Silver Lake didn't need another generic corporate hotel, but it got a cathedral instead. At the corner of Griffith Park Boulevard and Lucile Avenue, a 1931 Romanesque Revival church has officially shed its decades of chain-link fences and legal purgatory to become Hotel Lucile.
If you've followed Eastside real estate drama over the last fifteen years, you already know this address has ghosts. Built originally as the Bethany Presbyterian Church for roughly $75,000, the 23,752-square-foot property has lived several distinct lives. It hosted the formative years of East West Players—the country's first professional Asian American theater company—back in the late 1960s. Later, it cycled through stints as an antique market and even an immersive horror theater experience before getting hopelessly bogged down in a bankruptcy saga tied to developer Dana Hollister's high-profile legal battles.
Now, Casetta Hotels has finally dragged the landmark across the finish line.
What the Design Gets Right
Walking into the property feels jarring in the best possible way. Venice Beach design studio Electric Bowery handled the architecture, and their smartest move was practicing restraint. They didn't gut the sanctuary to slap up minimalist drywall.
Instead, the monumental Romanesque arches remain fully exposed. Jewel-toned stained glass depicting the twelve apostles still fractures the Los Angeles sunlight across the main room. The old playground is now a sun-drenched pool deck, and the former Sunday school wing has been carved into twenty-five compact guest rooms.
Rooms range from the cozy 20-square-meter Petit King up to the sprawling 536-square-foot Lucile Suite tucked beneath the bell tower. You'll find original wood flooring underfoot, industrial steel-framed windows, and custom touches like brass "Solitude" do-not-disturb door tags modeled after the church's original hardware. It's moody, textural, and genuinely feels like staying in a hyper-curated local home rather than a cookie-cutter chain.
The Restaurant and the Scene
The true anchor of the property is Sous Sous, the 120-seat restaurant occupying the building's soaring nave. Running a kitchen beneath church rafters is a bold swing, but the menu leans into an eccentric fusion of the South of France and the American Southern table. Expect a central bar framed by massive eight-meter-high curtains, backed by a striking mural of Eaton Canyon painted by artist Erin Lynn Welsh.
Above the dining room, the moody choir loft functions as an elevated lounge where guests can sip drinks overlooking the structural skeleton of the old auditorium. Local partnerships run deep here, featuring minibars stocked by Erewhon, book selections curated by Skylight Books, and rotating art installations programmed by the local Rhett Baruch Gallery.
Growing Pains and Local Realities
Let's be honest about the friction points. Silver Lake is notoriously dense, and parking along Griffith Park Boulevard has always been a competitive sport. Hotel Lucile relies entirely on valet services and street parking, a reality that kept local neighborhood groups fiercely opposed to the project through years of zoning board hearings.
Room rates start around $441 a night plus a mandatory amenity fee, though California residents can snag a 15% local discount if they bring state identification. It's an upscale proposition for a neighborhood built on gritty creative independence.
Yet, looking past the logistics, Casetta managed to rescue a collapsing architectural asset from the wrecking ball. They turned a crumbling historical footprint into a living, breathing neighborhood room.
Book a table at Sous Sous for the stained glass alone, or check into a loft room if you want to sleep beneath century-old timber. Just leave the car at home.
