Hotel Hayward

	Hotel Hayward
	U.S. Historic district – Contributing property
	The building in 2008
	Location within the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location	601 S. Spring Street and 206 W. 6th Street, Los Angeles, California
Coordinates	34°02′45″N 118°15′05″W / 34.0459°N 118.2513°W
Built	1905, 1918, 1925
Architect	Charles Frederick Whittlesey (1905); Richard D. King (1918); Parkinson and Parkinson (1925)
Part of	Spring Street Financial District (ID79000489)
Designated CP	August 10, 1979

Hotel Hayward, also known as Hayward Manor, is a historic building located at 601 S. Spring Street and 206 W. 6th Street, on the corner of 6th and Spring, in downtown Los Angeles, California. It is a contributing property in the Spring Street Financial District.

History

Beginnings

Hotel Hayward was designed by Charles Frederick Whittlesey and built in 1905. A south-side addition was designed by Richard D. King and built in 1918, and a west-side addition was designed by Parkinson and Parkinson and built in 1925. Real estate investor Henderson Hayward paid for the construction; the cost of the second annex was budgeted at $600,000 ($11 million in 2025). The hotel was originally advertised as an elegant building where “special attention is given to ladies traveling alone.”

In 1957, the Young Woman's Christian Association opened a transient hotel for women on the sixth floor of this building. In 1979, the Spring Street Financial District was added to the National Register of Historic Places, with Hotel Hayward listed as a contributing property in the district.

Decline

In 1992, the City of Los Angeles bought and renovated Hotel Hayward for a budgeted $25 million ($57.4 million in 2025), after which the building was owned by a private partnership and used for low-income housing. The project was part of a larger $110 million effort that Mayor Tom Bradley called "the most ambitious affordable housing effort in Los Angeles history."

After the building's renovation, it was the only city-funded affordable-housing project with armed security on its premises. Despite this, the building was known for its crime during this time. The Los Angeles Police Department listed the building as one where drug dealing frequently occurs (including by Jimmy Lee Smith); prostitution, sexual assault, and robbery were known to occur; three homicides were reported in the building in 1993; and during one 18-month window, more than 2,000 security or criminal related activities were reported. The building was also infested with rodents and cockroaches; at one point a decomposed body was discovered by following a trail of maggots under a doorway.

A receiver was appointed to the building in August 1995 and a lawsuit was filed against the hotel owners and security company that December. By 1997, the building had defaulted on its loans, resulting in losses of more than $10 million to taxpayer and $14 million to bondholders.

Pacific Investments LLC purchased the building in 2002. In 2017, Los Angeles City Council voted to issue up to $80,000,000 ($105 million in 2025) in bonds provide financing for the building.

Architecture and design

Hotel Hayward is built of concrete and brick. The original construction features a Commercial Style design; the first annex matches this design and the second annex is similar in design. The original construction is eight stories, the first annex is seven stories, and the second annex is fourteen stories. The second annex features decorative cornice and a rear tower.

The building including its annexes has 525 units.

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 Munoz, Lorenza (November 25, 1995). "Problems Plague City-Backed Hotel". Los Angeles Times.
1 2 3 "Spring Street Financial District". National Park Service. August 10, 1979.
1 2 3 Michelson, Alan. "Hayward Hotel, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA (1905)". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. University of Washington. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
1 2 Munoz, Lorenza (December 23, 1995). "Conditions in Skid Row Hotel Are Unlivable, Suit Says". Los Angeles Times.
↑ "Problems at Hayward Manor". Los Angeles Times. August 10, 1997.
↑ "Hayward Manor Hotel Project / 206 West 6th Street / California Municipal Finance Authority / Multifamily Bond" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. February 17, 2017.

[LAT-1] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Munoz, Lorenza (November 25, 1995). "Problems Plague City-Backed Hotel". Los Angeles Times.

[NRHP-2] 1 2 3 "Spring Street Financial District". National Park Service. August 10, 1979.

[PCAD-3] 1 2 3 Michelson, Alan. "Hayward Hotel, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA (1905)". Pacific Coast Architecture Database. University of Washington. Retrieved October 23, 2026.

[LAT2-4] 1 2 Munoz, Lorenza (December 23, 1995). "Conditions in Skid Row Hotel Are Unlivable, Suit Says". Los Angeles Times.

[LAT3-5] "Problems at Hayward Manor". Los Angeles Times. August 10, 1997.

[6] "Hayward Manor Hotel Project / 206 West 6th Street / California Municipal Finance Authority / Multifamily Bond" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. February 17, 2017.