Classic Locations: Old Hollywood at play at the Ambassador Hotel’s Cocoanut Grove

There are few remnants left of the venerable Ambassador Hotel, the site of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s shooting in 1968, after it was demolished to make way for the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools that opened last year. There’s still the east wall, which was the location of the famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub. Designed by Pasadena architect Myron Hunt, the glitzy spot opened on New Year’s Day 1921 and quickly became a Hollywood favorite. During its first decade, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Rudolph Valentino and Gloria Swanson were frequent visitors. Over the years, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Carol Lombard, Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant would stop by to see the club’s stellar acts. The 1940 Oscar ceremony was even held at the Grove, with Bob Hope hosting.