Accelerating its curated rollout of high-end American hotels this year is Proper, whose newest property in Downtown LA offers the same eclectic design by Kelly Wearstler, locally curated F&B concept and world-class amenities that the brand has become best-known for.
It all begins with a storied landmark with a multifaceted past; a Curlett & Beelman-designed 1926 red-brick structure that was a private club in the 1930s, before it became a hotel in the 1940s, and previous function as a YWCA, up until 2004. Now, the building makes its debut as Downtown Los Angeles Proper Hotel, an all-purpose site where 148 guest rooms come together with restaurants, bars, and a rooftop space featuring a swimming pool.
As ever, it’s all pulled together by the tasteful eye of Kelly Wearstler, Proper’s longstanding design collaborator. Using the building’s California renaissance revival style and dynamic proportions as a base, Wearstler has infused the hotel with a mix of new flavours and revived original features. Historic architectural panelling and marble details are merged with bespoke tiles in Spanish-Mexican-California tones, stained glass by Pasadena’s Judson Studios, and artwork and ceramic accessories by Los Angeles creatives such as Morgan Peck.
The resulting vibe has a clean, vintage sensibility, where a lushly textured backdrop plays host to both intimate and sizeable gatherings in various areas, such as Caroline Styne and Suzanne Goin’s first floor restaurant, a library-lounge and two standout suites, including one with its own basketball court. This is LA, after all.§
