C Street Inn

Last updated
C Street Inn
C Street Inn (2013).jpeg
The building in 2013
C Street Inn
Former names
  • Hotel Polhemus (1913–31)
  • Cecil Hotel (1931–90s)
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeApartment hotel (SRO) [1]
Architectural styleEdwardian Commercial
Location Core
Address630–636 C St, San Diego, California, 92101, United States
Town or city San Diego
Country United States of America
Coordinates 32°43′01.1″N117°09′31.6″W / 32.716972°N 117.158778°W / 32.716972; -117.158778
Completed1913
Opened1914 (1914)
Cost$75,000
OwnerJax Properties LLC
LandlordJack Shah Rafiq
Height
Top floor6
Technical details
Structural systemConcrete and brick
Floor count6 above ground; 1 basement level
Design and construction
Architect(s)Hamilton & Smith Brothers
DeveloperChaffey Concrete Construction Company
Known for
  • Class A
  • fireproof
Other information
Number of rooms100 [2]

The C Street Inn, formerly known as the Hotel Polhemus and Cecil Hotel, is an affordable housing complex in downtown San Diego Core District that was vacated in 2022 due to egregious conditions. It was built in 1912 and opened in 1913 with 100 rooms.

Contents

Since the 2010s, the basement was utilized as a performance venue for the San Diego International Fringe Festival and it has been a filming location for independent films. In 2022, the city began a relocation process for all of the hotel's residents after it was vacated for its awful living environment.

Throughout the hotel's history, several minor fires caused damage, triggering temporary evacuations and it has been the location of numerous criminal incidents.

History

The concrete building was erected in 1912 for $75,000. Hamilton & Smith Brothers planned for the first floor to be occupied by stores. Chaffey Concrete Construction Company was assigned to construct the building [3] located at 630–636 C Street [4] [5] [6] in Core, San Diego. [7]

1913–1930: Hotel Polhemus

Artwork of the building in 1914 Hotel Polhemus (1914).jpg
Artwork of the building in 1914

In 1913, Willis P. Polhemus owned the new building and the land it sat on. [8] [9] R.B. Thorbus was the proprietor and manager in 1914. [8] [10] Florence C. Thorbus ran the La Mesa School of Expression for Motion Pictures out of the hotel. [11]

In January 1920, the Industrial Welfare Commission held a meeting at the hotel, focusing on minimum wages for employed women in San Diego. [12] That same month librarian Mary Elizabeth Downey stayed at the Polhemus while in town to speak at the San Diego Public Library. [13] In 1921, A.P. Wilkinson sold the hotel to George A. Brown and J. H. Sprague. [14] In 1929, Hotel del Coronado room clerk Edgar P. Schiller was hired as manager after the Polhemus was leased to George W. Wood. [15]

1931–1990: Cecil Hotel

The building in the 1930s Hotel Cecil (San Diego 1930s).jpg
The building in the 1930s

In 1931, the Cecil was relocated to the Polhemus building that was refurnished, redecorated, and expanded to 100 rooms from its former location. [2] Roland Schneider was elected secretary and former secretary Whitten was elected treasurer. [16] In 1934, Polhemus sold the property to an undisclosed buyer for $75,000. [9]

In 1990, a fire started on the third floor, which 25 tenants were evacuated. A cigarette from a new tenant caused a blaze of $2,500 in damages. [17]

1991–2022: C Street Inn

In the 1990s, Hotel Cecil became known as the C Street Inn. [17] [18] In 1998, the inn was damaged from a fire and 40 people were evacuated due to a cigarette igniting a mattress on the fourth floor. [19] [20] In 1999, another fire broke out causing evacuation of the building. Police safely helped a man who jumped out of his hotel window to avoid smoke inhalation. [18] [21]

In 2009, the hotel faced a default. [22] In 2014, a body was found by a maintenance worker after a guest complained of an odor. Police said it was not a suspicious death. [23]

Vacate and tenant relocation

In 2022, the hotel had to be vacated for infestations of mold, rodents, fire hazards and horrid living conditions. [24] [25] The city and attorney Mara Elliott said owner Jack Shah Rafiq and his company Jax Properties LLC [4] [26] [27] would be held responsible for covering the occupants' relocation costs that totaled $339,840. [24] [28] Rafiq appealed and claimed the city wanted low-income residents out of the area. [1] [29]

A fire marshal and police attempted to get people out in April, but that was unsuccessful after they spoke with Rafiq. Tenants received a 10 day eviction notice in May that was not followed up. [30] Elliott announced in July that the building was a public nuisance and that residents would be relocated. [26] [31] Neil Rico was living in the building at the time and claimed the situation was unfair to tenants who relied on the living quarters there to meet their fixed and limited incomes. [24] In August, a receiver was appointed control of the property. [26]

Basement

The basement of the building has entrances from the main lobby of the hotel and a stairway from a business entrance on Seventh Ave. [32] In the mid 2010s, the basement was used as a performance venue called Gray Area Multimedia, [33] [34] formerly known as Rosewood Five Studios at 1150 Seventh Ave. [35] [36] [37] The San Diego International Fringe Festival occupied the space in 2017 [35] and Luke Pensabene managed the location. [34] [38]

Pensabene helped produce several independent films that recorded principal photography in the basement such as South of 8 , [39] The Phantom Hour , [40] Friend of the World , [34] Hacksaw, [41] Touch, [42] and Everybody Dies by the End . [43]

Criminal incidents

In April 1916, after kicking several trash cans, Los Angeles resident William Haupt was arrested outside the building by Officer Tim Holcomb. [44] Later that year, a man was arrested for attempting to steal a tire from the building clerk's automobile. [45] [46] In 1918, fifteen year old William Dowlar, who was a bellboy at the hotel, was arrested for stealing a $150 diamond, a kodak, and a fountain pen from a hotel guest. [47]

In 1921, Franklin McGuire was arrested for shortly after stealing over $100 worth of clothes from a room in the building. [48] In 1922, two armed men were arrested in downtown San Diego after briefly being pursued by police. [49] They were wanted for holding up the building's hotel clerk R. W. Smith. During the attempted robbery, there was a scuffle and a gun was discharged but no one was injured. The thieves had previously made off with a suitcase with $150 in clothes from the nearby Panama Hotel, [50] and were already wanted by police in Long Beach, California [51] after robbing an apartment clerk of $45, [52] and stealing a car in Sacramento. [49] [53] They were set for a bail of $1,000 each [54] and were suspected in other recent thefts. [55]

In 1931, night clerk P. W. Price was robbed at gunpoint on the second floor of the building. [56] In 1932, night clerks of the building and nearby Churchill Hotel were robbed within an hour of each other. [5]

In 1958, clerk Charles Sutter was robbed of $150 by the "Elevator Bandit" who forced him into the building's elevator and escaped while the elevator ascended. [57]

In September 1978, the building was one of ten hotels in the downtown area raided by the San Diego Police Department. Policewomen went undercover as prostitutes, rented rooms, and made 15 arrests. [58] [59] That same month, Moses Franklin was arrested for assault in a room he shared with a teenage runaway from Tucson, Arizona. [60]

In 1992, William Dean Short, a prison escapee from Muskogee, Oklahoma, was caught and arrested in the building. [61] In 1999, Lt. Ray Sigwalt said San Diego police homicide was called after a 66 year old man died from a sixth floor fall into the building's air shaft. [62]

In 2022, the city alleges that excessive criminal activity was reported in the building. Police responded 190 times over a three year period since May 2019, spending 465 hours to address burglaries, public intoxication, and other nuisances. [63] [64] [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scripps Institution of Oceanography</span> Center for ocean and Earth science research

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is the center for oceanography and Earth science at the University of California, San Diego. Its main campus is located in La Jolla, with additional facilities in Point Loma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bishop's School</span> Private, day, college-prep school in La Jolla, California, United States

The Bishop's School is an independent college preparatory Episcopal day school in La Jolla, a community in San Diego, California. Bishop's is known for its reputation in academics, arts, and athletics, as well as its sizable endowment. The school offers courses for students in the sixth through twelfth grades and has an 8:1 student-teacher ratio.

<i>The San Diego Union-Tribune</i> Daily newspaper in San Diego, California

The San Diego Union-Tribune is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868. Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, The San Diego Union and the San Diego Evening Tribune. The name changed to U-T San Diego in 2012 but was changed again to The San Diego Union-Tribune in 2015.

City Heights is a dense urban community in central San Diego, California, known for its ethnic diversity. The area was previously known as East San Diego. City Heights is located south of Mission Valley and northeast of Balboa Park.

Poway High School is a four-year high school in Poway, California. Established in 1961, its approximately 2,408 students are from Poway and the community of Rancho Bernardo. It is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown San Diego</span> City center of San Diego, California, United States

Downtown San Diego is the central business district of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. It houses the major local headquarters of the city, county, state, and federal governments. The area comprises seven districts: Gaslamp Quarter, East Village, Columbia, Marina, Cortez Hill, Little Italy, and Core.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montgomery High School (San Diego)</span> Public school in San Diego, California, California, United States

Montgomery High School (MOH) is a four-year public high school in the city of San Diego, California, United States. It opened in 1970 in the Otay Mesa neighborhood. Montgomery High School serves more than 2,500 students. It is named after pioneer aviator John J. Montgomery, who made the first manned glider flight in U.S. history from a hill in the area where the school is located.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U.S. Grant Hotel</span> United States historic place

The U.S. Grant Hotel is a historic hotel in downtown San Diego, California. It operates under a franchise of Marriott International as part of their Luxury Collection brand. One of the oldest hotels in San Diego, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is 11 stories high and has 270 guest rooms in addition to meeting rooms and multiple ballrooms.

MNG Enterprises, Inc., doing business as Digital First Media and MediaNews Group, is a Denver, Colorado, United States–based newspaper publisher owned by Alden Global Capital. As of May 2021, it owns over 100 newspapers and 200 assorted other publications.

Times Media Group is an American media company based in the state of Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doug Manchester</span> American businessman (born 1942)

Douglas Frederick Manchester is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the former chairman of Manchester Financial Group, past chairman and publisher of The San Diego Union-Tribune, and an unsuccessful nominee to become United States Ambassador to the Bahamas. Manchester, who prefers to be called "Papa Doug", has built some of the tallest hotels and office buildings in San Diego, including Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina and Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, and is credited as a driving force behind the development of the San Diego Convention Center. Manchester also built the triple 5-star Grand Del Mar Resort & Spa, which was sold to Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in 2015, and he maintains a minority ownership. Manchester also built the Torrey Executive Centre, Manchester Financial Building, Whitetail Lodge and Golf Club, Fairmont Austin and is currently building the Manchester Pacific Gateway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Diego Trust and Savings Bank Building</span> Historic building in San Diego, California, U.S.

The San Diego Trust and Savings Bank Building is an historic building in San Diego, in the U.S. state of California. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpha Iota</span> American collegiate business sorority

Alpha Iota (ΑΙ) is a national collegiate professional sorority for women in the field of business. It was established in 1925 at the American Institute of Business in Des Moines, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Gridley Severance</span> American artist

Julia Gridley Severance was an American artist, sculptor and puppeteer. The Julia Severance Faculty Studio at Oberlin College is her former studio, and is named for her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Center (Chicago)</span> Chicago Tribune newspaper printing facility.

Freedom Center, also known as the Chicago Tribune Publishing Center, is the printing plant and headquarters for the Chicago Tribune, as well as the printing facility for other publications such as the Chicago Sun-Times. It closed May 2024 and is currently in the middle of demolition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucita Covera</span> American dancer

Lucita Covera, born Lucetta Reynolds, sometimes seen as Lucita Corvera Hall or Lucita Ward, was an American dancer in Broadway shows and other revues. She was described as the "Most Perfect Girl" in publicity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecil Hotel (San Diego)</span> Building in Core, San Diego

The Cecil Hotel, also known as Hotel Cecil and formerly known as the Crane Hotel, opened in 1912 as the first steel frame structure in San Diego and the only class A, fireproof building in the city.

References

  1. 1 2 Davis, Dillon (2022-07-25). "Downtown hotel with 'deplorable' conditions vacated by city". KSWB-TV . Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  2. 1 2 "Hotel Cecil in San Diego moves into new place". Imperial Valley Press . 1931-01-03. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-10-06– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Contract Let For Six-Story Hotel". San Diego Union and Daily Bee. 1912-07-14. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  4. 1 2 Jennewein, Chris (2022-07-26). "City Attorney Orders Crumbling SRO Hotel Downtown to Be Vacated". Times of San Diego . Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  5. 1 2 "Hotels Lose $60 To Bandit: Robber Carefully Wipes Away Fingerprints". The San Diego Sun. 1932-04-02. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-10-03– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO Historical Resources Board" (PDF). California Historical Resources Inventory Database. 2003-11-07. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  7. ↑ "State of California - The Resources Agency DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION PRIMARY RECORD" (PDF). California Historical Resources Inventory Database. 2003. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
  8. 1 2 "Hotel lease and furnishings sold to Kansas man". San Diego Union and Daily Bee. 1920-06-27. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  9. 1 2 "Cecil Hotel Sold". The San Diego Sun. 1934-02-12. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-10-03– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Here It Is --- Look!". The San Diego Sun. 1914-03-27. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-10-07– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Thorbus, Florence C. (1915-07-08). "La Mesa School of Expression for Motion Pictures". Daily Times-Advocate . p. 3. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "To explain details of women's wage law". San Diego Union and Daily Bee. 1920-01-06. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  13. ↑ "Prominent Librarian to Speak Tonight". The San Diego Sun. 1920-01-13. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Big Reality Deals Are Consumated". The San Diego Sun. 1921-04-04. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Hotel is Leased". The San Diego Sun. 1929-01-07. p. 10. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Mosher Takes Office Tonight". The San Diego Sun. 1931-01-19. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-10-03– via Newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 "25 Evacuated During Apartment Blaze". The Los Angeles Times . 1990-06-21. ProQuest   281178609 . Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  18. 1 2 "Man leaps to escape hotel fire". North County Times. 1999-07-24. p. 23. Retrieved 2024-10-03– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "40 evacuated when fire damages downtown hotel". San Diego Union Tribune . ProQuest   271616823 . Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  20. ↑ "Early morning fire rousts hotel guests; none injured | Burning mattress in 4th-floor hall". San Diego Union Tribune . ProQuest   271623161 . Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  21. ↑ Hughes, Joe (1999-07-24). "Fire routs residents | 1 injured in 2-alarm blaze at SRO hotel; halogen lamp cited". San Diego Union Tribune . ProQuest   271643843 . Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  22. ↑ Lewis, Connie (2009-07-06). "Number of Hotel Foreclosures, Defaults Increasing". San Diego Business Journal . p. 4. ProQuest   226944527 . Retrieved 2024-10-03.
  23. ↑ Kucher, Karen (2014-12-01). "Body found in downtown SD hotel". San Diego Union-Tribune . Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  24. 1 2 3 Ramirez, Jasmine (2022-07-25). "Downtown San Diego hotel to be vacated due to rodents, mold, other hazards". KFMB-TV . Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  25. ↑ "Downtown San Diego hotel to be vacated due to `deplorable' conditions". KGTV . 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  26. 1 2 3 Figueroa, Teri (2022-09-30). "San Diego City Attorney seeking penalties from owner of downtown hotel declared 'public nuisance'". San Diego Union-Tribune . Archived from the original on 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  27. ↑ "Downtown News Briefs – Feb. 2023". SDNews.com. 2023-02-08. Archived from the original on 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  28. ↑ "Ayuntamiento: Propietario de hotel de 109 años de antigüedad en el centro de San Diego recibe orden para ayudar a reubicar a 72 ocupantes". Telemundo San Diego (20) (in Spanish). 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  29. ↑ "Downtown San Diego hotel to be vacated because of 'deplorable' conditions". KPBS Public Media . 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  30. ↑ Warth, Gary; Cook, Morgan (2022-07-27). "Hotel residents say future uncertain as they face eviction from building city says is unsafe". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Archived from the original on 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  31. 1 2 Elliott, Mara W. (2022-07-25). "Downtown Residential Hotel Ordered to Vacate" (PDF). City of San Diego.
  32. ↑ Cook, Morgan (2022-08-24). "Some tenants of downtown hotel fear city eviction will lead to homelessness". San Diego Union-Tribune . Archived from the original on 2024-10-04. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  33. ↑ "Friend of the World at Gray Area Multimedia - filming location". Sceen It. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  34. 1 2 3 Stone, Ken (2020-07-25). "San Diego's Spielberg? Q&A With Director Brian Butler Near Sci-Fi Film Premiere". Times of San Diego . Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  35. 1 2 Eadie, Bill (2017-06-27). "Handicapping the Fringe – San Diego Story". San Diego Story. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  36. ↑ Accomando, Beth (2016-06-23). "Survival Guide To San Diego International Fringe". KPBS Public Media . Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  37. ↑ Smith, Jeff (2016-06-30). "SD Fringe: Recommendations for final days". San Diego Reader . Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  38. ↑ "Irontree Films – We're Filmmakers from San Diego" . Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  39. ↑ Golden III, Lee B. (2015-10-29). "Watch The New Trailer For Tony Olmos's Grim Crime Pic, SOUTH OF 8". Film Combat Syndicate. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  40. ↑ Charybdis Pictures (2019-08-02). Making Movies - Behind the Scenes of "The Phantom Hour" (Video). Retrieved 2024-10-05– via YouTube.
  41. ↑ DeFellipo, Michael (2019-09-15). "Review: Anthony Leone's "Hacksaw"". Horror Society. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  42. ↑ Brewer, Mac (2022-07-05). "Teaser & Poster for Short Horror Thriller 'Touch' by Justin Burquist". Horror Society (Press release). Archived from the original on 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
  43. ↑ "Everybody Dies by the End". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  44. ↑ "Maybe They Don't Have Garbage Cans in L.A." The San Diego Sun. 1916-04-10. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  45. ↑ "Here, There and Everywhere". The San Diego Sun. 1916-07-07. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  46. ↑ "Six Months". The San Diego Sun. 1916-07-07. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  47. ↑ "15 October 1918 —". San Diego Union and Daily Bee. 1918-10-15. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  48. ↑ "Wore the Clothes". The San Diego Sun. 1921-03-29. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  49. 1 2 "Armed Men Admit Polhemus Holdup". The San Diego Sun. 1922-10-07. p. 25. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  50. ↑ "Armed Pair Admit Hotel Holdup Job". The San Diego Sun. 1922-10-07. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  51. ↑ "Men Arrested In South Identified As Wanted Here". The Long Beach Telegram and The Long Beach Daily News. 1922-10-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  52. ↑ "Pair Identified as Bandits by Beach Resident". The Los Angeles Times . 1922-10-17. p. 38. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  53. ↑ "Robbers caught on city street confess charge". San Diego Union and Daily Bee. 1922-10-08. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  54. ↑ "Hold Alleged Bandits". The San Diego Sun. 1922-10-10. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  55. ↑ "5 Robberies in 48 Hours; Thieves Flee". The San Diego Sun. 1922-10-06. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-10-08– via Newspapers.com.
  56. ↑ "Thug Takes $31 in Hotel Theft". The San Diego Sun. 1931-01-05. p. 16. Retrieved 2024-10-03– via Newspapers.com.
  57. ↑ "Elevator Bandit Suspect Held in Long Beach". San Diego Union Tribune . 1958-01-21.
  58. ↑ Garlington, Phil (1978-09-15). "Police Raid 10 Downtown Hotels". The Los Angeles Times . p. 19. Retrieved 2024-10-03– via Newspapers.com.
  59. ↑ Garlington, Phil (1978-09-15). "Downtown Hotel Raid". The Los Angeles Times . p. 23. Retrieved 2024-10-03– via Newspapers.com.
  60. ↑ "Man Accused". San Diego Union Tribune . 1978-09-28.
  61. ↑ "Escaped Convict Arrested at Hotel". The Los Angeles Times . 1992-05-13. p. 189. ProQuest   281562790 . Retrieved 2024-10-03– via Newspapers.com.
  62. ↑ Hughes, Joe (1999-08-13). "Man, 66, found dead on hotel landing". San Diego Union Tribune . ProQuest   271663672 . Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  63. ↑ "Owner of 'Squalid' 109-Year-Old Hotel in Downtown San Diego Ordered to Help Relocate 72 Occupants: City". KNSD . 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  64. ↑ Berjan, Sarah (2022-07-25). "109-year-old hotel in Downtown San Diego to be vacated due to 'deplorable' conditions". ChulaVistaToday.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.