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Old Posted Jul 20, 2014, 1:40 AM
Jjs5056 Jjs5056 is offline
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Hilton Garden Inn/Professional Building Renovation (15 E Monroe)

*feel free to merge into either PHX News or the original Hotel Monroe thread; not sure if this is still the preferred process.

Project Details
PROJECT: Hilton Garden Inn/Professional Building
ADDRESS: 15 E Monroe, Phoenix AZ
DEVELOPMENT TEAM: CSM Corporation
SCOPE: The project includes renovation of the historic Art Deco exterior and the installation of new insulated windows; new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems; as well as full renovation of the magnificent, soaring former bank lobby inside, which will serve as the main reception and gathering place for hotel guests. This space will include a lobby bar and a grab & go coffee area for guests. The hotel will consist of 165 guestrooms on 12 floors, a rooftop terrace, 5000 square feet of meeting space, a business center, 1300-square-foot fitness center, and on-site parking. The project will also include approximately 8000 square feet of retail space along Central Avenue. CSM Lodging is currently meeting with potential tenants and exploring the right complements to the property. Originally intended for completion by SuperBowl 2015, permits have just begun being pulled as of July 2014, making that timeline seem unreasonable.

History

THE PROFESSIONAL BUILDING
The Professional Building has a rich and diverse history in Phoenix. The 13-story Art Deco structure opened in 1932 in the depths of the Great Depression, housing the offices for Valley Bank & Trust on the three lower levels and the Maricopa County Medical Society above. Designed in the classic Art Deco style of the period with strong vertical lines, a central tower with set-back wings and windows, and decorative grills above the main entrance doors on Monroe Street and Central Avenue, the building was later crowned with a vast rotating Valley Bank sign, which became iconic and remained for many years. This sign and the Valley Bank & Trust building received a nod in 1960 from legendary Hollywood director, Alfred Hitchcock, as it can be seen in the opening scenes of one of his most storied films, Psycho. The bank also added a private dining club on the 12th floor for their top clients. To do so, a cantilevered walkway was constructed that gives that floor a unique appearance.

In 1993, the Professional Building was included on the National Register of Historic Places.

HOTEL MONROE [2007 - 2009]
During the boom years, the Professional Building was better known as "Hotel Monroe," the boutique hotel that Grace Communities was planning on converting the art deco building into. The extravagant remodel included an assortment of high-class amenities open to the public, which would have given downtown a much needed infusion of quality, around the clock, entertainment. These amenities included a late-night diner (6am-2am), rooftop night club (open until 2am on weekends), wine bar fitted into the old bank vault (open until 1am), lobby piano bar, pastry shop, chocolate bar, and space for street-facing tenants.

**For a walk down memory lane of one of Mortgages LTD greatest downtown victims, see the original thread: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=141488

DUE DILIGENCE DISAPPOINTMENTS [2010 - 2013]

Since property switched hands and a new developer sought, several groups have come forward with interest in completing the original plans. Each year, a new deal was set to close, only to fail during due diligence. Lack of parking, damaged infrastructure due to the elements, and other excuses made up the list of reasons, until fall 2013 when a San Diego-based firm made it further than any past offers. Specializing in similar boutique remodeling, Grasshopper One LLC missed several dates and from out of nowhere, the building was signed-sealed-delivered to CSM Lodging out of Minnesota, known more for its collection of brand-name hotels than work with historic properties or boutique hotel development.



CSM Portfolio: http://csmcorp.net/u/lodging/
Articles on the CSM purchase:
Potential HP Conflict to Watch: CSM hasn't decided what to do with the adjacent Lodge to the east on Monroe; said building is the oldest building still standing on the original Phoenix townsite. The previous developers planned to demolish the building, but CSM seems more open to leaving it in tact, and the political landscape regarding historic structures has seemed to trend toward preservation it would seem, as compared to 6 years ago. Given the decrease in unique, public-facing amenities part of this project compared to a Boutique route, it would be great to see it preserved and turned into a nightclub or some other use not only open to guests to use, as the lobby bar and other Monroe-facing retail will be.

Last edited by Jjs5056; Jul 20, 2014 at 2:46 AM.
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  #2  
Old Posted Jul 20, 2014, 1:41 AM
Jjs5056 Jjs5056 is offline
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First signs of life, via NICK252.

Quote:
Plan # PAPP 1402565
Plan Description MONROE HILTON GARDEN INN
Project 07-3712 HOTEL MONROE

Description/Scope of Work:
Owner Information
Address
PRE-APPLICATION SCREEN
Contractor Information
Name
TEAM LEADER:J. BLAKLEY
PLANNER:M. VICTOR
TRAFFIC ENG. FANCON
CIVIL ENG:S. BAHRAINI
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:CONVERT HISTORIC BUILDING TO HOTEL WITH 1ST FLOOR RETAIL
DRAINAGE REPORT:
GRADING & DRAINAGE:
PAVING:
CONCRETE:
WATER MAIN EXTENSION:
SEWER MAIN EXTENSION:
PLAT:
ABANDONMENT:
DEDICATION:
TRAFFIC STUDY:
SITE PLAN FEE:$1200.00
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Old Posted Jul 20, 2014, 2:24 AM
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combusean combusean is offline
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I think Hotel Monroe is a separate, failed project, and altho it may be premature for a whole thread dedicated to a building with only a pre-application conference permit, there's probably no better place to post new news about it.

I like the writeup and short-term history anyways.
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Old Posted Jul 21, 2014, 6:57 PM
turpentyne turpentyne is offline
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I know it's off-topic, but I'm curious to hear more about that lodge. To my recollection it is not actually the oldest. An old adobe storehouse owned by Darrell Duppa is the oldest - behind VFW Post 41.
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Old Posted Jul 21, 2014, 7:15 PM
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HooverDam HooverDam is offline
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Originally Posted by turpentyne View Post
I know it's off-topic, but I'm curious to hear more about that lodge. To my recollection it is not actually the oldest. An old adobe storehouse owned by Darrell Duppa is the oldest - behind VFW Post 41.
The quote from above was that the Lodge is the oldest building from the original town site, the Duppa structure was south of the town site.

Of course, where downtown Phoenix is today isn't even the original town site (that was nearer to 44th St/Washington). But our current downtown was the first successful/permanent town site. The Lodge is from 1889, I think the Frye Building (where Majerle's is) is slightly older if memory serves.

The Steinegger Lodge was used as sort of a flop house at various times in its history, a single room occupancy hotel, and an extended stay sort of hotel. The white front you see on it isn't original, it actually has a nice brick Victorian facade underneath that. If you go into the alley behind the building you can see the brick on the back of the building and get some sense of what the front might have looked like.

During the Hotel Monroe construction workers were apparently throwing demolished debris out of the taller building onto the Lodge, punching holes into its roof. The westernmost wall of the Lodge is also beginning to bend East, so that's not great.

The hotel project is getting HP grants to fix it up, and as part of that they'd be prevented from demolishing the Lodge (you can't use HP money to fix one historic building and destroy another, makes sense). Though that may only be true for a set period of time, i.e. 5 years or so, I can't recall the rules specifically.

The Lodge could become a really cool bar/restaurant/club space for the hotel. Or it could return to a use more similar to its past and perhaps be a hostel, that'd be terrific for downtown.
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Old Posted Jul 22, 2014, 12:06 AM
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combusean combusean is offline
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Phoenix approved of HP money to renovate the Luhrs midrises at the same time they approved the demolition of the Luhrs Central Building.

Don't put anything past the city if an RFP is involved.
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Old Posted Jul 22, 2014, 5:16 AM
Jjs5056 Jjs5056 is offline
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Let me know if the bit regarding the Steinneger Lodge needs to be modified for accuracy; I've seen the brick in the back and think it'd be foolish of the developers to toss away the chance at creating something unique out of it given the current pressures on historic preservation. Now is a great time for developers to step up and promote any kind of HP they're doing (though I'm growing sick of the phrase 'adaptive reuse' especially when used to describe an old restaurant restored to become a new restaurant? Sigh.) - or, maybe I'm wrong and need to remember this is Phoenix, after all.

The developers earned praise for their only other major historic project in Minnesota, so here's hoping they treat this site equally as well. A hostel sounds intriguing, but I would rather it become a nightclub or some sort of late night destination given the lack of those amenities that'll come with the Hilton brand on site.

I'm probably wrong, but I always feel the mass amount of law firms and other low commercial uses along Roosevelt, 1st Ave and a few other areas are a miss and always wish they'd be converted to residential or Bed and Breakfasts; but, a hostel would be just as useful. I'm thinking buildings like The Knights of Pythias building on 1st Ave.
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Old Posted Jul 29, 2014, 10:24 PM
ASU Diablo ASU Diablo is online now
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Nothing new but showing signs of life:

http://azbex.com/hotel-monroe-now-mo...tting-process/
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  #9  
Old Posted Jul 30, 2014, 3:16 AM
Jjs5056 Jjs5056 is offline
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When it comes to this building, ANY news is good news; I don't like that "the developers will enhance the Monroe streetscape with landscaping and a concrete dropoff" - trying hard not to keep comparing this to the former proposal, but seeing no mention of a restaurant, bar, or anything else opening up to Monroe (whether in a Lodge makeover, or where the windows are now) kind of stinks. That street already deals with Chase's moat and the Renaissance's empty retail/false retail windows, so some type of activation would have been nice since Central - 1st Ave is such a good stretch.
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Old Posted Sep 5, 2014, 5:17 AM
Jjs5056 Jjs5056 is offline
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Just so people don't freak out that this has died, they just now received their tax incentives. According to the permits I can find, they've already gotten approval for their site plan (option 2, according to the notes) - but, if someone more talented at the Phoenix.gov site wants to take a look, feel free.

One of the articles mentioned that the Monroe improvements are limited to just the dropoff for the hotel. Pretty disappointing, so fingers crossed that the Central Ave retail is a bit more exciting.

http://azbex.com/gplet-financing-hot...e-in-chandler/
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Old Posted Dec 18, 2014, 12:13 PM
Jjs5056 Jjs5056 is offline
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Site plan for the proposed retail space. 3 spaces, 2 fronting Monroe, 1 fronting Central.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...zyNvqekt2IIidg
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  #12  
Old Posted Jan 11, 2015, 7:25 AM
Freeway Freeway is offline
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It finally looks like work is beginning on the renovation. The sidewalk between Central and 1st Street on the south side of Monroe is closed. Also, a fence is up blocking half of Monroe in front of the Professional Building with a huge garbage container out front. It's sad that this was supposed to be nearing completion by now and it looks like preliminary site work is just now taking place.
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Old Posted Jan 19, 2015, 11:03 PM
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Active work zone as of today with dozens of construction workers one the ground floor, behind the scaffolding. Sign on the scaffolding reads "Hilton Garden Inn Coming 2016." I guess the developers and the city thought it would look bad to have this building sitting empty.
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Old Posted Jan 19, 2015, 11:10 PM
Jjs5056 Jjs5056 is offline
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I kind of hate that this building is only going to be a Hilton Garden Inn - that brand just invokes thoughts of bland, stucco suburban architecture. I wish the developers had been able to land a higher brand of Hilton, or pursued the boutique route originally planned.

Also, with a new restaurant opening in the former Renaissance Starbucks and in the historic building where Baja Fresh was, and the ground level retail in this hotel, Central/Monroe/Adams will really start feeling like an urban area. If only Central/Adams was developed into a decent project and Chase wasn't such a disaster...
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2015, 12:59 AM
Leo the Dog Leo the Dog is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jjs5056 View Post
I kind of hate that this building is only going to be a Hilton Garden Inn - that brand just invokes thoughts of bland, stucco suburban architecture. I wish the developers had been able to land a higher brand of Hilton, or pursued the boutique route originally planned.

Also, with a new restaurant opening in the former Renaissance Starbucks and in the historic building where Baja Fresh was, and the ground level retail in this hotel, Central/Monroe/Adams will really start feeling like an urban area. If only Central/Adams was developed into a decent project and Chase wasn't such a disaster...
I understand the stereotype visual you get of the Hilton Garden Inn, but at least it's a huge multi-national corporation that will be managing this property. Meaning, it will have to uphold brand standards (cleanliness) and not cut corners to save a buck.

It should end up a beautiful interior.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2015, 2:16 AM
PHXFlyer11 PHXFlyer11 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jjs5056 View Post
I kind of hate that this building is only going to be a Hilton Garden Inn - that brand just invokes thoughts of bland, stucco suburban architecture. I wish the developers had been able to land a higher brand of Hilton, or pursued the boutique route originally planned.

Also, with a new restaurant opening in the former Renaissance Starbucks and in the historic building where Baja Fresh was, and the ground level retail in this hotel, Central/Monroe/Adams will really start feeling like an urban area. If only Central/Adams was developed into a decent project and Chase wasn't such a disaster...
I think Palomar killed the possibilities of this being a boutique, oh well. At least this will add some life and restore the building. Glad to see both hotels moving forward now (Luhrs and Professional Building).
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2015, 2:18 AM
Jjs5056 Jjs5056 is offline
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Originally Posted by Leo the Dog View Post
I understand the stereotype visual you get of the Hilton Garden Inn, but at least it's a huge multi-national corporation that will be managing this property. Meaning, it will have to uphold brand standards (cleanliness) and not cut corners to save a buck.

It should end up a beautiful interior.
Good point. I just wish it were one of their full service brands, like an Embassy Suites or Hilton Hotel.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2015, 2:24 AM
HX_Guy HX_Guy is offline
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I wish it was something trendier like an Aloft, bring some energy to the area. Like it was mentioned, Hilton Garden Inn just sounds small town and boring. I can't see going to a cool bar at a Hilton Garden Inn.
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2015, 2:27 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jjs5056 View Post
I kind of hate that this building is only going to be a Hilton Garden Inn - that brand just invokes thoughts of bland, stucco suburban architecture. I wish the developers had been able to land a higher brand of Hilton, or pursued the boutique route originally planned.

Also, with a new restaurant opening in the former Renaissance Starbucks and in the historic building where Baja Fresh was, and the ground level retail in this hotel, Central/Monroe/Adams will really start feeling like an urban area. If only Central/Adams was developed into a decent project and Chase wasn't such a disaster...
Is that really an historic building? I thought it was built in the last 20 years. (I could be wrong, often am..)
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Old Posted Jan 20, 2015, 3:10 AM
Jjs5056 Jjs5056 is offline
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Originally Posted by HX_Guy View Post
I wish it was something trendier like an Aloft, bring some energy to the area. Like it was mentioned, Hilton Garden Inn just sounds small town and boring. I can't see going to a cool bar at a Hilton Garden Inn.
I can't see an Aloft in an historic building - they seem to have a defined architecture as part of their branding. I agree that there could be a disconnect between the HGI and type of retail we'd want to see... hopefully, being part of an historic building with hundreds of built-in patrons is more of a concern/draw than the brand.

But, I definitely agree that downtown is missing out on the lifestyle category which is really booming elsewhere... Hilton just launched its version called Canopy by Hilton which is a hyper-local boutique hotel in really distinct markets like The Pearl, Gaslamp, Bricktown, etc. It's too bad Roosevelt Row hasn't grown enough to really attract and sustain a new hotel, because that would be a great fit. If the Warehouse District was allowed to happen, that would've been another ideal location.

As for downtown, I think the Adams/Central is perfect for one of the other lifestyle brands like Aloft, Element by Westin, Hyatt House, AC by Marriott, etc. This ( http://whitneybellperry.com/past-projects/aloft-hotel/ ) just seems like a perfect fit, and 5200 sq feet of urban retail - not hidden by giant arches or in dark corners - would go a long way toward activating Adams. Ideally, I'd like to see it mixed use with apartments above, but I'll take the stubby hotel at this point.

Quote:
Is that really an historic building? I thought it was built in the last 20 years. (I could be wrong, often am..)
Honestly, you could be right. I just always assumed it was an older building as I can't imagine a developer wasting that space on a 1-story retail building. It also blocks off the retail of Renaissance Square, so I would think it wasn't deliberate. But, who knows?
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