La Crescenta Motel may check out after almost 70 years
The La Crescenta Motel has been put on the market. The 11-room, L-shaped business at 2413 Foothill Blvd. has been a backdrop in shows such as the vampire-filled “True Blood” and more recently “Mad Men.”
After nearly 70 years in business, the La Crescenta Motel continues to draw in travelers from around the world as well as film crews from all spectra of the TV universe.
The 11-room, L-shaped business at 2413 Foothill Blvd. has been a backdrop in shows such as the vampire-filled “True Blood” and more recently “Mad Men.”
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But it’s a bit unclear how much longer it will be business as usual because the property was recently put up for sale with a price tag of $5.9 million.
Built around 1946 by Glen Hine — an aircraft mechanic during World War I — the motel used to be one of several in the area.
“There were several motels along Foothill Boulevard,” said resident Mike Lawler, a member of the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley. “This is the last one remaining.”
The property is a 46,000-square-foot lot surrounded by trees, abutting a residential neighborhood.
The motel was also originally known as the May Lane, named after Hine’s two children, Maynard and Alane.
Hine died in 1964, and the business stayed in the family for another four decades before it was sold in the early 2000s.
About 10 years ago, O.J. Rodriguez was hired as manager and has met everyone from actor Christian Slater to people from “down under.”
“I get a lot of repeat customers from out of town. When it’s wintertime in Australia, they come here for 30 or 40 days,” he said. “They like a little bit of country, and they can just walk out their door and see green and trees and flowers. It’s not like being on the third floor of the Hilton.”
La Crescenta Motel manager O.J. Rodriguez talks about the ten years he’s spent managing the motel. Rodriguez said demand is as strong as ever thanks mainly to a few decorating efforts to spruce up the retro look of the motel.
Rodriguez said demand is as strong as ever thanks mainly to a few decorating efforts to spruce up the retro look.
However, just because the property is sold doesn’t mean a closure will be happening anytime soon.
Plans dating back nearly a decade detail tearing down the structure and constructing a strip mall, but the current owner didn’t follow through.
Robbyn Battles, a local resident and Realtor, said the motel has been up for sale several times before, and it likely hasn’t sold yet because taking on the property would be a huge task. She doesn’t believe the motel could stay a motel under a new owner because it’s too old and run down.
“You have to realize the cost involved — the cost to purchase a property like that, develop it and then make money because that’s what investors do. They buy properties to make money and that can be a very difficult sale and resale,” Battles said.
A leveled lot, however, would be ideal for a new boutique hotel, but not necessarily a strip mall because La Crescenta is already home to many of those, Battles said.
Despite its age, the motel was never given any type of historic designation.
Even Lawler, speaking for himself and not the historical society, said he doesn’t consider the motel historic and understands the need for new development.
“I’m not sure what that says about the Crescenta Valley, having a bunch of motels,” he said. “I don’t think it’s terribly significant other than the nostalgic factor.”
And nostalgia is what Rodriguez said he often hears from local residents.
He recalled a time when someone backed into the motel’s front sign and knocked it over, necessitating it be removed for some repairs.
During the time the sign was gone, Rodriguez said he got countless phone calls asking whether its disappearance meant the business had closed.
“There’s a lot of sentiment,” he said.
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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com
Twitter: @ArinMikailian
