The unique history of the Art Deco architecture of The Georgian Hotel and the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles

THE GEORGIAN HOTEL: SANTA MONICA’S FIRST LADY AND HISTORY’S JEWEL: The Georgian Hotel first opened in the spring of 1933.  Built during the peak of California’s coastal expansion of the late ’20s and early ’30s, The Georgian Hotel was the vision of Mrs. Rosamond Borde. Mrs. Borde was a pioneer in an industry dominated by men and was regarded as a progressive marketer. By hiring a classically trained architect, Mrs. Borde assured that The Georgian’s design showcased both the Romanesque Revival and Art Deco architectural styles.  Originally, The Georgian was one of the first “skyscrapers” along a then sparsely populated Ocean Ave.

In the ’30s, Hollywood’s elite flocked to Santa Monica to escape the heat of the San Fernando Valley, hoping to enjoy the cool summer breezes and the exclusivity of the beach.  Mrs. Borde and her beach retreat attracted a large following amongst Hollywood’s studio bosses and Europe’s film stars, and in the process, the Georgian’s popularity grew.  Santa Monica was still secluded and private, Sunset Boulevard was the only major road in the area, and the woods, rolling hills and the Pacific Ocean were the hotel’s backdrops.  During this period, those in the local circles of power nicknamed the hotel the “Lady” in honor of the savvy Mrs. Borde, who years prior, had opened a hotel called The Windermere, adjacent to The Georgian’s lot.

Under the stewardship of Mrs. Borde and her son, Judge Harry J. Borde, The Georgian was one of the most modern facilities of its kind at the time, with its own beauty parlor, barber shop, playground and dining room (from which you could order dinner delivered in to your room for a private evening.)

Back then, Pacific Coast Highway was lined with infamous nightclubs in an era of prohibition. Carole Lombard and Clark Gable fled to the ocean to escape gossip. “Fatty” Arbuckle kept a summer residence to be closer to his wild adventures. And for Bugsy Segal and many others, The Georgian was considered the perfect Hollywood hide-out: private, secluded and discriminating.   The basement restaurant, appointed with wall-to-wall red leather banquettes and red-flocked wallpaper, was the perfect hideaway spot. The restaurant was one of the last strongholds of the prohibition era.   Over the years, top screenwriters and best-selling authors have enjoyed coffee or martinis on the Georgian’s ocean-view veranda.
 
In the ’40s and ’50s, Santa Monica was experiencing a technological and industrial business boom led by the growing Donald Douglas Aircraft manufacturing facility.  A wide variety of guests called The Georgian their temporary home. Those taking up residence included aircraft designers and executives, servicemen staged in local hotels during World War II, and gamblers who would head west for the evening to test their luck on the great casino barges anchored a few miles offshore in Santa Monica Bay.

In the 1960s, The Georgian reinvented itself as a modern, upscale apartment residence with unheard of amenities like a “bathroom in each room.” Tenant and First Mother, Rose Kennedy, would spent a few summers at The Georgian entertaining politicos, Hollywood royalty and journalists in the Red Griffin Room and on the dramatic veranda overlooking the Palisades, and the Pacific beyond.  Renowned European chefs would create decadent meals and The Georgian was often graced with many “Grand Dames” of Europe and America: some, for only a week, others, a month and for the lucky few, a year or more.

Today, after a recent series of multi-million dollar renovations, The Georgian still retains the charm and personality of decades past and has the distinction of having been named a Santa Monica Landmark. But, modern conveniences and high-tech advances have also been incorporated in The Georgian’s amenities, satisfying the needs of today’s business or leisure travelers. The hotel is conveniently located within walking distance of historic Palisades Park, the Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier. With 28 lavish suites and 56 guest rooms (many with ocean views) the Georgian Hotel remains the jewel of Santa Monica.

Although The Georgian has known several owners over its seventy-five year history, one thing remains constant: The Georgian Hotel is one of Los Angeles’ most charming properties situated in one of its most desirable locations. The passage of time has given this Lady an aura of mystery, a subtle grace and a timeless charm.

Standing proud and facing the Pacific Ocean like a jewel sparkling as the tide breaks, Santa Monica’s first lady remains gracious and unique in an age of mega-room lodging. Exactly who stayed at the hotel, and with whom, no one is quite sure.  Most assuredly, though, no one will tell.  After all, what “lady” would tell?


SANTA MONICA PIER HISTORY: With the opening of Pacific Park, the Santa Monica Pier marked a return to the days when the pier offered Southern California the very best in outdoor entertainment.  With activities as diverse as roller coasters and ballroom dancing, the Santa Monica Pier was an integral part to the Southland’s amusement scene from the early 1900s through the 1960s. What’s now known as the Santa Monica Pier was actually two piers, one built in 1909; the other in 1916.

Construction on the Santa Monica Municipal Pier began in May of 1908.  The 1,600-foot-long wooden pier was dedicated on September 9, 1909 during a gala ceremony attended by more than 5,000 people. A flotilla of ships was on hand for the celebration, which included speeches, a band concert and swimming races.

The Pleasure Pier was built contiguous to the Municipal Pier in 1916 by carousel and amusement pier pioneers Charles I.D. Loof and his son Arthur.  “The bathing beach at Santa Monica is well known as one of the finest on the Pacific Coast,” Loof said. “It attracts the highest class of people and transportation facilities are unequaled.”

Loof’s pier included the “Blue Streak Racer” roller coaster, a two-story Hippodrome building housing a hand-carved merry-go-round, a shaded bandstand, and the “Whip” and “Aeroscope” thrill rides. Loof later added other attractions including a multi-story “fun-house.” In later years, the Pleasure Pier was enlarged, and today, is 270 feet wide and 1,080 feet long, approximately 300,000 square feet of space.

The pier thrived through the 1920s with the opening of the La Monica Ballroom in 1924. Thousands of people lined the pier to watch the opening of the 15,000 square-foot ballroom, designed to accommodate up to 5,000 patrons at a time. Although the Pier flourished through the 1930s, severe storms and competition from other roller coasters in the area caused the demise of the pier’s coaster in 1930.

While the Municipal Pier was owned and operated by the City of Santa Monica, the Pleasure Pier was owned and operated by a succession of entrepreneurs until the 1950s when it was placed in trust to the City of Santa Monica. In 1973, a public campaign saved both piers from a demolition order issued by Santa Monica’s City Council. A series of studies on the pier were conducted in the early 1970s, and in 1975, the pier was officially designated as a Los Angeles County Historical Landmark.

In 1981, work began on the restoration of the pier, beginning with the hippodrome building and its carousel.  Construction on the Municipal Pier was completed in 1990.

Today’s Pacific Park was designed to recreate the beloved family pastime of spending a day on a pleasure pier, as so many Californians did at nearby Pacific Ocean Park, popularly known as P.O.P, after it opened in the 1950s. Decay and financial woes forced P.O.P. to close in October of 1967, and the Southern California coastline has not seen an amusement park on a pier in 30 years.

Pacific Park has helped return the Santa Monica Pier to what it had been since the turn of the twentieth century – Santa Monica’s most distinctive and beloved entertainment attraction along the beautiful California coastline.  Pacific Park recorded a historical milestone with the opening of its “West Coaster” roller coaster on August 9, 1996, the first roller coaster located on the Santa Monica Pier since the “Whirlwind Dipper” was torn down on October 30, 1930.

Contact The Georgian Hotel:  Located at 1415 Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, Calif., The Georgian Hotel is managed by Broughton Hospitality Group and is a member of both Kerry Hotels and Historic Hotels of America. For reservations call 800-538-8147.