Featured image credit: Living in Monrovia
In the moments when you first lay eyes on the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, you’ll find it hard to believe that this was a compromised version of architect Robert Stacy-Judd’s original design. He had envisioned what he called a “pre-Columbian cliff dwelling”; a hotel that seemed to be chiseled into one massively congruous rock edifice. Instead, we’re left with intricate Mayan-inspired (yes, Mayan, not Aztec – we’ll get to that) blocks like an ancient game of Tetris playing out on (and protruding from) a lightly textured facade of spearmint stucco. At night, neon lights set it afire with an otherworldly glow normally reserved for tiki bars and mini golf courses. It looks out of place on the stretch of Foothill Boulevard that cuts through Monrovia. But, if we’re being honest, it would look out of place anywhere but Disneyland.
Cultural Cacophony
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There was some cultural confusion, albeit willful, that went into Stacy-Judd’s design for the Aztec Hotel. On a personal level, the British architect was fascinated with Mayan architecture. But there wasn’t much substance in this intrigue; no sociopolitical messaging. At least not on a conscious level. It was an aesthetic interest. And one that much of the Western world was sharing in 1924 when Stacy-Judd first set to work drafting his designs for the hotel. Ultimately, he’d suggest the name “Aztec Hotel” instead of “Mayan Hotel”. Why? Because he believed the average American wasn’t familiar with Mayan culture.
We use the word “culture” liberally here. As the name of the hotel suggests, Stacy-Judd wasn’t very concerned with accurate cultural representation. You could view the Aztec Hotel as architectural cosplay; a tribute for the sake of aesthetics. But Stacy-Judd, along with Western society, was straddling a fine line between the imperial conquests of a passing era and a new focus on peaceful relations with neighboring countries. It’s an odd balance intricately described in Jesse Lerner’s essay “A Fevered Dream of Maya: The Readymade Ruins of Robert Stacy-Judd” published in a 2001 issue of Cabinet Magazine. It’s shared at greater length by Etan Rosenbloom on his Etan Does LA blog.
To sum it up: not-too-distant (at-the-time) wars of conquest, such as the US-Mexican and Spanish-American Wars, had imbued the people of the U.S. with a distorted national pride fueled by touring artifacts of dominated lands. More recently, the Hoover and Roosevelt presidential administrations were striving to repair relations with neighboring countries whose people still harbored resentment over these violent conquests. In this way, the Aztec Hotel was attempting to honor Mayan culture, no matter how misguided, while reminding tourists of America’s shiny conquests. Brutal but true.
The Rise of Mayan Revival Architecture
Stacy-Judd actually married a series of unrelated styles when designing the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, namely Spanish Colonial Revival, Art Deco, and a style he’d do his part to popularize: Mayan Revival. Though he’s primarily remembered for his architectural creativity, Stacy-Judd was something of a Renaissance man. He’d written books and often described himself as an explorer and archaeologist, though these were more hobbies than careers. Yet, it was these interests that fueled his obsession with the exotic structures so popular in America at the time.
During the years he spent living in Los Angeles, Stacy-Judd completed several buildings in the Mayan Revival style. The Aztec Hotel would be followed in 1926 by the Streamline Moderne take on the Mayan pyramid; the First Baptist Church of Ventura. Then again in 1934 by the headquarters of the Philosophical Research Society in Los Feliz with its arched entry and wall ordained with triangle motifs. And yet again in the looming Mesoamerican temple; the North Hollywood Masonic Lodge #542 in 1951. But it also inspired other notable architects to work in the style, including the first focus of JohnHart’s Los Angeles Home Spotlight series: the Sowden House.
Inside the Aztec Hotel
It’s a rare pleasure to gain access to the Aztec Hotel these days. But those who have been inside the colorful Monrovia hotel can confirm that the Mayan themes extend well beyond the facade. Tour its 44 rooms, adjoining restaurant, courtyard, and banquet hall and you’ll see plenty of Mayan allusions. Murals, mosaics, and motifs that conjure abstract patterns and Mayan gods saturate the Aztec Hotel’s interior. Some even believe these shallow invocations hold potency.
Historian, author, paranormal researcher, and tour guide Craig Owens is the local expert on the Aztec Hotel and its history. One of the rare few who has regular access to the hotel’s interior, he often hosts dinners and tours of the site. According to Owens, the inclusion of a Mesoamerican god of lust in one of the hotel’s murals stoked the ire of religious groups and women’s organizations who boycotted the Aztec in its early days. Yet, the hotel had a lot more going against it than the disdain of a few isolated groups.
Bad Times at the Aztec Hotel
When Monrovia’s Aztec Hotel first opened its doors, its distinct architecture made it the talk of the Greater LA area. In 1925, Foothill Boulevard became an officially sanctioned stretch of iconic Route 66, driving a constant stream of traffic right past the Aztec Hotel. Luminaries of the day such as Clark Gable and Bing Crosby favored the stop, bringing with them an air of glamor and mystique that paired nicely with the hotel’s exotic aesthetic. But fortune diminished as quickly as it came.
Despite its distinct exterior, the Aztec Hotel was easy to miss for anyone passing by at night. How could anyone miss that neon glow? Because it wasn’t until 1927 that the hotel managed to install an electric sign. Coupled with an ongoing debate about Foothill Boulevard’s name that kept an address off of all promotional material, the Aztec Hotel relied heavily on novelty and its position along Route 66. At least until planners re-directed Route 66 in 1931 during the early days of the Great Depression.
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Fortune didn’t so much smile as lasciviously leer on the Aztec Hotel in 1934 when, amidst its myriad struggles, Santa Anita Park reopened. The massive gambling beacon had opened under Lucky Baldwin in 1907 but a state law shut it down two years later. Following a law in 1933 that legalized parimutuel wagering, a rebuilt Santa Anita Park brought a new standard of clientele to the Aztec Hotel; cutthroat bookies and down-on-their-luck gamblers. Even with this boost, the Aztec Hotel needed to close for a few years at the end of the 1930s. When it reopened, it quickly devolved into a flophouse of vice, attracting whatever seedy element happened to be drifting through Monrovia at the time.
Room 120’s Razzle Dazzle
Despite this reputation, Stacy-Judd’s distinctive architecture managed to earn the Aztec Hotel a spot on the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 1978. New owners who purchased the property in 1980 made earnest attempts to restore the hotel to its former glory. But the ghosts of the past just proved too difficult to dispel. And you can take that statement literally, depending on who you ask. The Aztec Hotel has built up a reputation as one of the most haunted places in the San Gabriel Valley. And there’s a Walmart Super Center in Rosemead, so that’s really saying something.
For the paranormies out there, room 120 is the alleged hot spot (or cold spot?) of the building. A spirit called “Razzle Dazzle” supposedly frequents the room. Rumors speculate that Razzle Dazzle was a prostitute murdered in the hotel. Yet, others have posited that she was a bride accidentally murdered by her husband during a wedding night altercation that ended with her skull fractured against the radiator. Pretty grim when murder is the common denominator.
But the paranormal party has regularly extended to room 129, the women’s public bathroom, and even the lobby. Up until very recently, you could access an onsite bar attached to this lobby, but it has since closed. Owens, who has toured the facility more than most people, describes the specters of the Aztec Hotel as “grumps” who mostly keep to themselves.
Re-Opening in Perpetuity
A rumor persists around Monrovia and beyond that the Aztec Hotel is close to re-opening. But it’s been “close to re-opening” for almost a decade now. The current owner has initiated restoration efforts over the decades. The hotel even took guests up until 2011 when it closed for yet another round of renovations. Retail locations on the ground floor occasionally come and go, but the hotel itself seems trapped in a sort of stasis. Even Owens seems to be visiting the site less frequently according to his Instagram page where he shared the rumor of the Mayan Bar closure at the end of May. But even as an empty vessel and a plastic representation of Mayan culture, the Aztec Hotel remains an important part of Monrovia’s civic identity and an artifact from an ignorant, yet innocent point in California’s history.
