On a crisp February evening in 2006, about 100 people gathered at the historic Koreatown watering hole HMS Bounty to pay their final respects to Los Angeles’ historic Ambassador Hotel. Despite the Los Angeles Conservation Society’s best efforts, the ambassador was torn apart. And Diane Keaton was among the speakers that night who decried the fate of the legendary institution.
Keaton, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 79, is, of course, known around the world for her on-screen credits, from “Annie Hall” to “The Godfather,” “Father of the Bride,” and more. But in Los Angeles, she was also known for her passionate efforts to preserve the city’s history. Keaton served on the board of the LA Conservation Society for nearly 20 years, giving the organization a voice in countless campaigns to save some of the city’s historically and culturally significant homes and buildings.
“The more I got to know her, the more I understood where her passion came from,” said former LA Conservancy President Linda Dishman, who will retire from the LA Conservancy in 2023 after 31 years. “A lot of that comes from her family and growing up in Los Angeles. She really connects with the stories and places that make LA the city it is today. She had a very genuine passion for historic preservation, not just the buildings and the cultural landscape, but also what those things mean.” People and what that means in the future. She definitely had an understanding of how we do this for future generations. ”
Keaton first became involved because of his interest in historic homes. One of them was built by the famous architect Lloyd Wright and she called it her own. Her involvement with the organization began when she became interested in a house in Spain owned by one of the conservation organization’s directors. But she soon became deeply involved with the organization, giving a talk on one of its benefits and later joining its board.
“She was really fascinating. We shared a passion for historic places, so it was great to be with her,” Dishman said. “Her first interest was housing, and like Lloyd Wright, she bought historic homes and restored them. But she was so interested in the whole architectural landscape that probably the battle she fought most passionately about, because it took so long, was the Ambassador Hotel.”
The Ambassador Hotel, designed by architect Myron Hunt, opened in 1921 (back when that part of Mid-Wilshire was the outskirts of town) and quickly became a glamorous playground for the rich and famous. Architect Paul Williams then added his own touches, including the famous coffee shop, and Coconut Grove’s nightclub made its name known around the world. The hotel has been visited by every president from President Hoover to President Nixon, and was the site of Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1968. The hotel declined from there, eventually closing in 1989. Later, the hotel became a regular location for film and television filming. The Los Angeles Unified School District purchased the site in 2001, and LAUSD was allowed to demolish it in 2005 after a long battle with conservation groups who wanted to convert the existing building into a school. (Currently, the Robert F. Kennedy Community School is located on the site).
“The ambassador told us so many stories about the history of Hollywood in Los Angeles, and she was just so passionate,” Dishman said. “We thought about not only its history, but also what it would be like, because that was a big part of the conservancy’s work. We were trying to show the school district that this building could really be a great learning facility. She really thought this would be a great solution.”
Keaton expressed his disappointment at the 2006 wake (watch here). “I join the conservation community in expressing our sincere regret that our efforts to save the Ambassador Hotel were lost to a confused public who could only shrug their shoulders in apathy,” she said. “As I gazed into the shadows of the once glorious Ambassador Hotel, I felt the familiar throbbing heartbeat run through my body, as if I had lost a lover, and felt the loneliness of her last stand. I heard an echo, an echo, And maybe it was the echo of the ambassador’s voice calling me. It was like she was saying to me, ‘Goodbye, Diane, keep me in your heart and good luck next time.’ Stronger. ‘”
Keaton continued to work hard at conservation organizations. Dishman pointed out that Keaton forever allowed groups to use his name to gain ground in their activities. “This is Los Angeles, and it’s sometimes difficult to meet with elected officials, but when I say that instead of a meeting I’m calling people and saying things like, ‘Diane Keaton wants to meet your boss,’ people always say yes, even if they don’t agree with us. Everyone wanted to see Diane, and they might not have changed their positions at the end of the meeting. I think she opened the door, and it may not have saved the ambassador, but hopefully it changed the situation.” Storage is another issue. She was very open with me about “using my name.” If you need a meeting, please call. I’ll go there. ” She was willing to go the extra mile and not just do the easy things.
“She had a way of talking to people about preservation,” Dishman added. “She wasn’t arrogant. She was just so outspoken and so passionate that everyone wanted to follow her.”
Among other projects, Keaton also celebrated the preservation and restoration of her beloved Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House, which had some similarities to her Lloyd Wright home.
“She was always a blessing to us. She loved the success stories, like how this building was threatened and was saved,” Dishman said. She loved preservation awards. She also joined the National Trust for Historic Preservation. She served on the board for three years. Just seeing how people responded to her, like at the New Orleans airport, was a testament to the kind of person she was and how much people loved her. ”
Years after the ambassador’s wake, an emboldened Keaton wrote more about that and the lessons he learned from that disappointment in an editorial for the Los Angeles Times: “We’ve been treating old buildings like we used to treat plastic bags: not reusing them, throwing them away when we’re done with them. This has to stop. In the game of sustainability, preservation has to stand as an equal force to preservation. Older, historic buildings have to do more of that.” Being protected from demolition not only affects our wallets, but is even more important as it threatens the environment. Let’s be honest: It’s time for us to get a free ride at the expense of the planet… demolishing buildings erases lessons for the future. If you think about it that way, you can begin to understand the emotional impact of wasting the energy and resources that were used to build it in the first place. ”
