Los Angeles Biltmore Hotel (by Nia Jones)
Los Angeles Millennium Biltmore Hotel
The Biltmore Hotel, originally known as the Los Angeles Biltmore of the Bowman-Biltmore
Hotels group, opened as a luxury hotel on October 1st of 1923 and was the largest hotel west
of Chicago. The hotel hosts a combination of Renaissance, Beaux-Arts, and Mediterranean
style. The opening of the hotel also marked the beginning of Los Angeles as an American
metropolis. The Biltmore is located at 506 South Grand Avenue in Los Angeles, California.
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| The Biltmore Hotel, 2009 |
The hotel has hosted many events ever since it opened its doors. One of its first events was opening night, which hosted over 3000 people, including Jack Warner, Cecil B. DeMille, and Myrna Loy. The Biltmore became a significant part of Hollywood history, acting as a shooting location for such movies as DeMille’s 1924 Triumph, 1960’s Ocean’s 11, 1984’s Ghostbusters, as well as other films that hoped to capture the style of the past. (1) A majority of the Downtown LA social scene in the 1920s happened within the Biltmore, including celebrities such as Jimmy Stewart, Gary Cooper, and Bette Davis, as well as multiple presidents, such as Franklin Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, and Bill Clinton. (2)
Significance to the LGBTQ+ Community
The Grand Avenue bar inside of the hotel acted as a gay bar in downtown Los Angeles.
It was part of a group of locations known as “The Run” in Pershing Square. From the 1920s through
the 1960s, “The Run” was a series of bars, parks, public restrooms, hotels, and bathhouses that were
in close proximity to one another and were well-known places for LGBTQ individuals to meet and
socialize.”(3). The Grand Avenue bar was open through both world wars, and despite backlash from
the masses, was open to the LGBTQ community (4). This helped to solidify Los Angeles’ place as a
liberal and progressive city in the 1940s. The Millennium Biltmore was also the venue for several
LGBTQ ceremonies, such as the 15th Annual Lambda Literary Awards, hosted on May 29th of 2003.
The annual ceremony identified and honored the best lesbian, gay, and transgender authors. (5)
International Psychologist & Psychiatrist Conference
In 1971, The International Psychologists and Psychiatrist conference was held at the Biltmore Hotel.
During this meeting, those in attendance planned to declare “electric shock therapy as the official ‘cure’
for homosexuality.”(5) Before any actions could be carried out, the conference was disrupted by the
Gay Liberation Front. Don Kilhefner, one of the first members of the Gay Liberation Front, interrupted
the speaker, stating “I'm from the Gay Liberation Front of Los Angeles and we will not let this
presentation go on until we have a discussion about the professional ethics of what you are doing
here.”(6). This lead to one of the first discussions between the gay community and mental health
professionals. After a discussion of ethics and morals between both groups, the speaker was allowed
to continue with his talk. However, people began walking out of the meeting, rendering it a dud. Not
only did this meeting help to bridge the gap between the gay community and psychologists, but it
created a positive bond between the two groups, showing that the ‘treatment’ these doctors advocated
was ethically wrong. When the Los Angeles SWAT team showed up to arrest the members of the Gay
Libraration Front, the chair of the Psychology department stated: “No, no, no, no, everything is going to
be okay, just go away. Don't interfere, don't interfere, we don't want you to interfere,"(7). Reporters on
the scene broadcasted the events that took place, which came to be known as the Biltmore Rebellion.
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| Don Kilherner, 2015 |
The Significance of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel
The Millennium Hotel is an important location for the LGBTQ community because it functions as both a
landmark for LGBTQ history and Los Angeles history as a whole. The hotel helped mark Los Angeles
as a major metropolis, becoming a popular place for celebrities and extravagant events. It also had a
significant role during other periods of American history, such as hosting a speakeasy during the
prohibition era, as well as serving as the backdrop of many famous movies over the years. (8)
However, during these times, it was still an active location for the LGBTQ community. During the
1940s, the Grand Avenue Bar was open to the gay community despite the persecutions the hotel
faced because of it. (9) The Biltmore was also the location for one of the first open communications
between the gay community and mental health professionals, which led to the removal of
“homosexuality” from the list of mental disorders in 1973. The history of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel
shows that there doesn’t have to be a separation between the gay community and society at large.
Both straight people and those in the LGBTQ community can exist in the same space without
confrontation. The Grand Avenue bar was a gay bar, but the Biltmore as a whole was welcome to all,
no matter their orientation or sexuality.
Notes
1. Kimberly Truhler, “The Millennium Biltmore Hotel: The Story of an LA Icon.” Discover Los Angeles,Bibliography
Anderson, Carson, and Wes Joe. Rep. “SurveyLA LGBT Historic Context Statement”, September 2014.
18-23 https://www.laconservancy.org/sites/default/files/files/documents/LGBT%20Historic%20,,aaaaaaContext%209-14%20%28FINAL%29.pdf
Kilhefner, Don. “DON KILHEFNER, THE GAY LIBERATION FRONT, RADICAL FAERIES, THE
LOS ANGELES LGBT CENTER.” Interview by August Bernadicou. August Nation.
Accessed December 4, 2020. https://www.augustnation.com/don-kilhefner.
Kreidler, Mark, Tom Conway, and Robert Reich. “LA Is the Home of the LGBT Community – and Here's Why.” LA Progressive, January 28, 2019. https://www.laprogressive.com/lgbt-community/.
L A Conservatory. “Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles.” Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles|
Los Angeles Conservancy. Accessed December 3, 2020. https://www.laconservancy.org/locations
/millennium-biltmore-hotel-los-angeles
Lambda Literary. “15th Annual Lambda Literary Awards.”Lambda Book Report11, no. 9/10/11,2003.
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.dbsearch.fredonia.edu:2048/ehost/detail/detail?vid=15&sid=9d93e
224-d880-40f2-9ef5-97b4a014a72f%40sdc-v-sessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ
%3d%3d#db=qth&AN=11858093.
Truhler, Kimberly. “The Millennium Biltmore Hotel: The Story of an LA Icon.” Discover Los Angeles,
February 19, 2020. https://www.discoverlosangeles.com/hotels/the-millennium-biltmore-hotel-
the-story-of-an-la-icon.
Winkle, Clare Van, Stephanie Meyer, Taylor Golub, and Andre Balazs. “Millennium Biltmore Hotel in LA: The History You Must Know.” Storied Hotels, June 7, 2019. https://storiedhotels.com/los-angeles-hotels/the-storied-millennium-biltmore-hotel-everyone-from-al-capone-to-john-f-kennedy-has-spent-the-night/.
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