The Ambassador Hotel, shown in 2004, had been in decline since it closed in 1989. The Myron Hunt-designed complex was built in 1921. (David McNew / Getty Images)
Carlyn Frank Benjamin visits the ruins of the Ambassador in 2006. “My childhood is gone - it just disappeared. I’m seeing the whole first 17 years of my life pass in front of me,†she says. Benjamin lived at the Ambassador Hotel from 1921-1938. Her father, Ben Frank, was the manager of the hotel. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)