Château Élysée is a 1920s replica of a 17th-century French-Normandy chateau in Hollywood, California. Owned by the Church of Scientology, it is the home of Celebrity Centre International and the Manor Hotel. It is located at 5930 Franklin Avenue in the Franklin Village section of Los Angeles, California.
History In 1927, Elinor "Nell" Ince, commissioned architect Arthur E. Harvey and contractor Luther T. Mayo, Inc. to build a luxury long-term residential apartment house for movie stars and the film industry.Chateau Elysee Apartment Hotel, Los Angeles, CA (1928), Pacific Coast Architecture Database
In 1943, Ince sold the property, and in 1951, the home was converted into a luxury retirement home called Fifield Manor. By the 1970s, the building was slated for demolition and was purchased by the Church of Scientology.Scientology's Hollywood Real Estate Empire, July 21, 2011, The Hollywood Reporter
On September 23, 1987, the City of Los Angeles declared the building a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, number 329, encompassing the addresses 5925-5939 Yucca Street, 5930-5936 Franklin Avenue, and 1806-1830 Tamarind Avenue.Chateau Elysee, Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. Accessed December 15, 2022.
Church of Scientology
In 1969, the building began being used by the Church of Scientology for its Celebrity Centre International. They purchased the building in 1973 for $1 million.The Chateau Elysee: Scientology's Celebrity Centre Before it Went Clear, April 19, 2013, KCET In the 1990s, the building and grounds were renovated,Château Scientology, January 07, 2008, The New Yorker and by 2013 the value of the property was estimated at $75 million.
The Manor Hotel operates on several of the floors and the rest of the building is the Celebrity Centre. Guided tours are available to the general public.
The Renaissance Restaurant, located in the conservatory, has described itself as an "Award-winning five-star restaurant serving fresh organic and preservative-free French-Californian cuisine." The restaurant was previously open to the public, but it is now only open to Scientologists, their guests, and occasional visitors.Eat at L. Ron's, November 7, 2001, LA WeeklyI Ate Brunch At The Scientology Restaurant And Lived To Tell The Tale, September 5, 2018, LAist
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