Trump Reportedly May Help Develop Ambassador Site
East Coast real estate developer Donald J. Trump is interested in developing the site of the famous Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles in partnership with the property’s new owners, a Los Angeles city councilman said Friday.
Nate Holden, whose district includes the historic hotel in the Mid-Wilshire area, confirmed that he met with Trump briefly on Thursday when the flamboyant billionaire developer stopped by his office unannounced to discuss his plans for the property.
The news is the latest wrinkle in the fight over the future of the 68-year-old hotel, the grand dame of Los Angeles-area inns whose fate has been in limbo for more than three years. A key question is whether the hotel should be torn down as part of a proposed redevelopment.
The Ambassador closed last January after years of heavy losses, a sorry end to a hotel that first opened its doors in 1921 and was once an “in” spot for celebrities and visiting politicians, royalty and business tycoons. It was also where Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968.
According to Holden, Trump came to see him in the company of the hotel’s new owners, who indicated then that they are willing to work with Trump if the deal were set up as a joint venture.
The hotel and its surrounding 23.5-acre site was acquired last summer for $64 million by a group of private investors known as Wilshire Center Partners. A spokeswoman for the investors would not confirm that they met with Trump. She issued a statement saying the “property is not for sale.”
The statement added that the investors “remain committed to building a high-quality mixed use project on the site of the Ambassador.” They have not disclosed what will happen to the hotel.
While in Los Angeles, Trump also visited for about 10 minutes with Mayor Tom Bradley, who termed the session a “courtesy visit” during which several things were discussed. “He simply said he had an interest in the hotel,” Bradley said, adding that he did not pursue the matter.
Trump, in Las Vegas on Friday in meetings with business and political figures, could not be reached for comment. Trump has confirmed that he plans to buy or build a hotel casino in Nevada within the next two years.
Though most of Trump’s real estate holdings are in Manhattan and Atlantic City, N.J., he is looking at development deals all over the western United States, and “Los Angeles is a natural city for him to be in,” noted Paul DeMeyer, national head of hospitality consulting for the accounting firm of Kenneth Leventhal & Co. in Los Angeles.
The Ambassador might be a natural property for Trump “because it has stumped so many other developers,” DeMeyer said. “He may be able to do what the others haven’t.”
Developing the Ambassador property is not going to be an easy matter for anyone, however. The Los Angeles Unified School District has said it wants to buy the property for a 2,000-student high school.
But the school district plan is opposed by the new owners, preservationists who don’t want the hotel torn down and by Holden, who said he was very impressed by Trump and his presentation.
“He could do some real good things with that site,” Holden said. “It will be an exciting project for our city.”
The outlook for the hotel itself may not be good, though. “My understanding is (the new owners) want to tear down the hotel,” said consultant DeMeyer. “They would level the site and start all over again.”
Times staff writer Jill Stewart contributed to this story.
