The Hillview
The Hudson Apartments is a historical building located on Hollywood Boulevard, and is considered Hollywood's first "artist's" high-rise. It was founded in 1917 by movie moguls Jesse L. Lasky, co-founder of Paramount Pictures, and his brother-in-law Samuel Goldwyn, co-founder of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, better known as MGM. It was one of Hollywood's only apartment buildings at the time willing to rent to aspiring actors since they were considered a financial risk by most apartment building owners. In fact, it catered specifically to actors. It quickly became a Hollywood hot spot. The vast basement housed a rehearsal space until Rudolph Valentino reputedly converted it to a speakeasy. Former big-screen residents include Mae Busch, Stan Laurel, and Viola Dana. Charlie Chaplin was once a proprietor of the Hillview. Clara Bow found her first home at the Hillview in 1923. The Hillview eventually slipped into obscurity and went into ruin, suffering structural damage during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The Hillview was restored and completely redone by 2005.
In October 2009 the corporation that owns the Hollywood Hillview Apartments filed for bankruptcy, and the historic Hollywood Hillview was forced into foreclosure. The basement lounge club, the restaurant, and the gym have been closed since January 2009. The name was also changed to The Hudson Apartments.
In July 2010 Hollywood real estate investment group CIM purchased the building out of foreclosure for $13,000,000.
