Pico House

The Pico House is an historic landmark located on North Main Street in Los Angeles. It is located across from the old Los Angeles Plaza and the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument. The building has stood for centuries, since the time California was part of Mexico. The house was built by Pio Pico, a businessman and the last Governor of Alto California. He wanted a luxury hotel built in the town and contacted Ezra F. Kysor, the architect and designer of the Cathedral of Saint Vibiana. The Pico is a three-story building and features 33 rooms. It was considered the most extravagant hotel of its time in the area. At the height of its use as a hotel, it featured an interior courtyard, an aviary filled with exotic birds, a fountain and a grand staircase. The building started to deteriorate by the turn of the 20th century and Pico lost ownership of the structure. It was used as a low-budget lodging house and in 1953 became the property of the state. Today it belongs to the El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Monument. There were renovations completed in 1981 and 1992 and it is often used for exhibits and special events these days. It has also been used in a variety of film and television productions including Star Trek, The Mentalist and the music video for the song Everybody in Love.