Today

Back in the Day \

*The opening of the Dunbar Hotel of Los Angeles in 1928 is celebrated on this date. Built by African-American John Sommerville it stands today at 4225 S. Central Avenue in Los Angeles.

Originally called the Hotel Sommerville, it opened with an attendance of over 5,000 people. Because of the stock market crash of 1929 it was sold and renamed the Dunbar Hotel after the Poet, Paul L. Dunbar. At one time it was a very fashionable hotel and was the site of the first NAACP national convention to be held in the western region of the United States.

The Dunbar was the most popular Jazz and Blues scene in Los Angeles for more than 20 years, it was frequented by guests such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Eddie "Rochester" Anderson, Langston Hughes and W. B. Du Bois.

The Dunbar Lounge


Reference:
Dunbar Hotel
4225 South Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90011-3000
(323) 234- 7882