When alcohol was first outlawed in 1920 under the 18th Amendment, illegal underground bars known as “speakeasies” sprung up by the thousands across the US, with more than 2,000 in Los Angeles. One of LA’s most notorious speakeasies was The King Edward Cellar located in the basement of the King Edward Hotel. When Prohibition ended 90 years ago today, the basement was vacated and The King Edward Cellar moved to its original location upstairs. Known as The King Eddy, it operated there until it closed due to the pandemic. Here’s a look inside that famous basement 90 years later and the relics that reveal what the underground life in a speakeasy may have been like.
1. Fire door: It is believed the mayor’s office oversaw distribution of liquor, politicians ran the rackets with police protection during Prohibition. Some suggest the mural on the fire door showing a police officer talking to a drunk illustrates the city’s involvement.
2. Chute/staircase: Speakeasies often had chutes alongside the staircase entrance that were used to slide crates of booze down to the basement quickly and discreetly. Patrons were known to use them as well.
3. Kitchen: The counters and a knife sharpener suggest this was the kitchen area where food and drinks were prepared.
4. Ice box: Along the north wall by the kitchen is a wood ice box where alcohol was stored. The service window, still with its original glass pane, was most likely used to pass alcohol to the waiters. 
5. Main floor: The space measures approximately 1,300 square feet with two exits. Since there are no records of photos, it is unknown what the speakeasy looked like fully furnished. Existing murals and remnants of paint on the ceiling suggest that murals covered the entire room. Historians say the murals were an old European storybook style painted in the 1920s.
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