Another chapter in the continuing saga of the Morrison Hotel on Hope Street and Pico Boulevard (the “Hope Street Fire District”) was written last week on October 12 when Michael Weinstein, President of Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF), owners of the burned out shell that once was the Morrison Hotel, filed suit against the City of Los Angeles to delay or rescind the city’s recent “illegal” designation of the property as a public nuisance; the first step toward demolishing the remaining structure.
Mr. Weinstein and his attorney, Jonathan Eisenberg, scheduled a Zoom meeting to announce their lawsuit, arguing that it was necessary as the city had not given proper notice to AHF that the property was a public safety issue before taking the public nuisance action. They stated that they had made efforts to restrict entry to the property by unauthorized parties while they worked with the city on a plan to reconstruct the hotel into public housing units.
AHF further argued that the Morrison Hotel, built in 1913, had reached near landmark status due to the appearance of the hotel’s lobby window on the iconic 1970 album cover of “Morrison Hotel” by The Doors. “Thousands of tourists have come to the front window of the hotel to have their pictures taken” and now the city was forcing destruction of this treasured structure. It is important to note the window has been boarded up and not visible to visitors of South Park since 2023 as demonstrated by the google street view image taken that year.
The Zoom presentation was then opened to questions. It soon became evident that there were no members of the media present (their target audience) on the Zoom call but instead there were plenty of local residents asking questions and pointing out inaccuracies in and incompleteness of their statements. The Zoom call was ended when Mr. Weinstein suggested he would not allow the presentation to be “hijacked”.
This sudden flick of the switch left many questions unanswered and did not allow a discussion of what concrete actions AHF had taken to secure their abandoned property from unauthorized entry following their purchase in 2023. Nor did they explain what they had done to correct the evidence of unauthorized intrusions by homeless individuals from 2023 to present day. These intrusions have been documented by photos and video, neighborhood complaints, LAPD actions, and a major fire that resulted in the collapse of the building’s roof and upper floors leaving the entire building’s structural integrity in question. During AHF’s period of ownership, any attention to their responsibilities to secure and maintain the building has not been evident to neighborhood residents. Since the recent devastating fire, trespassing and habitation of the building has continued.
Another question not discussed was documentation of proposed reconstruction plans and evidence of “frustrating negotiations” with the city on proposals to turn the property into an ”admirable public housing project.” Note: a recent inquiry of the Los Angeles City Planning website yielded the filing of an initial plan in 2022 for the conversion of the building but evidently no further action has been taken. Mr. Weinstein and Mr. Eisenberg referred to the building as desperately needed housing the city is attempting to remove from the market. It is important to note that the Morrison has been vacant and dilapidated and unavailable for approved housing for the entire period of AHF’s ownership. Input on these questions would have been welcomed.
A final question from the audience left unanswered when the meeting was discontinued was: “Why, if the Morrison Hotel was such a beloved and valuable landmark had AHF allowed this beloved and valuable landmark to deteriorate to its present condition as an uninhabitable burned-out shell?” AHF’s only response was that what has occurred is the fault of the City of Los Angeles and the previous “vulture owner” who stripped the building of most needed fixtures and facilities before selling it to them.
The saga will no doubt continue.
In other news regarding “The Hope Street Fire District” (as the block has been renamed):
Progress was made at the Paper Warehouse building directly across the street from the Morrison Hotel during the last month. The owners added security to avoid future fires. Machinery was moved in to load and dispose of the remaining paper debris, and the remaining walls were torn down. The owners showed good faith and listened to the neighborhood requests. This was all good news!
Not so good news: On the evening of the frustrating Zoom AHS teleconference another fire broke out across the street from the Morrison and directly next door to the recent total conflagration that consumed the Paper Warehouse, further emphasizing the threat posed by unsecured abandoned buildings in the neighborhood.
According to LAFD, 56 firefighters extinguished in 24 minutes a highly active fire located on the first-floor of 1235 S. Hope. One civilian was found inside the structure and was being assessed for smoke inhalation. The report from South Park/Social District Business Improvement District disclosed that unhoused individuals broke into the building and started the fire. LAPD is currently tracking down suspects. Contact has been made with the property owner to secure the building.
By John Nilsson and Rosemary Orellana