LOS ANGELES
In its nearly 60-year history in downtown Los Angeles, the Wilshire Grand Hotel has been host to such notable guests as Pope John Paul II and Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. But now, the aging hotel is closing to make way for a $1.1-billion tower complex.
The 16-story hotel, built in 1952 with a $25-million price tag, will be replaced by a 45-story hotel with 540 rooms and several floors of condominiums. Next door, the complex will feature a 65-story office tower that will feature shops and a public plaza on the ground floor.
Korean Airlines, which owns the 896-room hotel, plans to complete the project by 2015.
