Preservationists Fighting for Century Plaza Hotel

The Los Angeles Conservancy has been building a coalition to preserve the Century Plaza Hotel after developers announced plans to replace the hotel with new mixed use development.

1 minute read

August 25, 2009, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The article is an op-ed by L.A. Conservancy Executive Director Linda Dishman and Actress Diane Keaton:

"Completed in 1966, the Century Plaza Hotel was built as the centerpiece of Century City, a "city within a city" conceived 50 years ago in a progressive approach to urban planning. Century City rose on the former backlot of 20th Century-Fox Studios-at 180 acres, an enormous clean slate for realizing bold new planning principles. In the rapidly expanding metropolis of Los Angeles, by then fully entrenched in the culture of the automobile, these principles included separating cars from pedestrians."

"...a common critique of its preservation is that the hotel is less than 50 years old, the general threshold for buildings to become eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Although Los Angeles has no such threshold for local landmarks, the perception that a historic building must be older than we are still poses a problem for preservation-particularly in a city known for its postwar architecture."

Thanks to James Brasuell

Friday, August 21, 2009 in The Planning Report

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight