Vintage Silverplate Ambassador Hotel Champagne Bucket

Recently acquired from an avid collector, this handsome Vintage Silverplate Ambassador Champagne Bucket promises to become an impressive and storied addition to any home bar. Opened on New Year's Day 1921, the soignée Ambassador Hotel soon put a dirt road called Wilshire Boulevard on the map as the hub of a burgeoning Los Angeles, while its Cocoanut Grove nightclub quickly became a stalwart for early Hollywood's biggest film stars. With its enormous size as a sprawling 1,200-room entertainment complex that boasted 37 shops, a golf course, a bowling alley, and the 1000-seat nightclub, the venue's Fiesta Room hosted the Academy Awards six times during its earliest years when the ceremony's format took on many of the characteristics we recognize today.

Designed by Myron Hunt, whose unmatched resume also includes the Rose Bowl and the Huntington Library, the architect deployed a lavish, indulgent Moorish Revival and Art Deco style throughout the property. Nightclub guests were treated to grand Mediterranean arches, a running waterfall, a midnight blue ceiling studded with sparkling stars and even mechanical monkeys hanging from papier-mâché palm trees used in Rudolph Valentino’s classic film, The Sheik. Through the 1960s, the Grove remained a playground for America’s biggest film stars, celebrities, and luminaries. Joan Crawford won many a dance contest, Lionel and John Barrymore let their pet monkeys loose in the faux palm trees, and legends like Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, The Supremes, Nat King Cole and countless others graced the stage.

The Ambassador’s post–Academy Awards history took a grim turn in 1968 when Democratic presidential front runner Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated at the hotel. This tragedy signaled the beginning of the end for the Ambassador, which was never able to recover from the stigma of this historic event. Failed attempts at makeovers were unsuccessful and the hotel closed in 1989.

After a decade, in 2001, the Los Angeles Unified School District purchased the building with the intent of converting the large campus into a school, setting up a lengthy battle with the Los Angeles Conservancy, which sought to preserve as much of the hotel as possible. After years of contention, the main building was demolished in 2005 to accommodate The Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools (a K-12 complex) which opened on the 24-acre site in 2010, along with a park dedicated to the life and work of Robert F. Kennedy. 

Just like the famed hotel, this spectacular bucket has most surely borne witness to thousands of festive parties, grand celebrations and significant events. Crafted by prolific American silversmith Gorham, founded in 1831, this impressive and sturdy bucket was created in silver plate mounted over a copper base. Its sleek silhouette, sturdy carry handles and prominent medallion have achieved the attractive, rugged patina that befits such an eclectic provenance. One of the most in demand styles from the Ambassador's history, we are confident it will become a signature piece within any hotel, Americana, or silver collection, continuing to impress for generations to come. 

Strictly one-of-a-kind and subject to prior sale. 12"W x 9.25"H. In good vintage condition with signs of use commensurate with age.