Why Silver Lake’s Hottest New Hotel Took So Long to Open (Blame Katy Perry)

In a town where projected release dates are often missed, this is one for the record books. Hotel Lucile, a boutique hotel inside a renovated church in Silver Lake, had set a soft opening for late 2024, which was pushed to spring 2025 and then again to 2026. On Sept. 14, the 25-room property finally welcomed its first guests, marking the end of an epic, 15-year struggle to bring the 1931 property back to life. The church’s stained glass remains, as does a towering cross atop the building. The nave, meanwhile, has been reborn as a New American French restaurant, Sous Sous, with floor-to-vaulted-ceiling curtains and a hulking, marble bar.

It’s a welcome addition to a hip neighborhood long in need of a designer hotel, and location scouts for Netflix’s Nobody Wants This and HBO’s I Love LA — which both regularly shoot nearby — are likely lining up to be first inside. (The hotel’s GM, Anthony Gutierrez, won’t name names but says they’ve had multiple inquiries.) Still, anyone who lives nearby and has watched the project unfold has the same question: What took so long?

The hotel’s journey from crumbling Presbyterian church to Silver Lake hotspot is more interesting, a soap opera that involves government red tape, some nuns and Katy Perry. Of the long road, Jennifer Armbruster, president of the hotel group Casetta, the project’s developer, explains with a laugh: “The deal structure of the church, combined with COVID, combined with some permitting issues, a new city council — just all of that.”

Hotel Lucile’s origin story begins in 2011, when celebrated restaurateur Dana Hollister announced plans to turn the former Pilgrim Church into a boutique hotel. It was a good idea, but well ahead of its time. (Seco, a natural wine bar whose fans include Kaia Gerber and Olivia Rodrigo, wouldn’t open across the street for another 14 years, shortly after Erewhon moved in down the block.) And Hollister reportedly spent years fighting the city for permits to sell alcohol and allow dancing.

At the same time, Hollister was also engaged in a lengthy courtroom battle with Perry and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles over the rights to another property, a Los Feliz convent the singer hoped to turn into a private home. Hollister lost that fight in 2017 and sold her stake in the hotel project to cover millions in damages. In 2018, Casetta stepped in, taking over the church’s lease for what one broker estimates might have been north of $4.5 million. Right partner, poor timing. By the time the architectural plans were finished, COVID hit, and Hotel Lucile was further delayed.

The church — on the corner of Lucile Avenue and Griffith Park Boulevard — has a rich Hollywood history, having once served as the home to the groundbreaking Asian American theater company the East West Players. What made the building worth saving was also what made the project so challenging. Rehabbing historic church pillars and archways — the grand entrance that’s been an anchor of the corner — required a specialized restoration expert. After years of neglect, the once-rotating, 12-foot cross was barely attached and was nearly removed following heavy rains earlier this year.

The setbacks were costly. But the finished product is impressive. A sense of drama abounds at the hotel, which was designed by Venice-based studio Electric Bowery. The church’s center has been reborn as a 96-seat restaurant with lush velvet booths, the seasonal menu courtesy of De La Nonna chef Patrick Costa. (Local artist Janel Foo designed custom stained glass coasters inspired by the sanctuary.) The former choir loft serves as a private bar with a martini cart, while the church’s onetime playground is now home to a plunge pool and patio. In a nod to the building’s religious origins, the do-not-disturb signs read “Solitude.”

Creating a sense of place was paramount and befits a property that aims to once again be part of Silver Lake’s fabric. Gutierrez likens the vibe to “your eclectic neighbor that has all this fabulous art up in almost contradictory ways but coming together in a really well-designed space,” he says, which makes sense. “We want to be good neighbors.” Amen.

This story appeared in the Oct. 7 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.