Hotel Cecil Los Angeles 1924 T-Shirt

Opening its doors in 1924, the 700 room Hotel Cecil’s developers had planned for the massive Beaux Arts-style building to be a premier destination for business travelers visiting downtown Los Angeles. Initially billing itself as “a popular hotel of fine distinction” in advertisements, the Great Depression’s arrival just five years later meant the influx of wealthy business travelers became a slow trickle and that tagline was changed to “a popular priced hotel of fine distinction.” Located just steps from what would become known as Skid Row, the now discount hotel became found itself as a housing option for the local transient population, which was estimated to already surpass 10,000 people in the 1930s.