The hotel & bungalows were built by the late Samuel James Chapman. Samuel was the brother of Charles Clarke Chapman of Chapman University, in Orange, CA. The Chapmans were an influential family in southern California history, who acquired much of their wealth through owning citrus ranches throughout the region.
In 1932, during the Olympics that took place in Los Angeles, The Chapman Park Hotel & Bungalows housed the female athletes. The Chapman also had its' own chapel with a mural fresco inside by the famed Mexican artist Alfredo Ramos Martinez, which was sadly whitewashed over at a later date and then permanently lost to demolition.
We grieve for these architectural gems that have been lost in the name of Los Angeles progress, but hopefully the city has now learned its' lesson and will hold on to those still left for the future to appreciate.
