A Private History Experience at the Legendary Alexandria Hotel

STEP INSIDE OLD HOLLYWOOD

A Private History Experience at the Legendary Alexandria Hotel

Before Hollywood had a home, it had a hotel.

Opened in 1906, the Alexandria Hotel was Los Angeles’s first true five-star destination—and the epicenter of the city’s cultural and cinematic life. By the 1910s, it had become known as the “Plymouth Rock of Hollywood,” welcoming East Coast film pioneers as they arrived to build an industry from scratch.

• U.S. Presidents William Howard Taft and Woodrow Wilson walked its halls.
• Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford entertained their guests.
• Rudolph Valentino danced beneath its chandeliers while Paul Whiteman’s orchestra filled its grand ballrooms.

Then, almost overnight, the spotlight moved on.

As the Great Depression reshaped Los Angeles, the Alexandria’s glittering past faded into obscurity—its history misremembered, distorted, or lost entirely.

Until now.

THE EXPERIENCE

Join Craig Owens, the leading historian on the Alexandria Hotel, for a private, curator-led history experience through the hotel’s most significant surviving spaces.

This is not a standard walking tour.
It is a carefully researched, story-driven exploration of the Alexandria as it once stood—told by the historian who has spent years separating its myths from its documented past.

During this exclusive evening, guests will explore:

• The former main lobby, where Hollywood’s earliest power brokers gathered

• Two historic ballrooms, once the social heart of elite Los Angeles

• The Valentino Suite, an intimate space now reserved for select private events

Along the way, Craig shares rare anecdotes, original research findings, and little-known stories uncovered through archival work, photographs, and firsthand investigation.

Please note: This is a history-focused experience. No paranormal content is included.

ABOUT YOUR HOST

Craig Owens is a Los Angeles–based historian, photographer, and location expert. He serves as a historical researcher and investigator on the television series Haunted Discoveries and Haunted Discoveries: Family Spirits.

His book, Haunted by History, Vol. 1: Separating the Facts and Myths of Eight Historic Hotels and Inns in Southern California, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was named one of the Top Books of 2020 by the Eric Hoffer Awards.

Craig is widely regarded as the definitive historian of the Alexandria Hotel, with research that has reshaped how its story is understood today.

EVENT DETAILS

• Start Time: Promptly at 6:00 PM

• Meeting Location: Former Down and Out Bar
  (Corner of Fifth and Spring Streets, Downtown Los Angeles)

• Duration: Approximately 90 minutes

• Attendance: Limited capacity to preserve the experience

Comfortable footwear is recommended, as guests will be standing for much of the evening.

All reservations are final. Due to the private nature of this experience, no refunds or exchanges are available.

For questions or additional information, please contact Craig at
jcraigowens@gmail.com