The vacant four-story Hillview Apartments is said to be the oldest apartment building on Hollywood Boulevard.

The block was built by movie mogul Jesse L Lasky in 1917.

Police are investigating the cause of the fire, which caused an estimated $500,000 (�346,000) damage.

Lasky, who founded one of Hollywood's first movie studios, Famous Players-Lasky, built the Mediterranean-style apartment building to provide housing for his actors.

Abandoned

The director of the local historical society, Douglas Carlton, said the building played an important role in the early days of Hollywood.

He said: "Everybody that was anybody in the silent (movie) days lived there."

The building is located between the historic Pantages and El Capitan theatres.

However the block was long past its glory days and it was abandoned in 1994.

Chaplin was born in London in 1889, the son of two music hall entertainers.