The Lafayette Hotel, Swim Club & Bungalows is a hotel in San Diego, California, United States that opened July 1, 1946. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 31, 2012.[2][3]
The Lafayette's original name was Imig Manor, owned by local entrepreneur Larry Imig. The Lafayette was originally built at a cost of $2 million on El Cajon Boulevard. When Imig Manor opened in 1946, its first guest was Bob Hope; other celebrities followed.[4] “The buildings and the pool are steeped in the history of Hollywood’s heyday, the 1940s and ’50s,” according to the developer.[5]
By 1960, Interstate 8 replaced El Cajon Boulevard as the main east-west connector of San Diego, and hotel operations ceased due to the loss of through traffic on El Cajon Boulevard. The building was passed through several owners, until Hampstead Lafayette Partners purchased 2.6 acres (11,000 m2) in North Park, including the Lafayette Hotel, for $11.5 million in March 2004. Hampstead Partners is restoring the Lafayette as a boutique hotel. In 2010 a year-long, $4 million facelift was announced, aided by a $2.4 million loan from the city's Redevelopment Agency.[6] District 3 City Councilmember Todd Gloria called the revitalization a return to the hotel's “glamour and opulence.”[5]
The hotel was closed from fall 2022 to summer 2023 for extensive renovations, including upgrades for the guest rooms and the addition of eight new restaurants and bars.[7] The hotel reopened in July 2023 after a $31 million renovation.[8]
The hotel has a swimming pool designed by Johnny Weissmuller,[6] a ballroom, and 141 guest suites, each named for a great name in film history.
In popular culture
The Lafayette Hotel served as a film set for the feature film Top Gun.[6]
References
- ^ "Weekly list of actions taken on properties: 7/30/12 through 8/3/12". National Park Service. August 10, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2012.
- ^ Brown, Jodie; Winterrowd, Cathy (April 12, 2012). "STAFF RECOMMENDATION" (PDF). City of San Diego Historical Resources Board.
- ^ "NPGallery Asset Detail". National Park Service. July 31, 2012. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ Lafayette Hotel website:history
- ^ a b Joseph, Peña (April 16, 2010). "North Park hotel gets a $4 million face lift, greens operations in the process". San Diego News Network. Archived from the original on 2010-04-20. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ a b c "Lafayette Hotel to get $4 million rehab". North Park News. May 24, 2010. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
- ^ "San Diego's Historic The Lafayette Hotel To Close This Fall For $26 Million Renovation Including Addition Of Eight New Bars & Restaurants". SanDiegoVille.
- ^ Cross, Jared (July 10, 2023). "The LaFayette Hotel San Diego Reopens Following $31M Renovation". San Diego Magazine. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
External links
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