Leisure.
30. Benson, Sara (July 25, 2018). "The best Los Angeles hotels with pools". The Telegraph.
31. Jensen, Danny (December 1, 2015). "Hotel Figueroa Is Selling Its Moroccan Decor In Massive Sale". LAist.
32. Doherty, Patricia (March 18, 2021). "This LA Hotel Was a Safe-haven for Female Solo Travelers in the 1920s — and It Still Carries on That Legacy Today". Travel + Leisure.
33. Herman, Valli (March 9, 2024). "The subtle ways the Hotel Figueroa's redesign is a tribute to women". Los Angeles Times.
34. Dambrot, Shana Nys (April 21, 2022). "Hotel Figueroa's Art Program Honors Its Feminist Roots". LA Weekly.
35. Kershaw, Emma (April 10, 2022). "This Los Angeles Hotel Continues to Champion Local Female Artists". Apartment Therapy.
36. Elliott, Farley (February 23, 2018). "Inside the Historic Hotel Figueroa's Gorgeous Remodel in Downtown LA". Eater.
37. Kang, Matthew (October 15, 2021). "Coastal Italian Restaurant Comes to Downtown LA's Hotel Figueroa This Month". Eater.
38. Cranshaw, Rachel (July 1, 2018). "Hotel Figueroa". The Daily Telegraph.
39. Banes, Brooks (December 14, 2018). "Hotel Review: The Figueroa, Los Angeles". The New York Times.
40. Dubin, Alesandra (February 18, 2020). "LA's century-old Hotel Figueroa is brand new again after a massive renovation — here's why you should give it a closer look despite its small rooms and street noise". Business Insider.
41. Grisworld, Maggie (August 15, 2022). "The 12 Best Hotels in West Hollywood and Downtown L.A. to Book for Your Next Vacay". Cosmopolitan.
42. Scordo, Lizbeth (October 12, 2022). "13 Awesome Meals and Deals to Hit During DineLA Restaurant Week". Thrillist.
43. Tse, Tiffany (May 10, 2023). "Fill Up on Pasta and Wine at the Best Italian Restaurants in LA". Thrillist.
44. Kirk, Kamala (October 21, 2020). "Hotel Figueroa: a beacon of female progress in DTLA". Los Angeles Downtown News.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hotel Figueroa.

• Official website