King Edward Hotel
historic place
The King Edward Hotel, located in Los Angeles County, is a historic place. Constructed in 1905, it was designed in the Beaux Arts architectural style by master architect John Parkinson. The hotel stands as an early example of commercial development in Downtown Los Angeles during the early 20th century. Architecturally, the King Edward Hotel embodies the distinctive characteristics of the Beaux Arts style and is recognized as a notable work by Parkinson. Its history also includes the King Eddy Saloon, a business significant to Downtown Los Angeles's commercial identity and Prohibition era. The saloon has operated continuously at this location since 1933, with a speakeasy believed to have been in the basement during Prohibition. Notably, the King Edward Hotel is the only known building where three generations of the Parkinson family—John, his son Donald, and grandson Donald W.—contributed to its design or upgrades. The Los Angeles City Council designated the hotel as a Historic-Cultural Monument. In 2018, the King Edward Hotel was repurposed to provide housing for homeless and extremely-low-income individuals. This site matters historically for its architectural significance and its reflection of commercial and social patterns in early 20th-century Los Angeles.