Hotel Figueroa opened in Downtown Los Angeles in 1926 as a YWCA hostel and a gathering place for pioneering artists and professional women. Aside from a Moroccan-inspired renovation in the ’70s, the 14-story Spanish Colonial Revival building has otherwise remained frozen in time.

GreenOak Real Estate and Urban Lifestyle Hotel Group saw its potential, hiring Santa Monica, California-based Studio Collective to restore the property to its original splendor. “It has a certain charm to it that we wanted to maintain and highlight,” says firm principal Adam Goldstein. In that spirit, the 268 guestrooms and suites are infused with a residential feel, making “guests feel as if they are staying in the stylish apartment of a friend who is out of town,” he says.

The blending of old and new is most apparent in the lobby. Hexagonal columns and plaster surfaces were preserved but refreshed with lighter paint, while refurbished skylights better diffuse natural light. Working with women artists in Southern California, a collection of art that honors the hotel’s feminist foundation is another significant aspect of the reimagined interiors.

Restaurant group APICII was tasked with reviving the hotel’s F&B program, including Bar Alta, which overlooks the lobby on the mezzanine and features a private dining room hidden behind a wall of books, and the ground-floor Spanish- and Basque-influenced Breva. Circular brass chandeliers, marble-topped tables, and elegant French doors that open to the street add to its cozy ambiance.

Moving through the lobby, guests make their way to the original coffin-shaped pool, a longtime go-to among in-the-know Angelenos. A new pool house features a second-floor terrace that frames Instagram-worthy shots of the lush botanical-inspired mural by artist Bella Gomez, which graces the hotel’s rear façade. “Even though you’re surrounded by skyscrapers everywhere,” Goldstein adds, “you don’t feel like you’re in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles.”