By Oliver Beckwith
One of the more unusual structures to be found along Route 66 is found right here in Monrovia. There is nothing like the Aztec Hotel anywhere along the eight states and more than 2400 miles of the Mother Road. Yet despite its uniqueness the place has never been a successful business venture. In order to find out why, questions need to be answered. Why was it built there in 1925, and what caused investors to have it built? Why did they choose such an unusual architectural style at that time, and why did it ultimately fail?
One of the more unusual structures to be found along Route 66 is found right here in Monrovia. There is nothing like the Aztec Hotel anywhere along the eight states and more than 2400 miles of the Mother Road. Yet despite its uniqueness the place has never been a successful business venture. In order to find out why, questions need to be answered. Why was it built there in 1925, and what caused investors to have it built? Why did they choose such an unusual architectural style at that time, and why did it ultimately fail?
I looked at two early history books on Monrovia to see if I could find an answer. John L. Wiley’s History of Monrovia was published in 1927, just two years after the Aztec Hotel opened. According to Wiley, there was a desire to have a distinctive hotel for Monrovia. The La Vista Grande Hotel (located where City Hall stands today) had gone up in flames in 1916, and there was nothing of that level to take its place.
It was the “Roaring Twenties,” and business was good in Monrovia, so the Chamber of Commerce got involved. By March of 1924 nearly $139,000 had been raised, and a committee hired Hollywood architect Robert Stacy-Judd to design the hotel. The approved design is what we see today. But Wiley described the decorative outlines on the building as “barbaric.”
John Wiley went on to describe the interior murals in the building. Titles for the paintings inside were “The Kingdom of Darkness,” “The Middle of the Earth,” “The God of Death,” and the “Goddess of Death.” Other interior paintings included “The Sun God Blessing the Crops,” and the “God of Lust” next to the ladies room. He described the electric fixtures as “weird conceptions of the architect.” From his characterizations one might gather that Mr. Wiley was not fully impressed with the design.
Eleven years after Wiley’s History of Monrovia was published, Charles F. Davis edited The History of Monrovia and Duarte. By 1938 the positive outlook of the twenties had been replaced with the sobering reality of an ongoing economic depression, and the book reflects it. On the subject, Davis opens with these words. “One of the most bizarre chapters in the history of Monrovia has to do with the Aztec Hotel.” He described architect Robert Stacy-Judd as “a wonderful story teller,” and described the hotel as unlike anything else in the world.
According to Mr. Davis, “Monrovia had a splendid idea, Mr. Stacy-Judd original plans, but the hotel never made money.” The Aztec “opened with great fanfare, but somehow was too fantastic in appearance for success.” After two years the hotel was sold for $50,000, and investors lost money on the project.
Between the two histories written in different decades, a picture emerges of investors willing to spend money to build a modern hotel on the corner of Foothill and Magnolia. The investor group came across architect Robert Stacy-Judd, who impressed them with a unique plan for a Mayan Revival building. In that era of optimism, money was raised and the hotel was built. Perhaps the investors forgot to account for the tastes of ordinary people who drove by on Route 66, or for that matter the people of Monrovia? What might the neighbors say if you were seen lounging in a room with the God and Goddess of Death?
It was the “Roaring Twenties,” and business was good in Monrovia, so the Chamber of Commerce got involved. By March of 1924 nearly $139,000 had been raised, and a committee hired Hollywood architect Robert Stacy-Judd to design the hotel. The approved design is what we see today. But Wiley described the decorative outlines on the building as “barbaric.”
John Wiley went on to describe the interior murals in the building. Titles for the paintings inside were “The Kingdom of Darkness,” “The Middle of the Earth,” “The God of Death,” and the “Goddess of Death.” Other interior paintings included “The Sun God Blessing the Crops,” and the “God of Lust” next to the ladies room. He described the electric fixtures as “weird conceptions of the architect.” From his characterizations one might gather that Mr. Wiley was not fully impressed with the design.
Eleven years after Wiley’s History of Monrovia was published, Charles F. Davis edited The History of Monrovia and Duarte. By 1938 the positive outlook of the twenties had been replaced with the sobering reality of an ongoing economic depression, and the book reflects it. On the subject, Davis opens with these words. “One of the most bizarre chapters in the history of Monrovia has to do with the Aztec Hotel.” He described architect Robert Stacy-Judd as “a wonderful story teller,” and described the hotel as unlike anything else in the world.
According to Mr. Davis, “Monrovia had a splendid idea, Mr. Stacy-Judd original plans, but the hotel never made money.” The Aztec “opened with great fanfare, but somehow was too fantastic in appearance for success.” After two years the hotel was sold for $50,000, and investors lost money on the project.
Between the two histories written in different decades, a picture emerges of investors willing to spend money to build a modern hotel on the corner of Foothill and Magnolia. The investor group came across architect Robert Stacy-Judd, who impressed them with a unique plan for a Mayan Revival building. In that era of optimism, money was raised and the hotel was built. Perhaps the investors forgot to account for the tastes of ordinary people who drove by on Route 66, or for that matter the people of Monrovia? What might the neighbors say if you were seen lounging in a room with the God and Goddess of Death?
In 1925 Prohibition was the law of the land so that form of profit was not there. Stories of a speakeasy in the basement persist. To make matters worse, the Great Depression hit, and by 1934 Route 66 moved from Foothill to Huntington, bypassing the Aztec Hotel. Openings and closings followed the hotel through the years, but it is definitely a well-known landmark for Route 66 fans. In 1978 the Aztec Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In July of 2025 the current owner listed the Aztec Hotel at 15 million dollars. Selling the building for that price is considered unlikely by some realtors I know. When you look at the potential profitability of such a place the numbers just don’t add up. As of this writing (May 2026) there is a new sign hanging on the place announcing a Szechuan Noodle restaurant. The saga of the Aztec Hotel continues.
Sources
In July of 2025 the current owner listed the Aztec Hotel at 15 million dollars. Selling the building for that price is considered unlikely by some realtors I know. When you look at the potential profitability of such a place the numbers just don’t add up. As of this writing (May 2026) there is a new sign hanging on the place announcing a Szechuan Noodle restaurant. The saga of the Aztec Hotel continues.
Sources
- Davis, Charles F., History of Monrovia and Duarte. Monrovia, California: A. H. Cawston, 1938. p.69-71. (link to Monrovia's Past in Pictures on Facebook)
- Wiley, John L., History of Monrovia. Pasadena, California: Press of Pasadena Star News, 1927. P.271-273. (link to Monrovia Legacy Project's document record)
- National Park Service. Place - California: Aztec Hotel (link to NPS website)
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