LAUSD & The Ambassador Hotel:
The Promise, The Problem & A Plan

A Brief History

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Built between 1919-21, the Ambassador Hotel was once the prestigious host to Presidents, socialites, celebrities, as well as the launching pad for multiple Hollywood careers. It is a work of Miron Hunt, one of Southern California's most noted architects, and perhaps most historically memorable as the site of Robert Kennedy's assassination in 1968. The hotel has been closed and vacant since 1989 and the future of its 23.5-acre site remains in debate. The property is currently owned by WCM, a partnership consisting of affiliates of Amec, PLC and S.D. Malkin Properties. In 1989 Wilshire Center Partners-which included the owners of WCM-bought the property for $64 million. In 1990 Donald Trump purchased a minority interest in the property .Shortly thereafter, LAUSD set its sights on the property as a potential school site that could help relieve severe overcrowding in the downtown area. In 1990 LAUSD condemned 17 acres of the site, and deposited nearly $48 million towards compensation for the 17 acres. After a few years of litigation between Trump and LAUSD, the District withdrew its bid and moved its plans for a new school to the now abandoned Belmont site. In 1998, Trump withdrew from the project. LAUSD's deposit on the property has not been recovered, and the property remains in litigation. Throughout this process, the Los Angeles Conservancy has been an advocate against demolition of the historic hotel-a facet of both the District's and WCM's original plans.

Towards a Win-Win Solution

The stakeholders in the debate over this site have dramatically divergent and important interests invested in the Ambassador. LAUSD faces a very immediate crisis in facilities shortage-half of the 25,000 high school seats required by the District are needed in the downtown area. The Ambassador seems to be a natural solution to alleviating some of this problem. The Wilshire Center area-once a lively shopping and entertainment district-is in need of redevelopment. A retail center at the Ambassador offers a chance at economic revitalization. The Ambassador is one of Los Angeles' most famed historic sites. Rehabilitation and reuse of the structure would preserve an important piece of Los Angeles history and architecture. All of these interests are valid and important-but the true interests of the community can only be served if stakeholders come together in order to reach a creative win-win solution that can move forward expediently and awaken the Ambassador from its twelve years of wasteful slumber.

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