The Los Angeles Athletic Club is a private club and deluxe fitness center housed in an early 20th century, 12-story building Downtown. It offers athletic, social and meeting spaces as well as luxury hotel rooms.

The Club wanted to re-energize its brand to appeal to a younger demographic and complement their recent renovations. We redesigned their logo and visual identity.

Fitness Center

If the thought of exercising at a club makes you sweat, take heart: Athletic club Los Angeles has made sure its new 10,000-square-foot fitness center is equipped with the latest cardio machines and free weights. Its joggers also get to enjoy bursts of natural light thanks to refurbished skylights, which have opened up the room to its historic beaux arts indoor pool and basketball court below. Upstairs, an advanced air filtration system includes new Indoor Air Quality Meters that monitor and optimize indoor air quality by simultaneously measuring particle counts (like smog and dust), barometric pressure, relative humidity, and more.

Established in 1880, the LAAC has been a second home to celebrities, athletes, and affluent Los Angeles residents for more than 100 years. Its members—who have racked up nearly 100 Olympic medals—take their sports seriously. The hotel’s Olive Club membership allows guests access to nine floors of gym facilities and the club’s state-of-the-art locker rooms.

After a multimillion-dollar renovation, DTLA’s oldest private club has blended its flavorful history with contemporary upgrades that appeal to a diverse group of downtown patrons. Design firm SRK Architects focused on the fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of the 12-story building—floors that include athletic, social, and meeting spaces. The space also features Famous Players, a cafe and restaurant overseen by chef Marcel Vigneron that serves up dishes like tableside Caesar salad, roasted Petaluma Farms organic chicken, and sustainable Coho salmon.

Restaurants & Bars

The Los Angeles Athletic Club is a hub for health, wellness and social engagement. Since its founding in 1880, the club has been a place for members (and hotel guests) to pursue their goals in a supportive yet contemporary environment. With a recent multimillion-dollar enhancement project, LAAC is reintroducing itself to the world as a forward-looking cornerstone of Downtown LA, offering an exceptional environment for all to achieve their goals in body, mind and spirit.

Originally founded as the first private social club in Southern California, the Los Angeles Athletic Club has always been committed to physical culture. It was the first club to include women, and it even had an upstairs pool, which made a cameo appearance in a few episodes of Mad Men. In addition to its deluxe fitness center, the club has a number of first-rate restaurants and bars, including Famous Players and Invention Bar & Restaurant, which serves up pre-Prohibition cocktails.

The Los Angeles Athletic Club also offers a variety of event spaces and meeting rooms that have a historic elegance, with period furnishings and beautiful decorations. A large ballroom with towering ceilings and a stunning art collection can accommodate up to 1000 people for a banquet or gala, while the Centennial Room can be divided into smaller rooms for more intimate gatherings.

Events & Meeting Spaces

Steeped in tradition, this private club and hotel is a true urban haven. Its luxurious rooms and state-of-the-art facilities have hosted generations of celebrities and local residents alike.

Whether it’s a billiards game, a workout or a meeting with business partners, the Club offers an experience that is nothing short of magical. The venue is beautifully crafted and offers stunning views of the Downtown skyline.

The club’s history stretches back to 1880 when it was founded in Los Angeles as the city’s first private club. The earliest clubhouse was a large bare hall that served as the center for athletic practices and sparring sessions. Annual field days were a highlight where the members would compete with each other and other clubs in track and field events, bicycle races or tug-of-war.

As the club progressed, so did its facilities. It eventually included indoor swimming pools, a full-size gymnasium and an Olympic size pool. The Club became a hub for early Hollywood with stars like Ester Williams, Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin all frequenting the facilities. The Club was the first to open its doors to women as well, welcoming them to its clubs since 1914.

The Club holds over 100 events a year for its members, from weekly jazz nights to the annual holiday concerts and boot camps. The club is also home to a luxurious hotel and conference space, and is adorned with awe-inspiring architectural detailing.

Rooms & Suites

Long before members-only establishments like Soho House attracted socialites and executives from all over town, the Los Angeles Athletic Club was founded in 1880 to be a center of physical culture in Southern California. The founding members were serious — they wanted to dispel the stereotypes that tagged Californians as lazy and ill-tempered by encouraging rigorous exercise to create a “superior race.”

Aside from a full suite of fitness, dining and event spaces, the LAAC Hotel also features 72 urban-chic guest rooms. The rooms are drenched in dark colors with a sophisticated level of detail. They come with turn-down service, flat screen TVs and complimentary Wi-Fi. The bathrooms are spacious and feature a soaking tub and separate shower.

Guests can dine at Famous Players and Duke’s Sports Bar as well as attend a number of events held in the various venues throughout the club. The hotel can also arrange for car rentals to help guests visit nearby attractions.

Located in downtown LA, the hotel is within walking distance of several popular landmarks, including Grauman’s Chinese Theater and The Los Angeles Convention Center. It is also a short drive to Staples Center and Nokia Theatre. The hotel is a short walk to the 7th Street Center underground station and 7th Street/Metro Center city rail, which provides easy access to other parts of the city.