Garden of Allah Hotel
Address
8152 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Active Dates
1927 - 1959
Nazimova on the grounds of the Garden of Allah, By Bain News Service, Circa 1915-1920, publisher - Library of Congress Catalog: https://lccn.loc.gov/2014712156
About this location
The Garden of Allah Hotel was originally the estate of lesbian silent film star Alla Nazimova and became known as a gathering place for Hollywood's LGBTQ+ community and celebrities from 1927 to 1959. The hotel hosted women-only pool parties and was a gathering place for the "sewing circle," a term Nazimova coined to describe a group of lesbian and bisexual actresses and artists. The group included stars like actress Marlene Dietrich, director Dorothy Arzner, and writer Mercedes de Acosta.
Categories
LGBTQ+Lesbian Owned Business
Sources
- Faderman, Lillian, and Stuart Timmons. Gay L.A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, and Lipstick Lesbians. Univ of California Press, 2009. 45.
- Shokin, Sammantha. “The Founding Mother of Sapphic Hollywood - Arts & Letters.” Arts & Letters. Tablet Magazine, June 1, 2022. https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/alla-nazimova-sapphic-hollywood.