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Coordinates: 32°42′58″N 117°10′05″W / 32.71611°N 117.16806°W / 32.71611; -117.16806
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YMCA Building (San Diego)[edit]

Guild Hotel
Map
Former names500 West Hotel
General information
TypeHotel
Architectural styleItalian Renaissance Revival
Location500 West Broadway
San Diego, California 92101
Coordinates32°42′58″N 117°10′05″W / 32.71611°N 117.16806°W / 32.71611; -117.16806
Opened1924
Renovated2019
Renovation cost$80 million
OwnerOram Hotels
ManagementAzul Hospitality Group
AffiliationMarriott Tribute Portfolio
Technical details
Floor count7
Design and construction
Architect(s)Lincoln Rogers
DeveloperYMCA
Main contractorCampbell Building Company
Other information
Number of rooms162
San Diego Armed Services YMCA
AreaDowntown San Diego
NRHP reference No.07001177[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 15, 2007

The YMCA Building in San Diego, California was built in 1924 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. During that time, over over 125 military personnel were served in the facility.[2] The building now houses the luxury Guild Hotel, a member of the Marriott Tribute Portfolio.[3]

History[edit]

Civic leader George Marston organized the first YMCA in San Diego in 1882. In 1921, the Army & Navy YMCA was established to serve soldiers but quickly ran out of space so Marston again stepped in to lead the effort to construct a new building. Colonel Ed Fletcher secured the property on Broadway because it would be accessible to soldiers as it is within walking distance of both the Navy Pier and the Santa Fe Depot. Lincoln Rogers, a former Commander of the Naval Civil Engineer Corps, designed the building which opened in 1924.[4]

1928 basketball banner

During World War II, San Diego became a focus point of the military effort and the YMCA was often their first stop. Starting in 1941, cots were set up in hallways to handle the influx of men. The organization had a record press which they'd use to record soldiers and send a "talk-a-letter" home to their family. In 1948, the group renamed to "Armed Forces YMCA" to in include the Air Force. The same year, a revolving YMCA sign was added to the roof.[4]

By 1972, the organization signed a contract with American Youth Hostel to lease some of their increasingly unused rooms. In 1974, rooms were rented to female soldiers for the first time.[4] Increasingly, the military's Special Services provided for social needs of sailors that used to be provided by the organization. The Armed Forces YMCA initially moved their services to naval facilities in the 1970s and later moved again to the Murphy Canyon area. The building's upper floors were rented as the 500 West Hotel while the basement was rented by the Downtown YMCA, a separate civilian branch of the organization. In 1999, Michael Galasso purchased the building but it fell into bankruptcy.[5]

In 2014, Alvin Mansour purhcased the building for $14 million with Oram Hotels co-founder, Kevin Mansour, in order to perform renovations.[6] In 2019, The Guild opened as a $80 million luxury hotel by San Diego-based Oram Hotels, in conjunction with Azul Hospitality Group.[7] Whereas the low-cost hotel had 259 rooms which rented from $49-69 per night, the new hotel had 162 rooms that rented from $250 to more than $400.[5][7]

In 2020 less than a year after the opening, the restaurants closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in California and never reopened.[8] At the height of the pandemic, fewer than a dozen employees worked at the hotel.[9]

In 2023, new restaurants were established by the Be Saha Hospitality Group.[8] At the end of that year, the hotel hosted a Great Gatsby themed party to celebrate the building's centennial.[10]

Architecture[edit]

The elaborate entrance pavilion with paired Ionic columns

The Italian Renaissance Revival style building consists of six stories plus a basement all made of reinforced concrete. The first story has a rusticated surface. Sixth-story brackets support a flat roof with ceramic tiles. Above that is a penthouse with coved Fascia (architecture) and a standing seam copper roof. Finally, a YMCA sign is on top.[4]

The facade is detailed with Classical balconies, pronounced belt courses, and a brown terra cotta banner below 5th floor reading "Army and Navy YMCCA 1924". Quoins and twisted gutters also made of terra cotta demarcate both the corners and the entrance. That entrance sits within an elaborate central pavilion with flanking bays under a broken pediment supported by paired Ionic columns. Stairs enter through a recessed vestibule with barrel vaults. Above, a terra cotta frieze reads "Young Men's Christian Association".[4]

The original interior was comparatively simple. Arched Palladian doors lead from lobby to open patio. The center of the building held a two-story gymnasium with running track around 2nd level while an Olympic-size swimming pool in basement.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). The main challenge was turning the dormitory-style layout into a traditional hotel which was coordinated by interior designer Sormeh Rienne, née Azad, of Incommon Design.[8][6]

The courtyard was converted to a restaurant with firepits and a fluted hand-carved reception desk was added to the lobby.[11] Thee building’s initial blueprints, which were discovered in a wall during construction were hung in the lobby.[12] The two-story basketball court became ballroom while the basement swimming pool became a multi-purpose room decorated with vintage photos.[13][14]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System – San Diego Armed Services YMCA (#07001177)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  2. ^ Jacobs, Ashley (June 28, 2019). "Iconic San Diego historic building is reimagined into new space". KFMB-TV. CBS News. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  3. ^ Woo, Candice (June 12, 2019). "All-Patio Restaurant Rises Inside Downtown Boutique Hotel". Eater San Diego. Vox Media. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e Lia, Marie Burke; Crawford, Kathleen A. (March 21, 2007). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: San Diego Armed Services YMCA". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved April 20, 2024 – via National Archives.
  5. ^ a b Showley, Roger (September 6, 2014). "Downtown YMCA Closing". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Mest, Elliott (October 5, 2018). "Oram Hotels, Azul Hospitality Group to open San Diego's The Guild". Hotel Management. Questex. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Weisberg, Lori (June 11, 2019). "$80M luxury hotel opens — in former downtown San Diego YMCA". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Weisberg, Lori (September 25, 2021). "Historic downtown San Diego hotel hopes to raise its profile with culinary makeover". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  9. ^ Weisberg, Lori (November 21, 2021). "Top workplaces top ranked small company: The Guild Hotel with its raises, catered lunches, Starbucks gift cards". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "NYE 2024: A Centennial Celebration at The Guild Hotel". San Diego Magazine. December 31, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  11. ^ Dorris, Jesse (October 25, 2019). "Sormeh Rienne Blends Retro European and American Touches at San Diego's The Guild Hotel". Interior Design. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  12. ^ Varner, Carmen (April 16, 2021). "10 Things We Love About The Guild Hotel in Downtown San Diego". Locale Magazine. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  13. ^ Vora, Shivani (September 25, 2021). "Here Are the Must-See San Diego Hotels on Our Radar". Architectural Digest. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  14. ^ Bennett, Andrea (April 16, 2020). "I spent a weekend at the Guild Hotel in downtown San Diego, part of the Marriott Bonvoy collection — here's why I plan to go back". Business Insider. Retrieved April 20, 2024.

External links[edit]

Category:National Register of Historic Places in San Diego Category:YMCA buildings in the United States Category:Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in California Category:Hotels in San Diego Category:Organizations established in 1882 Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1924 Category:Non-profit organizations based in San Diego Category:1882 establishments in California Category:1924 establishments in California Category:2019 establishments in California Category:Hotels established in 2019 Category:Italian Renaissance Revival architecture in the United States Category:Marriott hotels

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