Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles

¶ … Biltmore Hotel The Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel was built during 1921-1923, costing ten million dollars to build. It was built by architects Schultze and Weaver, who were responsible for creating New York's Waldorf Astoria and the Park Lane Hotels. This particular hotel was designed to eclipse all other hotels in Los Angeles. The architecture was modeled after an architecture style that was popular in New York during this time; it is known as the Beaux Arts style.

The hotel is so remarkable because it continues to have a strong presence even today. The hotel is grand and stately and it is immediately evocative of yester-year. Just walking through the grand lobby one can sense the history that has come before. The Academy Awards used to be hosted at the Biltmore, back when the ceremonies were smaller. There are even large black and white photographs still framed and hung where the actors are dressed in gowns and tuxedos, sitting in the grand ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel.

The Biltmore is filled with lush corridors and fine works of art. Just walking down the main corridor of the hotel, the polished parquet floor chimes underneath your feet, shimmering like gold and allowing your heels to click and clack with promise and excitement. The interior of the hotel has a cavernous feel to it: it can feel almost as though one is in some sort of grand cathedral or a museum.

The ceilings are very high and there are a range of frescoes which decorate the ceilings and the walls. The gallery which now encompasses the main entrance of the hotel has a lush fountain and is surrounded by stately plants and gorgeous lounge chairs that one could imagine sitting there forever, and enjoying the splendor of the room and the pleasant chime of the water falling into the fountain.

The main entrance of the hotel has three stately arches, a typical feature of grand buildings which were built in the beaux arts style. The term beaux arts can be simply translated to "beautiful arts" and it is founded on a style that was taught at the legendary Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. The design of beaux-arts is both historical and eclectic and one which focuses on a sense of monumental-ness. There's a strong sense of the grand scale, and a massive quality which permeates the architecture.

These types of buildings are often constructed in stone, though the Biltmore is not. The building has a range of balustrades and balconies which add to its sense of grandeur. The main entrance of the buildings has columns, cornices and pilasters, all adding to the stately quality. The decorations on the interior and exterior of the hotel are lavish, with a range of swags, medallions, flowers and shields.

When one walks past the main entrance of the hotel and by the fountain, two circular stairways crown either side, allowing for the most visually.