Taking part in Jeff and Jess' wedding Saturday at the Park Plaza Hotel (next to MacArthur Park) gave us a rare opportunity to take a close look at the classic building.
The Park Plaza Hotel was originally built in 1925 as the Elks Lodge, and was named a historical landmark in the early 1980s. Architecturally influenced by Early Renaissance, Grecian and Syrian designs, the Park Plaza served as a prominent meeting place for Elks club members and guests. Bing Crosby, Jack Dempsey, and Eleanor Roosevelt were a few of the Lodge’s “regulars," according to Park Plaza Events' website.
The name is a misnomer, however. Despite ambitious plans to turn the building into a boutique hotel by 2003, nothing has been done. The first two floors, however, are regularly rented out for large-scale weddings and other events. Two tremendous upstairs ballrooms have been painstakingly restored, while downstairs reception rooms are also beautifully kept up. Maria and I attended "The Justice Ball" there a few years ago, and toured it when we were planning our own wedding.
But it was Jess and Jeff's event that allowed us to sneak on the elevator and head to the top. That's when we found out that a hotel won't be opening up there any time soon -- the floors have been completely gutted. The views, however, are outstanding, and I assume it's only a matter of time before something is done to redevelop the Park Plaza's upper floors.
Some images:
Maria on the Park Plaza roof
Looking up the staircase to the Park Plaza's second floor
Up on the Park Plaza roof, Tony shoots the neighboring Asbury apartment building
On the Park Plaza staircase -- with the entrance behind us
View from the top floor of the Park Plaza
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