Leven Oaks Hotel

The Leven Oaks Hotel was built in 1911 by L. B. Vollmer to provide much needed for lodging to visitors to Monrovia. It was named for the eleven majestic oak trees on the site. In early ads the 35 room hotel was promoted it as being only a 45 minute ride from Los Angeles on the Pacific Electric Railway.

The hotel served both the tourist and residential trade for most of its first 60 or so years after which it seems to have focused more on the senior retirement housing business. The restaurant was the site a great many social functions well into the 1970s and beyond.

The restaurant included a restaurant. Louis Vollmer, and later his son owned and operated the hotel and restaurant until 1945 when it was sold to R. L. Thompson The Thompson family operated the hotel and restaurant at least into the 1960s.

By 1971 Bill Ryan had become the owner. During Ryan's ownership the hotel was a setting in the 1980 TV movie "Flamingo Road".

The property eventually became an Assisted living facility owned by Lisa Magno. In 2013 Magno oversaw the installation of the first elevator ever in the the 102 year old building.

The retail spaces along Myrtle Ave. were added in the mid 1920s The original 1911 two story building was constructed with walls thick enough to support the future addition of more floors if business warranted, apparently it didn't.

Photo(s): 2019