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Overview

The Ancelle Apartment Hotel was built to serve the many thousands of newcomers streaming into Los Angeles during the 1920s. This apartment block had an L-shape formed around a landscaped entry courtyard. It stood four-stories tall and was ornamented in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. Its Spanish styling was particularly evident in the entry facade located in the middle of the L. Its main doorway had a highly ornate Baroque pediment, flanked on two sides by pilasters "supporting" two urns. The pilaster and pediment ornamentation was Baroque derived from Roman grotesque patterns. A large wrought iron screen stood in the center of the swan's neck broken pediment. The fourth floor was trimmed in a ornamented balcony.

Building History

A classified advertisement in the Los Angeles Times of 10/16/1926 read: "Ancelle: Apt.-Hotel Seventh and Gramercy Drive. Just completed, most beautiful apt. and hotel in the West. Ultra-modern and exclusive. Wilshire residential district. Spacious grounds, sunken gardens, roof garden, large lobby, ballroom. Valet and daily maid service, beauty shop, tea room and commissary. Singles with twin beds and doubles with 2 baths and showers. Also larger en suite, individually decorated and furnished, combination of gas and electric range, electric refrigeration, running ice water and every conceivable convenience." (See "Apartments," Los Angeles Times, 10/16/1926, p. 18.)

Building Notes

A notable feature, the entry garden featured an entry gate with a red tile roof and the name Ancelle spelled out on it. A round fountain anchored the center of the lushly landscaped garden.

In 2015, the Ancelle contained 82 units.

Alteration

Some alterations also occurred in 1928, according to the Los Angeles County Assessor's Office.