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The rebirth of the historic Dunbar Hotel

A view of the lobby at the Dunbar Hotel, where artists can be seen restoring an old Southwest mural. The hotel was built in 1928. It's being renovated as a senior-living facility.

A view of the lobby at the Dunbar Hotel, where artists can be seen restoring an old Southwest mural. The hotel was built in 1928. It’s being renovated as a senior-living facility.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Back in the days of the jazz greats, when most of the downtown L.A. hotels were still segregated, the Dunbar was the place that rolled out the carpet for visiting African American musicians and the mostly black fans who flocked in to see them.
Read more: An encore for the historic Dunbar Hotel

Dunbar Hotel

Artists restore a Southwest-themed mural in the lobby of the Dunbar Hotel.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Dunbar Hotel

London Carter, 59, a disabled veteran, sits in his fifth-floor apartment window overlooking the historic Dunbar Hotel’s neon sign. The hotel’s jazz club hosted such greats as Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Dunbar Hotel

Construction worker Romero Gonzalez works on the courtyard of the historic Dunbar Hotel, named for African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Dunbar Hotel

Construction worker Christian Mejia installs rebar for a new water fountain.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Dunbar Hotel

The Dunbar, which opened in 1928, was designated as a Historic-Cultural Landmark in 1974 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places two years later.   (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Dunbar Hotel

The hotel’s exterior is painted in preparation for its reopening.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Dunbar Hotel

The renovation is a partnership involving Thomas Safran & Associates, the nonprofit Coalition for Responsible Community Development and the city’s Housing Authority and Community Redevelopment Agency.   (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Dunbar Hotel

Workers paint the exterior of the historic Dunbar Hotel.  (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Dunbar Hotel

The Dunbar Hotel in 2008. Each summer, the Central Avenue Jazz Festival comes to its front door.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Dunbar Hotel

In its heyday, the Dunbar was ground zero for the West Coast jazz scene.  (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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