Los Angeles Athletic Club Partners With Noted Designer, Timothy Oulton, To Recreate Historic Fourth Floor Blue Room
Posted: June 18, 2015 in Independents
Los Angeles Athletic Club Blue Room
LOS ANGELES, CA – Adding glamour and a note of intrigue to the largest renovation in its recent history, Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) has partnered with internationally-renowned designer, Timothy Oulton, to recreate the historic Blue Room on the building’s fourth floor.
According to LAAC General Manager Steve Hathaway, the collaboration is a blend of two iconic brands that represent heritage, quality, and the celebration of a holistic lifestyle, which balances pleasure and productivity. The Blue Room is designed to attract entrepreneurial downtown Los Angeles residents and their guests.
When LAAC opened in its current location at 7th and Olive Streets in 1912, one of the jewels in the crown was the exclusive fourth floor Blue Room. A center of community for Los Angeles’ best and brightest, the Blue Room was a catylst for the friendships, alliances and business ventures that helped shape the city’s history.
The Blue Room also played host to the inaugural meeting of the LAAC Uplifters Club. Sometimes waggishly referred to as the “Cuplifters,” The Uplifters was an influential men’s social club founded by Harry Marston Haldeman in 1913. Its membership included Will Rogers, Walt Disney, Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable, Busby Berkeley, Harold Lloyd, Darryl F. Zanuck, and L. Frank Baum, who created the group’s name, wrote its anthem, “Haldeman,” and scripted most of their amateur theatricals. Eventually the group moved out of the LAAC to avoid the scrutiny of prohibition, ultimately purchasing a ranch in Rustic Canyon in 1920. The Blue Room plans to re-launch the LAAC Uplifters Club in June 2015.
In the course of the renovation, the fourth floor also yielded a long-forgotten secret: a concealed staircase ascending from the third floor Invention Bar. This clandestine passage, last used in the 1920s during the days of prohibition, will be re-opened and accessed via a hidden entrance behind an otherwise ordinary bookcase.
The Blue Room design will incorporate furniture from Timothy Oulton’s handcrafted collections including the brand’s Cigar and Sports Club themes. Crystal chandeliers, vintage sporting equipment, historic LAAC athletic photos, and antique lockers will complete the authentic look. Adding to the handcrafted experience, the room’s centerpiece will be a sleek cocktail bar where Club members Aidan Demarest and Marcos Tello of Liquid Assets will showcase their signature cocktails customized for the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
LAAC has also forged a partnership with The Macallan, a renowned Highland single malt Scotch whiskey from Scotland’s Speyside region. The Macallan will be available in a dedicated brand display and featured on the “by the bottle” list for liquor lockers. “The Macallan is delighted to be associated with one of the oldest and most historic clubs in Los Angeles,” notes Kieron Elliott, The Macallan Brand Ambassador. “The launch of The Blue Room presents the perfect opportunity to pair the prestige of the Los Angeles Athletic Club with the quality of our Single Malt Scotch Whisky.”
The Blue Room will offer a programming series including:
- Monday-Thursday: private access to the Blue Room for LAAC Medalist Members;
- Friday-Sunday: the Blue Room may be booked for social and corporate events;
- Guest bartender series, tastings, and craft cocktail classes;
- Space for monthly tech industry networking groups.
The fourth floor project arrives in the wake of the highly-touted renovation of the fifth and sixth floor athletic facilities. Designed by Los Angeles-basec SRK Architects, the fifth and sixth floor includes men’s NBA-style pro lockers, women’s locker rooms, luxury spa, basketball and volleyball courts, retail corridor, and food and beverage services. An expansive grand stair will connect the fifth floor reception to the sixth floor spa lobby, which accesses a barber shop, nail salon and the Club’s iconic swimming pool. Extensive lounge and wet facilities will complement the locker areas including showers, hydrotherapy, steam, and sauna.
A Discovery Center is open during business hours on LAAC’s first floor to showcase the new fourth, fifth and sixth floor designs and provide more detailed information about each phase of the project.
