Located at 5217 Hollywood Boulevard, the Guardian Arms held a public open house on June 29, 1928 and officially opened on June 30, 1928, the same day as its neighbor, the El Adobe Market.

Plans for the 7-story structure were revealed in February 1927. An artists’ drawing of the proposed Spanish-style building, designed by architect W. Douglas Lee, appeared in the Los Angeles Times on March 13, 1927. The owner, the Guardian Holding Corporation, applied for permits to construct the foundation in May 1927, and the building itself in June 1927.

Hollywood Citizen News 2/18/1927.

LA Times 3/13/1927.

The project took more than a year to complete. The luxury residence contained 90 uniquely furnished units, with a penthouse bungalow and roof garden. Amenities included daily maid and valet service and a 55-car garage in the rear. There was a large lounge area with a dance floor and an auditorium/stage in the basement. Retail shops occupied the ground floor. 

Los Angeles Times May 11, 1928.

Hollywood Citizen-News 6/29/1928.

The Guardian Arms when new. LAPL photo.

Detail of the entrance. California State Library photo.

In 1932, an investor, Anna McKinnie, brought a lawsuit against Guardian Holding Corp, charging fraudulent stock transactions, and in January 1933 was awarded a judgement of almost $250,000. The following month, creditors of Guardian Holding Corp petitioned for bankruptcy in federal court. In April 1933, four officers of Guardian Holding Corp were indicted following a grand jury investigation into the firm’s dealings: E. J. Kampschroer, Charles H. Johnson, E. E. Pratt, and Theodore Kemp. The four were charged with conspiracy and violation of the state Corporate Securities Act. The trial, which began in September 1933, ended with a hung jury. A second trial began March 7, 1934. On April 11, 1934, after over 50 hours of deliberation, the jury found Pratt and Johnson guilty. Kemp was acquitted. The jury was unable to agree on the culpability of Kampschroer, and the DA ultimately moved to dismiss his case. Pratt and Johnson were sentenced to a term at San Quentin later that month. They remained free pending appeal and in October 1934, had their sentences overturned on a habeas corpus ruling.

Los Angeles Post-Record 4/20/1934.

The Guardian Arms sailed right along as a primo, luxury residence.

In December 1938 it was revealed that the property had been sold by owner Leslie H. Danis, to an out of town buyer, Leopold Kalish, for $300,000.

LA Times 12/11/1938.

In March 1944, it was made public that Kalish had sold the building to real estate investor G.E. Kinsey for $275,000 – $25,000 less than he had reportedly paid for it a little more than 5 years earlier. Kinsey in turn flipped the property two months later, selling it to Arthur E. Gray and B. Browsky in May 1944 for the same price he had paid for it- $275,000.

Hollywood Citizen News 4/13/1946.

Hollywood Citizen News 4/27/1946.

In 1946, the basement auditorium served as an actors’ studio and theater, known as the Aladdin Theater Workshop, for the Aladdin Players. Organized by actor’s agent Nell Benedic as a showcase for her clients, the group debuted with the Noel Coward play, “The Vortex,” in April 1946.

LA Times 6/22/1958.

The Guardian Arms, renamed the Hollywood Hotel Apartments, featured a Hawaiian garden. LA Times 8/26/1958.

In June 1958, the 30 year old building was rebranded as the Hollywood Hotel Apartments. The remodeling cost a reported $300,000 – $50,000 less than it had ostensibly cost to build and the same price it had sold for twenty years earlier.

The Guardian Arms remains extant.