Score One for Mid-Century Los Angeles

Thanks to L.A. mid-century preservationists like Diane Keaton, a deal was announced Feb. 11 to save the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel, turning it into a mixed-use condo development. The mid-century gem had been slated for the wrecking ball, but now its notable curving glass-and-aluminum facade will remain, and so will its role in hosting Los Angeles' elite since opening in 1966.

Current owner, developer Next Century Associates, worked with the Los Angeles Conservancy and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to preserve the structure, which will now become the centerpiece of a mixed-use development that will reduce its number of hotel rooms and turn some floors into condominiums, plus add office towers and retail space.