In Los Angeles, boutique hospitality group Casetta has transformed a 1931 church into an intimate 25-room hotel. Hotel Lucile preserves its stained-glass windows, cross and vaulted sanctuary while giving Silver Lake a new destination for art, food and community.
Some buildings possess a history that cannot simply be overwritten. It lingers in their walls, in the quality of the light and in the particular stillness of a room. At the new Hotel Lucile in Los Angeles, that history remains unmistakably present: in the soaring ceilings, restored stained glass, original timber beams and even the rooftop cross, which continues to glow after dark.
For almost a century, the Bethany Presbyterian Church, built in 1931, occupied the corner of Lucile Avenue and Griffith Park Boulevard. After serving various purposes and standing vacant for several years, the landmark has entered a new chapter. California boutique hotel group Casetta has transformed the former church and rectory into a 25-room hotel with a restaurant, café, pool and rooftop terrace. Hotel Lucile officially opened on 14 September 2026.
A Considered Transformation
The architecture and interiors were developed by Venice-based Studio Electric Bowery, led by Lucia Bartholomew and Cayley Lambur. Rather than turning the church’s past into a theatrical theme, the designers respected the building’s dignity and spatial presence, introducing contemporary colour, furniture and art without erasing what came before.
Original timber floors, steel-framed windows, arches and ceiling beams have been carefully preserved. Jewel tones meet warm wood, while historical elements are joined by custom seating, handcrafted fixtures and vintage furniture. Electric Bowery imagined the property as part European villa, part exhibition space and part gallerist’s private residence – sophisticated, yet still imbued with the relaxed character of Los Angeles.
The former church school now accommodates the hotel’s guestrooms. Categories range from intimate Petit Kings and Signature rooms to Loft layouts and the approximately 50-square-metre Lucile Suite, complete with a living area and private courtyard. Natural light, restrained colours, vintage pieces, Parachute linens and Aesop amenities create interiors that feel calm rather than overly composed.
A Gallery You Can Live In
Art at Hotel Lucile is not treated as decoration, but as part of the hotel’s identity. More than 100 contemporary works are displayed throughout the property, many of them available for purchase. Guestrooms and shared spaces feature artists connected to Los Angeles, while rotating exhibitions and an artist-in-residence programme are intended to keep the hotel in active dialogue with the city’s creative community.
Among the most striking works are two large-scale murals by classically trained oil painter Erin Lynn Welsh. One, rendered in deep red, refers to Eaton Canyon and the devastating fires of 2025. The other transforms the native plants of Elysian Park into a lush green landscape. Together, they make the hotel a subtle visual portrait of the city around it.
Southern France Meets the American South
The spatial and social heart of the hotel occupies the former sanctuary. Here, Sous Sous brings together Southern French cooking, flavours associated with the American South and the produce of California.
Chef Patrick Costa and beverage director Lee Zaremba serve dishes including Espelette-spiced oysters, bouillabaisse, hush puppies with honey butter and vegetables sourced from local farmers’ markets. Herbs are also grown in the hotel’s rooftop garden. The bar, whose tall symmetrical form subtly resembles a church organ, serves predominantly French wines from smaller producers alongside drinks such as a Green Tomato Margarita and a coconut-infused interpretation of the Sazerac.
The former choir loft has become a lounge for coffee and drinks, while the organ loft is now used for meetings and private events. Elsewhere, guests will find a small pool concealed below street level and a private rooftop deck overlooking Silver Lake and the Downtown Los Angeles skyline.
A Little House for the Neighbourhood
Casetta – Italian for “little house” – specialises in giving new purpose to buildings with distinctive histories. Its portfolio includes Casa Cody in Palm Springs, The Surfrider in Malibu, The Pearl in San Diego, Marina Riviera at Big Bear Lake and Hotel Willa in Taos.
Hotel Lucile is similarly intended to be more than a place to sleep. Sunday brunches, exhibitions, a local running club, field guides and cultural programming are designed to bring hotel guests and residents together. That ambition feels particularly relevant in Silver Lake: although the East Los Angeles neighbourhood is known for its independent restaurants, music, architecture and creative community, it has long offered relatively few characterful boutique hotels.
Hotel Lucile gives the neighbourhood a place that does not preserve history behind glass, but allows it to continue evolving. A former house of worship has once again become a house of community – this time welcoming travellers, artists, neighbours and anyone who prefers to experience Los Angeles from within.
