Commissioned during the Great Depression as a glamorous, prohibition-era sanctuary for mobsters and Hollywood elite, Santa Monica's iconic turquoise Art Deco "Red Lady" was restored in 2023, transitioning from a former retirement home back into a luxurious oceanfront landmark.
The Red Lady of Santa Monica with a past as bold as her façade...This Art Deco building was commissioned by hotelier Rosamunde Borde in 1933 during The Great Depression and at the end of Prohibition era. The architect’s brief? To build one of the tallest and most luxurious buildings properties in the city. This striking Art Deco landmark quickly became a playground of jazz, movie stars, and mobsters...When not on the beach, movie stars and anti-prohibitionists met in the basement bar in a fog of jazz and style to plot and unwind. Bugsy Siegel, the notorious gangster, was a regular fixture at the hotel’s basement throughout the prohibition era - one of the few places in Santa Monica where you could still get a real drink. Rose Kennedy took up residence at the hotel and held court there during the summer months and Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and Clark Gable all took refuge at the hotel bar to escape the prying eyes of the Los Angeles paparazzi. Later transformed into an upscale retirement home, the building was restored in 2023 - peeling back layers to reveal its original 1930s glamour and preserving its old Hollywood soul. Today, it stands once again as a turquoise Art Deco icon on the Pacific, with sweeping views over the Santa Monica Pier.