The Fig - design sample

Maude Bouldin - founding manager of Hotel Figueroa

This Book Belongs To

Hotel Figueroa

One of the longest-standing hotels in Downtown Los Angeles, Hotel Figueroa is an iconic beacon of progress in an ever-evolving city. Following a dazzling, two-year restoration inspired by its original 1926 Spanish Colonial splendor, the hotel has re-emerged as an urban oasis in Los Angeles' cultural epicenter.

With 268 rooms and suites spread over 14 floors and a coffin-shaped pool nestled within a botanical oasis in L.A.’s most dynamic neighborhood, Hotel Figueroa is as renowned for its substance as for its style. First commissioned nearly a century ago as an exclusive haven for professional women travelers — a rarity at the time — the hotel’s roots as a bastion of social progress and creativity run deep.

The Fig

A proud hub of creativity in Downtown Los Angeles for more than 90 years.

1926 - Hotel Figueroa Opens

Hotel Figueroa boasts a rich history deeply rooted in the women’s movement in Los Angeles. The hotel was the largest commercial building funded by women for women when it opened in 1926 by the YWCA as a safe haven for solo female travelers, who were prohibited from checking into most hotels without a male chaperone. Hotel Figueroa gave women the freedom to live uninhibited lives among other like-minded women, and this paradise of feminine energy attracted professional women from all over the world, turning the coffee shop and salons into diverse and intellectual women’s collectives that produced powerful art and activism alike. The hotel fully embraced its social conscience, holding press conferences and political rallies against sexism, racism, and other social issues. Within the walls of the Hotel Figueroa, progress was possible.

Featured Artist Program

Permanent Art Collection

Bougainvillea Arch

Alongside the pool, stroll beneath the Bougainvillea Arch for a secret garden vibe in the center of the city.

Kobe Bryant Mural by Paul Daniels, commissioned by Hotel Figueroa

Mural by Bella Gomez

"Hotel Figueroa has been a hub for social progress and creative endeavors in Downtown Los Angeles since 1926. As part of their homage to both its feminist roots and ongoing support of the arts I was commissioned to design a 12 story mural.

Inspired by vintage florals, traditional tiling and the hotel’s colonial Spanish heritage the vibrant contemporary garden scene wraps around the poolside facade.

I worked alongside interior designers Studio Collective, art buyers Tiffany Lendrum Fine Arts, as well as the hugely talented muralists, Walldogs."

Bella Gomez

Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable.

#onlyatthefig

Credits

Cover art and back cover art by Brenda Zabala.

Line illustrations by Ivan Myerchuk.

Maude Bouldin painting by Alison Van Pelt

Kobe Bryant Mural by Paul Daniels

Copyright © 2023, Jake Rose

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email author at jake@colorourtown.com.

Printed in USA