DOWNTOWN — It represented hope and recovery following one of the worst economic catastrophes in U.S. history, an optimistic signal of wealth in the years to come, packaged in a modernistic building boasting ocean views.
More than 69 years after the Hotel Shangri-La opened its doors on the corner of Ocean and Arizona avenues, the one-time home of World War II soldiers is on track to become the next historic landmark in Santa Monica.
The Landmarks Commission on Monday directed its staff to file an application nominating the hotel for landmark status. A public hearing is expected to be held for either the commission’s Oct. 12 or Nov. 9 meetings.
The seven-story building reopened in December of 2008 after undergoing extensive renovations, expanding the number of guestrooms from 54 to 71. All that remains from the original 1939 structure — aside from the walls and windows — is the original glass brick entryway. The goal was to restore the hotel back to its original form, including installing a replica of the original terrazzo floors and bringing back the old elevator floor indicators in which an arrow — not a digital screen — would inform passengers of the location of the car.
Construction was officially completed in June.
“We feel that the Hotel Shangri-La is iconic and has served the community well over many decades,” Tehmina Adaya, the owner and CEO of the hotel, said. “We are very excited to start the process of landmarking.”
The Adaya family has owned the hotel since 1983.
Tulsa-Santa Monica Corp./F.A. Gillespie & Sons developed what was then known as the Shangri-La Apartment Hotel in 1939 at the cost of $400,000 with hopes of “bringing to Santa Monica people of wealth and distinction from every part of the globe,” according to an article in the Evening Outlook in 1940.
It was designed by Beverly Hills based-architect William E. Foster in the streamline-moderne style, a style that came into being following the art deco period of the early 1930s, considered both an economic and stylistic response to the effects of the Great Depression, PCR Services Corp. said in a report to the Landmarks Commission about the Shangri-La.
“A new style was needed to express optimism and a bright look toward the future,” the city consultant said in the report.
The architectural style can be seen in structures such as City Hall, the old J.C. Penney in Downtown and the Merle Norman Building on Main Street. The style of apartment-hotels is even more rare with few remaining in the state.
The hotel for several years served as rehabilitation station for the United States Army Air Forces before returning to its previous state in 1948.
It has been an attraction for celebrities over the years, including Tom Cruise, Elizabeth Taylor and former President Bill Clinton. The hotel has also been featured in a number of films, including “White Men Can’t Jump,” “The Net,” as well as in several episodes of “Beverly Hills 90210.”
The commission will look at several factors when it considers the hotel for landmark status, including its relevance as an example of a streamline-moderne building. Commissioner Nina Fresco said that there is also interest in the interior elements of the lobby and whether there are any remaining original materials that could be included in the designation.
The property must meet one of six criteria to be landmarked, including having artistic significance and association with a historic person.
“This building we felt has the possibility of having artistic qualities in the very form of the architecture and we want the consultants to study that and give us the results of that research,” Fresco said.
