Beverly Hills Civic Center ( Tel (310) 285-1000 )
The Spanish Colonial City Hall, with its majestic tower capped by a tiled cupola, was designed in 1932 by local firm Koerner and Gage. Over the years it has become a symbol of the elegant, European inspired city of Beverly Hills. In 1990, architect Charles Moore linked the building to a new Civic Center by a series of diagonal landscaped and pedestrianized courtyards. On the upper levels, balconies and arcaded corridors continue the Spanish Colonial theme. The sympathetic modern addition houses a beautiful public library as well as the local fire and police stations. Billboards are banned in the area, and a height restriction of three stories or 45 ft (14 m) is imposed on any new buildings, leaving City Hall to dominate the skyline.
Beverly Hills Hotel ( Tel (310) 276-2251, (800) 283-8885 )
Dubbed “the Pink Palace,” this extravagant Mission Revival-style hotel was built in 1912 by developer Burton E Green. The hotel’s 21 secluded bungalows, set in 12 acres (5 ha) of landscaped gardens, have been romantic hideaways for film stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Richard Burton, and Elizabeth Taylor.
Recently, the Beverly Hills Hotel has undergone a $100 million program of renovations, reviving the style of Hollywood’s heyday. Its legendary pool and cabanas have remained one of the places to be seen and heard in Los Angeles, and its famous restaurants, The Polo Lounge and Polo Grill, are once more at the center of the movie industry’s deal-making.
Hotel Bel-Air ( Tel (310) 472-1211 )
Considered one of the best hotels in the US, Hotel Bel-Air is located in a heavily wooded canyon, giving it an air of privacy and tranquillity. The 1920s Mission Revival style buildings are set in 11 acres (4.5 ha) of beautiful gardens, interspersed with fountains and intimate courtyards. Among the trees and shrubs rarely seen in Southern California are coastal redwoods, white-flowering bird of paradise trees, and a floss silk tree the largest of its kind outside its native South America. The gardens are fragrant with roses, gardenias, jasmine, and orange blossoms. In fact, the Bel-Air is so perfect that one guest stayed for 40 years.
