With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Yamashiro Sold To Chinese Hotel Company For $40 Million
The view (Photo by a.rios via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
()
The beautiful Yamashiro restaurant with its sweeping views has been sold, but luckily not to anyone who wants to shut it down. The property that contains Yamashiro—one of our favorite classic L.A. restaurants—has been sold to JE Group, a hotel operator based in Beijing, for about $40 million, the L.A. Times reports.
Fortunately, JE chairman Kang Jianyi has stated that the only changes that will be made to the property will be updates to the buildings. These renovations will be made to Yamashiro as well as a few other structures on the seven-acre property. The Hollywood Hills Hotel and Apartments and Yamashiro will both be kept open, and there are no plans for any new construction on the site. However, there may be a new restaurant operator coming to Yamashiro.
JE owns seven hotels in China and is looking to expand into several major U.S. cities.
Other interested parties in the sale had previously included an Italian group that wanted to turn the property into a private club, and a tech company that was looking at turning the site into a think tank.
Support for LAist comes from
Yamashiro, which means “mountain palace” in Japanese, was built in 1914 and is located 250 feet above Hollywood Boulevard, according to its website. It wasn't a restaurant then, but an estate built for brothers Charles and Adolph Bernheimer, who were hoping to replicate a palace they had seen near Kyoto. In the 1920s, Yamashiro was frequented by Hollywood celebrities, and in 1948, it was purchased by Thomas O. Glover, according to KCET. Glover had originally imagined tearing the whole thing down and turning it into a hotel and apartments, but found himself taken with the home and restored it instead. Over the years, Yamashiro turned into the restaurant we know and love today.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The Palisades Fire erupted on Jan. 7 and went on to kill 12 people and destroy more than 6,800 homes and buildings. -
People moving to Los Angeles are regularly baffled by the region’s refrigerator-less apartments. They’ll soon be a thing of the past. -
Experts say students shouldn't readily forgo federal aid. But a California-only program may be a good alternative in some cases. -
Distrito Catorce’s Guillermo Piñon says the team no longer reflects his community. A new mural will honor local leaders instead. -
The program is for customers in communities that may not be able to afford turf removal or water-saving upgrades. -
More than half of sales through September have been to corporate developers. Grassroots community efforts continue to work to combat the trend.
Best of LAist