El Cabrillo - Later Years

Later Years

In 1932, the building became part of a scandal when it was revealed that Superior Court Judge Guerin's daughter and son-in-law were residing at El Cabrillo apartments rent-free, allegedly as part of an arrangement with the receiver for American Mortgage Company; investigations were made by a grand jury and the bar association, but Judge Guerin denied any knowledge of the arrangement.

The building was sold in 1940 by Andrew O. Porter to Lillian Blumkin for $50,000. By 1968, the building had been renamed the Patio Gardens.

As Hollywood deteriorated in the 1970s and 1980s, the neighborhood around El Cabrillo became dangerous. In his book Lost Hollywood, David Wallace noted: "By the late 1980s, the problem had become so bad that those few residents who remained in once-celebrated buildings like El Cabrillo...would often have to lie on the floor to avoid being hit by bullets flying through their windows."

More recently, as the Hollywood area improved, El Cabrillo was renovated and converted into condominiums under its original name. When the conversion was completed in 2006, units were listed at prices in the $800,000 range.