Finding Nirvana in Hollywood
Built in 1925, the Nirvana is one of the oldest apartment-hotel buildings in Los Angeles that recently underwent a massive restoration project that unveiled an extraordinary part of its original structure that had been concealed for decades. The Nirvana was designed by architect E.M. Erderly in the Exotic Revival architectural style which became popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This style blended western architectural elements with eastern architectural elements that drew inspiration from cultures like Asia, Egypt, and the Middle East. When the Nirvana was built, it had a beautifully painted entry and large lobby with colorful Asian inspired murals and motifs. However, at some point the entire entry and lobby was painted and the lobby was converted into two apartment units. As years past, additional layers of paint further buried the original artwork that had inspired the building's Exotic Revival theme. But sometime in the 2010s, a tena...