A colorful vintage postcard preserves the Hollywoodland Motel at 10730 Ventura Boulevard, a former apartment building that was converted into a motel during the early 1960s and later replaced by the present-day hotel building.
The postcard shows the Hollywoodland Motel during the automobile-oriented era of Ventura Boulevard, when roadside lodging establishments served travelers arriving from Hollywood, Universal City and the Hollywood Freeway.
With its enormous rooftop lettering, exterior walkways, palm trees, colorful doors and prominent roadside sign, the Hollywoodland Motel presented a distinctly Southern California image to passing motorists.
The Hollywoodland Motel Postcard
The postcard described the property as being “at the Gateway to Hollywood and San Fernando Valley.” It advertised furnished and air-conditioned units, deluxe kitchens, showers and baths, free television, telephones in every room, large closets and an eight-hour laundry and valet service.
The postcard also directed travelers to the property from the Hollywood Freeway at Lankershim Boulevard and listed the telephone number as PO 9-2800.
The Property Began as an Apartment Building
October 9, 1958: A certificate of occupancy identified the original building as an apartment building.
December 19, 1961: A later permit identified the property as the Hollywoodland Motel, indicating that the apartment building had been converted to motel use by the early 1960s.
September 14, 2005: A demolition permit was issued for the older building.
September 14, 2005: A permit was also issued the same day for construction of a new three-story building at the site.
This sequence explains why the original building resembled a mid-century apartment complex more than a conventional single-story motor court. Its exterior stairways, long walkways and apartment-style layout remained visible after the property became the Hollywoodland Motel.
The Address in the Newspapers
The motel address also appeared in historical newspaper coverage. These clippings do not necessarily describe events that occurred at the motel itself, but they identify 10730 Ventura Boulevard as the residence or motel-room address associated with the people named in the reports.
One clipping reported that actor Huntz Hall, known for his appearances as one of the “Dead End Kids,” had been booked following a traffic collision. The report identified Hall as a resident of 10730 Ventura Boulevard.
Another clipping concerned former jockey Kenneth Earl Godkins, who was sentenced for violations of federal narcotics laws. According to the report, sheriff’s deputies said narcotics had been found in his motel room at 10730 Ventura Boulevard.
These newspaper items offer a glimpse into the Hollywoodland Motel’s place in the broader history of the entertainment industry, roadside lodging and postwar life along Ventura Boulevard. They should be read as historical newspaper accounts rather than as a complete history of either individual or the motel.
Demolition and Redevelopment
The original apartment-turned-motel survived for nearly five decades before a demolition permit was issued on September 14, 2005. A permit for a new three-story building was issued on the same date, marking the beginning of the site’s transformation.
The newer building continues the property’s connection to lodging, although its architecture is very different from the open-air walkways, colorful doors and oversized signage seen in the vintage postcard.
The property has operated in recent years as the BLVD Hotel & Spa. The modern building occupies the same stretch of Ventura Boulevard near Lankershim Boulevard and the Hollywood Freeway.
10730 Ventura Boulevard Today
Click any image to open the full-size version.
See more historic images on the San Fernando Valley postcard page and North Hollywood Postcards page.
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