“The next time you check into a deserted hotel on the dark side of Hollywood, make sure you know just what kind of vacancy you'”‘”‘re filling. Or you may find yourself a permanent resident… of The Twilight Zone.” So says Rod Serling at the end of Disney World’s popular The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction. The design of the ride, located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, was inspired by several California locales, one of which was Hollywood Tower, a luxury apartment building situated alongside the 101 Freeway in Tinseltown. The looming structure is such an icon and area landmark that it has become synonymous with the landscape of L.A. It is also consistently cited as one of the city’s most haunted locations (along with The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the Hollywood Knickerbocker Apartments, and the Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles), so I figured what better time to blog about it than now?
Hollywood Tower was originally built in 1929 as “La Belle Tour,” a luxury apartment house. The French Normandy-style building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was designed by architects Cramer and Wise.
The 8-story property, which rises to 110 feet at its highest point, boasts rooftop gardens, a subterranean garage, and 52 units, including 3 penthouses.
As the plaque on the front door tells you, the location served as “Sophisticated living for film luminaries during the ‘Golden Age’ of Hollywood.”
Renamed Hollywood Tower in 1942, such stars as Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn, Robert Patrick, George Raft, Eugene Pallette, William Powell, and Colin Clive (aka Dr. Henry Frankenstein – love it!) all called the place home at one time or another. Carmen Miranda was even married on the premises.
You can check out what the interior of the building looks like here, as well as some images of the individual units here, here, and here. The bathrooms are to die for!
Rumors of hauntings at Hollywood Tower are prevalent online. The Rock Photographer blog, penned by a building resident, mentions the hauntings (including a “shadowy, floating figure” who stalks the fourth floor), as well as suicides, murders and mob hits that have taken place on the property in this post, though no specifics are given.
Whether or not the building is actually haunted remains to be seen, but being that the structure has a decidedly looming presence, it is no surprise that it influenced the Disney Imagineers who created The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. (Check out Scouting LA for a fabulous write-up on the various SoCal properties that served as inspiration for the ride.)
As you can see below as compared to this image, the ride’s signage is very similar to that of Hollywood Tower. The overall design of the two structures is also somewhat similar, though Tower of Terror bears a distinct Southwestern element that cannot be found at Hollywood Tower.
Hollywood Tower is also a filming location! In the 1948 crime drama Devil’s Cargo, Margo Delgado (Rochelle Hudson) calls the building home.
Jake Scully (Craig Wasson) briefly stays with his friend at Hollywood Tower in the 1984 thriller Body Double.
The real life interior of one of the apartment units was also used in the movie, though very little of it can be seen.
Hollywood Tower is also where Leon (Alan Solomon) lived and gathered five students together to invite them to compete in the “Great All-nighter,” an all-night scavenger hunt through Los Angeles, in the 1980 comedy Midnight Madness.
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Until next time, Happy Stalking!
Stalk It: Hollywood Tower is located at 6200 Franklin Avenue in Hollywood.
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