Guardian Apartments - Hollywood

October 12, 1946, Elizabeth
Short moved to the Guardian Apartments.

-- blackdahlia.info

Guardian Apartments
5217 Hollywood Blvd. #726
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

A further irony: Theatre Guide (LA Times 9/20/46) along with the street map show that inSept/Oct 1946 the film, “The Blue Dahlia” was being shown at the Hunley Theatre,5115 Hollywood Blvd., directly across the street from where Elizabeth Short was temporarily staying at the Guardian Apartments. Both of these locations werewithin two blocks of George Hodel’s private residence at 5121 Franklin Ave.

-- SteveHodel.com

Shortly after, Beth and Marjorie and two U.S.C. students, Bill Robinson and Marvin Margolis, moved to the Guardian Arms Apartments on Hollywood Boulevard. Less than two weeks later, on October 22, Beth was on her own again. She decamped from the Guardian Arms and spent the night driving around town with Glen Kearns, an amateur photographer who worked in his fathers service station, looking, unsuccessfully, for another place to stay. The next day, Kearns left her at Mark Hansen’s home.

-- The Black Dahlia in Hollywood

Room 726 at the Guardian Arms was Short’s residence from October 10 though October 22, 1946. She lived there with her friend Marjorie, and two men, Bill Robinson and Marvin Margolis. Marjorie and the two men slept in the bed while Short slept on the floor.

-- Hollywoodland

On October 10, 1946 Elizabeth and Marjorie moved into the Guardian Apartments, 5217 Hollywood Blvd. Two young men, Marvin Margolis and Bill Robinson met and permitted the girls to stay at the apartment in secret for approximately ten days. The manager of the Guardian Apts informed the two young men that the girls (Elizabeth & Majorie) would have to leave because "he did not approve of how they were conducting themselves." (His specific reason for asking them to leave is unknown.) Frequent dating of men? Late hours? Noise? Note: The Guardian Apts location is just 400 yards (a 2 minute walk) from the Franklin House (Dr. Hodel's private residence) and Elizabeth moved into Apt 726 on the very day of George Hodel's 39th birthday.)

-- Black Dahlia Avenger.com

11. Marvin Margolis, now living at 1445 West Thome Street, Chicago, Illinois, formerly at the time of the murder resided at 1442 South woods Avenue, Los Angeles. He entered U.S.C. on March 4, 1946, taking a pre-medical course, and was so engaged at the time of the murder. It has been established that he and his friend, Bill Robinson, lived in the same apartment, No. 726 at the Guardian Arms Apartments, 5217 Hollywood Boulevard from October 10 1946 to October 22, 1946 with victim Short and her friend, Marjorie Graham. Victim slept on the sofa while the suspect and Bill Robinson slept with Marjorie Graham. See supplemental report in re Veteran’s Administration file on suspect Margolis. It reveals that he came out of the medical corp of the navy diagnosed a fifty per cent mental disability, due primarily to his persistent demand and desire to be attached to the surgical unit. He was engaged in the handling of hundreds of dead bodies in the Pacific Islands, but was denied any service in the surgical units, which he so much desired. He did not come forth at the time of the murder investigation and when finally questioned, he stated that he had been residing at the St. Francis Apartments and did not mention he was living at the Guardian apartments with victim. He finally admitted living with the victim at the latter address. Bill Robinson now owns the Bowery Restaurant and beer joint, Rosecrans Boulevard, San Diego, California and he has not been questioned by undersigned

-- District Attorney Investigation Report

Breevort Apartments - Hollywood

Elizabeth Short and Gordon Fickling settled into the Brevoort Hotel on Lexington Avenue, near Vine Street in Hollywood from August 20 until August 27, 1946.

-- The Black Dahlia in Hollywood

Brevoort Apartments
6326 Lexington Ave
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Chancellor Apartments - Hollywood

Elizabeth's last known address in Hollywood was the Chancellor Apartments at 1842 N. Cherokee, where she and four other girls roomed together.

-- Charles Montaldo, The Black Dahlia Murder Case

Chancellor Apartments
1842 N. Cherokee #501
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

On November 13, Ann Toth borrowed a car and moved Beth to the Chancellor on Cherokee Avenue, two blocks north of Hollywood Boulevard.

-- The Black Dahlia in Hollywood

"(Suspect) Glenn Wolf is the owner of the Chancellor Apartments, 1842 Cherokee Hollywood. It was the last place where victim resided in Los Angeles before she met Carl Balsiger and then left for San Diego. He [Wolf] was residing at 1617 North Las Palmas in an apartment house owned by Kate Harris at the time of the murder. He admitted knowing victim. She lived in a six bed apartment at the Chancellor Hotel and left there December 6, 1946 as she did not like the place. Wolf is known as a sexual maniac by other young women. Ray Pinker, LAPD Crime Laboratory chemist, checked the rooms in which he resided for blood and got no positive reaction. This was done upon request of undersigned. Marvin Hart, now living at Lido Apartments, Hollywood, lived at Chancellor Apartments at the time of the murder. He has not been questioned. Alice Lebedeff, private investigator, 1967 Carmen Street, Hillside 6279 states that a Miss Schell, who runs a hot dog stand on Santa Monica boardwalk, slept in the upper bunk of the bed occupied by victim on December 1, 1946 at the Chancellor apartments. Further that Polly Blits, Hollywood real estate broker is a known queen queer and knows plenty. There is reliable information that some of the five girls in the room at the Chancellor living with victim were queers. Victim stated on several occasions, however, that she had no use whatsoever for queers."

-- District Attorney Investigation Report

The Black Dahlia Slept Here

Elizabeth Short returned to Los Angeles in July 1946 to visit an old boyfriend she met in Florida during the war, Lt. Gordon Fickling, who was stationed in Long Beach. For the six months prior to her death, she remained in Southern California, mainly in the Los Angeles area. During this time, she lived in several hotels, apartment buildings, rooming houses, and private homes, never staying anywhere for more than two weeks.

-- wiki

The following posts will show the various locations Elizabeth Short lived in Los Angeles.

(Not in chronological order.)

Murder Victim Elizabeth Short, the BLACK DAHLIA

For the month of January 2010, LA Kompany will feature the history of the unsolved 1947 BLACK DAHLIA murder case and showcase recent photographs of the historical locations related to the mystery.

Elizabeth Short (July 29, 1924 – ca. January 15, 1947) was an American woman who was the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder. She acquired the nickname Black Dahlia after moving to California. Short was found mutilated, her body severed, on January 15, 1947 in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. The murder, which remains unsolved, has been the source of widespread speculation as well as several books and film adaptations.

Early life

Elizabeth Short was born in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, as the third of five daughters to Cleo Short and Phoebe Mae. Her father built miniature golf courses until the 1929 stock market crash in which he lost much of the family's assets. In 1930, he parked his car on a bridge and vanished, leading some to believe he had committed suicide. Later Short discovered that her father was alive and was living in California. Her mother, Phoebe Mae, moved the family to a small apartment in Medford and found work as a bookkeeper.

Troubled by asthma and bronchitis, Elizabeth was sent to live in Florida for the winter at the age of 16, and spent the following three years living there during the cold months and in Medford the rest of the year. At the age of 19, she went to Vallejo, California, to live with her father, who was working at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The two moved to Los Angeles in early 1943, however an altercation resulted in her leaving and being employed at a post exchange at Camp Cooke (now Vandenberg Air Force Base), near Lompoc, California. She then moved to Santa Barbara, where she was arrested on September 23, 1943, for underage drinking and was sent back to Medford by juvenile authorities. During the following three years, she lived in Florida, with occasional visits back to Massachusetts.

In Florida, Short met Major Matthew Michael Gordon Jr., part of the 2nd Air Commandos and training for deployment in the China Burma India theater of operations. Short told friends that Gordon wrote a letter from India proposing marriage while recovering from an airplane crash he was in while trying to rescue a downed flier. According to Gordon's obituary in the Pueblo, Colorado newspaper, he was awarded a Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, the Air Medal with 15 oak leaf clusters, and Purple Heart during his service. She accepted his proposal, however he died in an airplane crash on August 10, 1945, before he could return to the United States. She later exaggerated this story, saying that they were married and had a child who died. Although Gordon's friends in the air commandos confirmed that Gordon and Short were engaged, his family denied any connection after Short's murder.

Elizabeth Short returned to Los Angeles in July 1946 to visit an old boyfriend she met in Florida during the war, Lt. Gordon Fickling, who was stationed in Long Beach. For the six months prior to her death, she remained in Southern California, mainly in the Los Angeles area. During this time, she lived in several hotels, apartment buildings, rooming houses, and private homes, never staying anywhere for more than two weeks.

Murder and aftermath

The body of Elizabeth Short was found on January 15, 1947, in a vacant lot in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, severely mutilated, cut in two, and drained of blood. Her face was slashed from the corners of her mouth toward her ears, and she was posed with her hands over her head and her elbows bent at right angles. The autopsy indicated she was 5′ 5″ and 115 pounds, with badly decayed teeth, light blue eyes and brown hair.

Short was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California. After her other sisters had grown and married, her mother moved to Oakland to be near her daughter's grave. Her mother finally returned to the East in the 1970s, and lived into her 90s.

Suspects

The Black Dahlia murder investigation by the LAPD was the largest since the murder of Marion Parker in 1927, and involved hundreds of officers borrowed from other law enforcement agencies. Because of the complexity of the case, the original investigators treated every person who knew Short as a suspect who had to be eliminated. Hundreds of people were considered suspects and thousands were interviewed by police. Sensational and sometimes inaccurate press coverage, as well as the nature of the crime, focused intense public attention on the case. About 60 people confessed to the murder, mostly men, as well as a few women. As the case continues to command public attention, many more people have been proposed as Short's killer.

-- wiki