Part Five

RESCUE AND RESTORATION (1975–1990)

The seedy seventies. Bison Archives

Finally somebody came into possession of Chateau Marmont who appreciated it fully: the architecture, the history, the special place it held in the firmament of Hollywood, Los Angeles, and the popular imagination. Like Erwin Brettauer, he bought it as an investment and saw more potential than his predecessors. He restored, rebuilt, expanded, burnished, babied, and revived the hotel. He wasn’t a showman—he didn’t rebrand, relaunch, reimagine the place—but he was exactly the savior that was called for. Under his hand, the name Chateau Marmont would finally become known all around the world. Unfortunately, it would be for a reason that nobody ever remotely wished for.