Hoover Hotel

Completed in 1930, the six-story Hoover Hotel in downtown Whittier, designed by local architect David Bushnell, represents a more liberal Mediterranean rendition of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. The hotel was named after Lou Henry Hoover, First Lady of the United States from 1929-1933, and a resident of Whittier early in her life. In the 1930s and 40s the hotel was the premier lodging on Highway 101 south of Los Angeles, but declined after WWII. Starting in the 1950s, the hotel changed hands and underwent adaptations and remodeling, moving toward a residential model by 1962. Sustaining severe structural damage from the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, the building finally underwent more extensive adaptive reuse and renovation between 2001 and 2002, transforming it into the Seasons at the Hoover. Hoover Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Whittier, Los Angeles County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt