For Hollywood's elite, it was the place to gather on Monday nights. Table location determined your position in the pecking order. On Oscar night, winners clutched their awards as they made their way through a gantlet of air kisses and fawning congratulations.
Now, the Mortons era is ending. On Friday, the iconic West Hollywood eatery announced it would close its doors at the end of the year.
Plans call for the space to be converted by British hotelier Nick Jones into a members-only social club called Soho House West Hollywood.
"That's sad to hear," said Pat Kingsley, longtime celebrity publicist and frequent Mortons diner whose office is just two blocks away. "Mortons is a nice, comfortable, intimate place to relax."
Like the earlier shuttering of such haunts as Chasen's and Ma Maison, the planned closing of Mortons marks the passing of a Hollywood era.
Mortons was where the likes of Michael Ovitz, Michael Eisner, Sherry Lansing and Barry Diller held court when they ruled the town, with a celebrity quotient higher than most movie premieres.
Power players would go there to be seen but appreciated the spacious dining area that allowed for private conversations.
The phrase "Monday Nights at Mortons," when the powerful would regularly gather at the restaurant, came to symbolize a Hollywood culture in which as much business was done over free-range chicken and chopped salads as was conducted in office suites.
The late producer Julia Phillips immortalized Mortons in her bestselling 1991 Hollywood memoir, "You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again."
Mortons was opened in 1979 -- located first on the southwest corner of Melrose Avenue and Robertson Boulevard before moving across the street in 1994 -- by Peter Morton, scion of the well-known family of American restaurateurs and founder of the Hard Rock Cafe. For the last two decades, his sister Pam has operated the eatery.
"We have enjoyed serving so many great people in Los Angeles and have always appreciated their patronage," Peter Morton said. "Many deals and friendships were made at Mortons, and in closing the doors it now becomes a piece of L.A.'s history."
Morton said his sister had decided "to move on and explore other passions in her life." People close to Morton added that a lease dispute contributed to the decision to close the restaurant.
