Rental renaissance: grand apartment buildings in Mid-Wilshire are suddenly cool again.

For years, the Mid-Wilshire district has been a crumbling ruin, its grand old apartment buildings from the '20s and '30s sitting largely empty and forgotten. But there's been a profound change in the neighborhood:

Mid-Wilshire is becoming cool again.

While many of the old apartment buildings still look much the worse for wear, others are seeing a revival as urbanites in search of a taste of the Golden Age of Hollywood start moving in.

"Five years ago we were about 50 percent occupied - now we're 100 percent occupied," said Ed Reed, manager of the Talmadge Building on Wilshire Boulevard and Berendo Street. "Our tenants include all kinds of people. There are actors and attorneys, and a lot of people from New York."

The Talmadge is among a growing number of classic high-rises along Rossmore Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard that are rapidly becoming trendy addresses.

"Unlike cities such as New York and Chicago, Los Angeles does not have many elegant high-rises," said Ken Bernstein, director of preservation with the Los Angeles Conservancy. "These buildings invoke Los Angeles' glamorous past and have become very attractive to many people who want to recapture the experience of that era."

The Gaylord Apartments, a 13-story building across from the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire, has become the residence of choice for Hollywood hipsters who cannot pay the $1,200 to $2,700 rents at the nearby Talmadge.

With its spacious lobby and memorabilia from the '20s in a glass display, the Gaylord embodies the glory days of the Mid-Wilshire area. The building survived the decline of the neighborhood after the riots of 1992, as well as the construction of the subway.

"Occupancy has improved tremendously over the last three years," said owner George Harp. "In particular, young professionals, people in their 20s and 30s who work in the film industry, like the proximity to Hollywood."

Monthly rents at the Gaylord range from $450 for a bachelor apartment to $950 for a one-bedroom, including utilities - not bad considering that the average monthly rent for an apartment in Los Angeles tops $1,000 and is up more than 30 percent from a year ago.

Another factor that has made the Gaylord a popular address is its proximity to the subway. "We never used to think much about the subway before, but it has become really important for us now," Harp said.

The renewed interest in L.A.'s glorious past has led to a spate of renovations. In Westlake, the Sheraton Town House recently opened its doors again after being completely restored. The former hotel had fallen into disrepair after the riots, but it will now offer affordable housing units, with monthly rents ranging from $400 to $600, according to developer Robert McLeod.

A few blocks down the street, the Bryson Apartments, with its ominous stone lions guarding the entrance, is also undergoing an major overhaul. A non-profit organization called L.A. Housing Partnership will rehabilitate the nine-story building, which will also be used for affordable housing.

Farther west on Wilshire, the Los Altos Apartments has been restored through a combination of private and public funds. The building, which stood empty 10 years ago and was slated for demolition, once housed the likes of Bette Davis, Douglas Fairbanks and William Randolph Hearst.

Developer Allen Gross spent the last three years working on the minutest details; the building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Monuments.

"We've tried to maintain and preserve the historic fabric of the building, while at the same time modernizing all the conveniences," said Gross. "It has been a nightmare at times."

The apartments started leasing last year and go at market rate, except for a number of units that have been set aside for affordable housing in an arrangement with the city.

"I've never been an old-building person, and if you had told me three years ago that I'd been living at Wilshire and Crenshaw, I would have said you're crazy," said resident Marty Meyerbaum, who leases a one-bedroom. "But I've fallen in love with this building. You can just imagine - what if these walls could talk?"

Another favorite residence for the upscale Hollywood crowd is the El Royale on Rossmore Avenue, which is rumored to be a sort of dormitory for agents with Creative Artists Agency. "That's the name of the game," said manager Sandy Griffin, confirming it may be more than a rumor.

Griffin says she gets about four to five inquiries every day from people wanting to move in to the 58-unit building, and she claims there are several hundred names on the waiting list.

"We have seen a whole change of clientele over the last 10 years," said Griffin, who has been managing the building since 1973. "We used to have many senior citizens here. But as they passed away, younger people, many of them from the entertainment industry, have taken their place."

Like the other old high-rises, the El Royale appeals particularly to new arrivals from the East Coast, who want to hang on to their old lifestyle.

"About 50 percent of our tenants are New Yorkers," said Griffin. "We have 24-hour desk and valet service. These things are rare in Los Angeles, but they are very common on the East Coast."