Just like New York City, L.A. had its own roaring Broadway Theater scene in the early 20th century – swapping plays and musicals for cinema. After WW II, the area’s popularity began to decline and buildings went vacant, falling to disrepair. As part of the Broadway Theater District preservation projects, ACE Hotel Downtown Los Angeles has opened their seventh hotel in the United Artists building, built in 1927.
They officially welcomed guests on Monday, January 6th although not all the rooms are finished, nor the LA Chapter restaurant (menu designed by Brooklyn’s Five Leaves‘ chef) or rooftop pool. Amenities currently available are the Stumptown coffee bar, the gym in partnership with Undefeated, the mezzanine bar and gift shop. On Tuesday, I headed to ACE Hotel Downton Los Angeles’ press conference to check it out.
Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles Lobby 
L.A.’s design firm Commune Design partnered with Ace Hotel’s inhouse design team, Ace Atelier, to restore the public spaces and fashion the rooms.
Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles Rooms
This room, a bit more spacious than the basic room, comes complete with a turntable (don’t forget to pack the LPs) and sheet music in case a Mozart moment comes upon you and you’d like to compose the next great symphony.
Here’s the suite complete with a lil’ lounge space, clawfoot tub and petite balcony. All rooms feature Rudy’s Barbershop bath products, wings+horns bathrobes and Pendleton blankets bedspreads.
Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles Mini Bar (nice choice of tequila, btw)
Lobby Cafe
United Artists Theater
As the crowd entered the theater, we shared a collective gasp. Every detail of the Spanish-Gothic space is ridiculously gorgeous – transporting the viewer, instantly, to another time and place. Actress Mary Pickford and her friends like Charlie Chaplin built the space so they could have independence from the studios and show whatever movies they pleased. Ace Hotel will use the theatre as a performance hall and conference space.
With Ace in the house now coordinating events, the first concert to be held here is Spiritualized on February 14th. (Already sold out.)
She is not a part of the original theater. Although I never found out more about this statue – I believe the artist is probably paying a whimsical tribute to the many churches that met here over the decades after it closed as a working theater. To me, she’s the Patron Saint of Manicures and I adore her. Heck, as a nail biter, I’d even worship the digit dame if it’ll garner favor in the fingernail department.
– Lanee Lee
For more photos, check out:
Curbed LA: First Look Inside Ace Hotel Los Angeles
14 Things to Dig About the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles
Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles, 929 Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015
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