The Spanish Colonial building began as Los Angeles' first co-op, including a 3300 square foot, two-story suite for William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies as their city flat.

[4] Blake, Lindsay "Brian Francist O'Byrne Frequents an Elegant Bar Inside Los Altos Apartments on 'Acquarius (TV series)" Dirt.com/gallery/locations/filming-locations/los-altos-apartments (May 3, 2021).

Over the years the building fell into disrepair and was purchased in 1977 by Thomas Stegan who hired historical architect Raymond Girvigian to oversee asbestos removal, seismic retrofitting and cosmetic restoration.

Actor Frederic Forrest was living at the Los Altos when he turned in his critically acclaimed performance in Francis Ford Coppola's 1988 film Tucker: The Man and His Dream, as did musician Tommy Gear, who was a founding member of revered L.A. punk group The Screamers.

In the Amazon series Transparent, the character Ali lives in the Los Altos Apartments; several exteriors, including scenes in the courtyard entry, are featured in seasons 1 and 2.

In Steven Paul Leiva's 2022 novel, The Reluctant Heterosexual: A Tragicomedy in Four Movements A Prelude and An Interlude, the Los Altos is the first home of the parents of the novel's protagonist, Robert Leslie Cromwell.