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YMCA Building (San Diego)

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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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Guild Hotel
Six-story building where the top and bottom floors are the most elaborate
The building in downtown
Map
Former names500 West Hotel
Alternative namesSan Diego Tribute Portfolio
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
YMCA Building (San Diego) is located in San Diego County, California
YMCA Building (San Diego)
YMCA Building (San Diego) is located in California
YMCA Building (San Diego)
YMCA Building (San Diego) is located in the United States
YMCA Building (San Diego)
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, before the YMCA moved out in 2014.[1] During that time, the group served over 125 million military personnel in the facility.[2][3] The building now houses the luxury Guild Hotel, a member of the Marriott Tribute Portfolio.[4]

History

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.[5]

1928 basketball banner

During World War II, San Diego became a focal point of the military effort, and the YMCA was often their first stop. Starting in 1941, cots were set up in hallways to accommodate the influx of men. During this period, the organization had a record press which they would use to record a soldier's voice and send a "talk-a-letter" home to their family. In 1948, the group renamed itself to "Armed Forces YMCA" to include the Air Force. The same year, the organization installed a revolving "YMCA" sign on the roof.[5]

By 1972, the Y signed a contract with American Youth Hostel to lease some of their increasingly unused rooms. In 1974, female soldiers were able to rent rooms for the first time.[5] Increasingly, the U.S. Military's Special Services provided for social needs of sailors that previously were provided by the YMCA. In 2014, 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 later fell into bankruptcy.[6]

In 2014, Alvin Mansour bought the building for $14 million with Oram Hotels co-founder, Kevin Mansour, for a planned redevelopment.[7] After the $80 million renovation, the Guild Hotel opened in 2019 as part of the Marriott Tribute Portfolio.[8] 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.[6][8]

In 2020, less than a year after the opening, the original restaurants closed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in California and never reopened.[9] At the height of the pandemic, fewer than a dozen employees worked at the hotel.[10]

In 2023, the Be Saha Hospitality Group opened new restaurants as the business recovered[9] At the end of that year, the hotel hosted a Great Gatsby themed party to celebrate the building's centennial.[11]

Architecture

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 and a standing seam copper roof. Finally, a YMCA sign is on top.[5]

The facade is detailed with Classical balconies, pronounced belt courses, and a brown terra cotta banner below 5th floor reading "Army and Navy YMCA 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".[5]

The original interior was comparatively simple. The center of the building held a two-story gymnasium with running track around 2nd level while an Olympic-size swimming pool in basement.[5]

During the conversion to the Guild Hotel, the main challenge was turning the dormitory-style room layouts into a traditional hotel.[9] Interior designer Sormeh Rienne, née Azad, of Incommon Design coordinate the transformation of the interior.[7] The two-story basketball court became ballroom while the basement swimming pool became a multi-purpose room decorated with vintage photos.[12][13] A fluted hand-carved reception desk was added to the lobby and the building's original blueprints, which were discovered inside a wall during construction, were framed and hung in the entrance.[14][15]

In contrast, during the redevelopment, the exterior of the building was largely retained without significant alteration. While the courtyard became a restaurant with firepits, the YMCA sign atop the roof remained.[14][16]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System – San Diego Armed Services YMCA (#07001177)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  2. ^ Jacobs, Ashley (June 28, 2019). "Iconic San Diego historic building is reimagined into new space". KFMB-TV. CBS News. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Mulvihill, Tom (September 3, 2019). "Can the new Guild Hotel revive a San Diego landmark?". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
  4. ^ Woo, Candice (June 12, 2019). "All-Patio Restaurant Rises Inside Downtown Boutique Hotel". Eater San Diego. Vox Media. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f 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 June 15, 2024 – via National Archives.
  6. ^ a b Showley, Roger (September 6, 2014). "Downtown YMCA Closing". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Mest, Elliott (October 5, 2018). "Oram Hotels, Azul Hospitality Group to open San Diego's The Guild". Hotel Management. Questex. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Weisberg, Lori (June 11, 2019). "$80M luxury hotel opens — in former downtown San Diego YMCA". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  9. ^ 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 June 15, 2024.
  10. ^ 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 June 15, 2024.
  11. ^ "NYE 2024: A Centennial Celebration at The Guild Hotel". San Diego Magazine. December 31, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  12. ^ Vora, Shivani (September 25, 2021). "Here Are the Must-See San Diego Hotels on Our Radar". Architectural Digest. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  13. ^ 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 June 15, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Dorris, Jesse (October 25, 2019). "Sormeh Rienne Blends Retro European and American Touches at San Diego's The Guild Hotel". Interior Design. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  15. ^ Varner, Carmen (April 16, 2021). "10 Things We Love About The Guild Hotel in Downtown San Diego". Locale Magazine. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  16. ^ Apeles, Teena (February 12, 2024). "The best San Diego hotels for every kind of traveler". National Geographic. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
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