The 404-bed hospital[1] was founded in 1926 by the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart and built by architect Albert C. Martin, Sr.

The hilltop site was chosen for the hospital because it was close to both Sunset Boulevard and Temple Street, and because it was outside Downtown Los Angeles.

Due to its proximity to Hollywood, several notable people were born (Jill St. John,[3] Michael Reagan,[4] Bob Beemer, Harry Crosby,[5] Marcia Reed,[6] Madeleine Stowe,[7] Mike Thaler,[8] Victoria Vetri[9]) or died (Esther Dale,[10] John Harvey Gahan,[11] Linda Loredo,[12] Robert Asa Todd[13]) there.

[1] In 1951, the exterior was used as the setting for the fictitious Mercy General Hospital in the Adventures of Superman television series.

[2] It appeared in a number of productions,[2] including Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers,[17] Men Don't Tell, Snapdragon, Late for Dinner, The Invaders, and The Innocent.