In
the 1930s stars such as John Wayne, Jean Harlow, Errol Flynn, and
Clark Gable made the luxury Sunset Tower apartment building their
home. The Tower also became a recognizable feature in on the page
and on screen, in part through Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled detective
novels and the movies they inspired, beginning with Murder My Sweet
(1944).
This Art Deco landmark, designed
in 1929 by architect Leland A. Bryant, was built on rockers and
was Los Angeles' first earthquake-resistant apartment building.
Its distinctive exterior is matched by an exquisitely detailed interior
that was lavishly restored in the 1990s, when the building opened
as a hotel and was renamed the Argyle. The apartments were redesigned
as suites, and each guest room is furnished with fine reproductions
of original Art Deco pieces.
