The King Edward Hotel from “In Time”

I am a sucker for a grand staircase!  My affinity likely stems from the movie Titanic, which I was obsessed with back in the day.  Whatever the impetus, I am drawn to them like a moth to a flame.  Case in point – while researching the Surfridge neighborhood for this 2013 post, I was led to a page on the Seeing Stars website detailing the filming locations of the 2011 sci-fi flick In Time.  As soon as my eyes hit the image posted of the King Edward Hotel and its grand lobby staircase, I was transfixed.  The historic downtown L.A. lodging went right to the top of my To-Stalk List and when I ventured out there shortly thereafter, fate stepped in.  Though not open to the public at the time, a security guard happened to be standing by the front door and upon explaining that I was interested in seeing the space because of its In Time cameo, he welcomed me right in!  Getting to pose for a photo on the staircase I had become so enamored with almost overwhelmed me with excitement.  Though I sat on blogging about the hotel for years, when I learned that it sold recently and was undergoing a renovation, I decided it was high time to finally do so.

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The Beaux Arts-style King Edward Hotel, designed by architects John Parkinson and George Edwin Bergstrom, opened its doors in 1906.

Billed as an upscale “modern” lodging, at its outset the property featured a gleaming marble lobby, mosaic tile flooring, fire-proof construction, and a telephone and hot and cold water in every room.  There was also a bar situated on the 6-story building’s lower level for those guests wishing to imbibe.  A watering hole still sits in the same corner spot today.  Currently known as King Eddy Saloon, legend has it that the space was home to a piano store that served as a gateway to a hidden basement bar during the Prohibition years.

At some point, the hotel and surrounding neighborhood began to fall upon hard times.  The King Edward eventually transitioned into SRO housing and for many years sat largely vacant.  It was during that time that I stopped by.  Though no longer upscale by any means, the building’s elegance still managed to shine through.  And its lighting was like nothing I had ever encountered!  The lobby’s ethereal glow (which per the Esotouric tour company is caused by an abundance of magnesium on the windows) was absolutely magical, making the space and all who entered appear frozen in a past era.  The effect is evidenced in all of the interior photos I took that day.  (I promise, no filters were used on them!)

In 2018, the King Edward was purchased by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and is currently being refurbished, its 150 units transformed into affordable housing for the city’s homeless.  Hopefully, the lobby will be largely left as is, not only for future Angelinos to appreciate, but so that it can continue to be utilized as a filming location.

In In Time, the King Edward portrays The Century hotel where Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) and Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried) attempt to hide from the Timekeeper.

The film does a masterful job of showcasing the site’s lobby and its gorgeous staircase.

I am unsure if the room where Will and Sylvia stay is an actual space at the King Edward, is located elsewhere, or was a set.  Whatever the case, it is pretty spectacular.  That ceiling!

In Time is hardly the only production to feature the King Edward.  The 1972 horror/comedy Private Parts is largely set at the hotel.

Informant Ralph Macafee (Dan Hedaya) is put up at the King Edward in the Season 1 episode of Hill Street Blues titled “Fecund Hand Rose,” which aired in 1981.

Det. Sgt. Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer) meets his new partner, Det. Sgt. Dee Dee McCall (Stepfanie Kramer), outside of the King Edward in the pilot episode of Hunter, which aired in 1984.

That same year, Lee Stetson (Bruce Boxleitner) and Amanda King (Kate Jackson) check out a murder scene at the hotel in the Season 1 episode of Scarecrow and Mrs. King titled “Remembrance of Things Past.”

The exterior of the King Edward appeared in establishing shots of the hotel where Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering) and Janet Sosna (Lindsay Price) hunted for ghosts in the Season 9 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 titled “Confession,” which aired in 1998.  All actual filming took place at the Ambassador Hotel, though.

The hotel’s exterior was also used in an establishing shot of the lodging where Clay (Victor Browne) stayed in the Season 1 episode of Charmed titled “Feats of Clay,” which aired in 1999.

The King Edward masks as the supposed New York hotel where Emil Slovak (Karel Roden) and Oleg Razgul (Oleg Taktarov) stay at the beginning of the 2001 drama 15 Minutes.  Only the exterior is shown, though.  I am fairly certain the men’s actual room was just a set.

Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) and Officer Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) spot a suspect outside of the King Edward in the Season 2 episode of Southland titled “Phase Three,” which aired in 2010.

In the Season 2 episode of Ray Donovan titled “Rodef,” which aired in 2014, the King Edward portrays the SRO where Mickey Donovan (Jon Voight) is staying, which gets blown up.

Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) visits her brother, Hal LeSueur (Raymond J. Barry), at the hotel in the Season 1 episode of Feud: Bette and Joan titled “Hagsploitation,” which aired in 2017.

Det. Tony Baretta (Robert Blake) also lived at the King Edward on the television series Baretta, which ran from 1975 through 1978, but unfortunately I could not find any episodes of it available for streaming to make screen captures.

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Until next time, Happy Stalking! 

Stalk It: The King Edward Hotel, from In Time, is located at 121 East 5th Street in downtown Los Angeles.