The St. Francis Apartment Hotel opened at 5533 Hollywood Boulevard at the northeast corner of Hollywood Boulevard, a little ways west of Western Avenue, on August 15, 1928.

LA Times 8/22/1926.

LA Times 8/8/1926.

The owner, Hollywood Income Properties, represented by George Marcell, applied for a permit to construct the hotel in July 1926. In August 1926, the Times reported that the foundation had been completed, and that work on the structural steel frame was to begin. It was to be known as the Weston Apartments for owner of the parcels it stood on, Harold Weston, and would be completed about February 1, 1927. February came and went, however. In April 1927, the Weston was said to be nearing completion and set to open around May 1, 1927. That date, too, passed. In July 1927, the Times reported that the property was now the property of the Hollywood-Roosevelt Properties Corp (George Marcell, Secretary-Treasurer). Now known as the “Hollywood Apartment Hotel,” it would reportedly be ready about August 15.

It did open on August 15- but it was August 15, 1928 not August 15, 1927. In the meantime, in July 1928 the Times reported that the recently completed apartment hotel, now renamed the St. Francis, as well as the underlying land it stood on, had recently been sold to the Hollywood Securities Corp., James Long Wright, president, for $850,000.

LA Times 7/29/1928.

Finally, the 5-story, brick-veneer apartment-hotel, designed by architect William Allen, did hold its grand opening, with an open house and the now-usual light display by Otto K. Olesen.

Hollywood Daily Citizen 8/14/1928

Hollywood Citizen News 8/14/1928.

Hollywood Citizen News 8/14/1928

The hotel’s official garage was located across the street at 5502 Hollywood Boulevard. Hollywood Daily News 8/14/1928

Map of recent development in the Hollywood & Western area, including the Rector Hotel (1924, owned by United Cigar Stores Corp) and the Hollywood-Western Building (1928). Hollywood Daily News 8/14/1928.

Hollywood Daily Citizen 12/7/1928

The hotel restaurant, the St. Francis Cafe, was addressed as 5535 Hollywood Boulevard. It has its own entrance from the street, as well as one from the lobby.

LA Daily News 4/19/1938

Hollywood Citizen News 5/13/1939

Hollywood Citizen New 4/17/1948

On May 15, 1951, it became the short-lived Hagen’s Restaurant. The cafe space was converted to other uses not long after this.

Hollywood Citizen News 5/14/1951

The St. Francis in the 1960s. LAPL photo.

The apartment-hotel is still extant. It is now known as the Gershwin.