The historic Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, Calif.. is closed for renovations. Ordinarily, this would be good news for a distinctive structure built in 1924 and probably needs the work.
However, preservationists fret that the work will endanger the hotel’s listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
The San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported:
The work is expected to include a restaurant remodel, roof repairs and electrical and plumbing maintenance, Monrovia city planner Craig Jimenez said.
The city hasn’t received any permit applications yet, Jimenez said, but he doesn’t expect the scope of work to conflict with its historic status. […]
However, previous owner Kathie Reece-McNeill said she suspects the renovations could end up violating provisions of the Aztec Hotel’s historic structure report, a guideline on historic property use that was funded by her and the California Route 66 Preservation Foundation.
The new owners are a group from China, Reece-McNeill said, and she’s heard rumors they plan to increase room sizes by knocking down some of the interior walls.
“It would be wonderful to think they have the same value for history that we do. They don’t,” she said.
Reece-McNeill and other preservationists with the foundation sent a letter to the City of Monrovia about their concerns.
The only business that will remain open in the hotel during its remodeling is the Aztec Barber Shop. In the meantime, Mayor Mary Ann Lutz expressed optimism that the renovations will bring a positive impact to the community.
The Hotel was designed and built by Los Angeles architect Robert Stacy-Judd. He took his inspiration for the hotel’s unique design from an 1840s book about Mayan ruins. More about the hotel’s history can be read here.
We must have missed the news before? When did it actually sell, what were the final circumstances and who are the new owners??? The Aztec is a truly unique treasure of history, and should come out something like the Campbell Hotel in comparible quality after any renovation.
I guess we’ll have to be happy it’s saved as a hotel for now, but it’s true use is the 5 star luxury joint it once was when it was built in 1924, and as an anchor hotel for the nearby upscaled shopping district. Anything less, and I fear the property will end up in peril again down the road?
Absolutely gorgeous piece of history, and very significant to California, we’ve never understood the lack of adequate interest by it’s own community – but be sure you get to see it somehow, a true treasure!
The community and the owners have long seemed at odds to me. Its stature and its use do not seem to mix well within the structure of the city. Ultimately, finding a mix of historic preservation and current mixed-use is ideal but a fine line. I, personally, would not want to be the one to walk that line.
I value Kathie’s efforts. But the reality is that making an historic Route 66 landmark hotel viable in Southern California will not work until the rest of the world realize that Los Angeles was the destination for Route 66 travel and decide to venture to Southern California and explore the fabled highway and its surroundings, and that currently does not seem to be the reality.
Ummm – you mean by the rest of the world, the 100’s of thousands of tourists that drive Route 66 each year, including California???
San Bernardino has made a great start with their new signage, but otherwise how would anyone even know where to drive California’s old route, especially where the Aztec is located?
Ever seen the movie Seabiscuit? Makes me think of the Aztec and Santa Anita horse races all the time, not only Route 66! The Aztec as a luxury hotel in particular, should be the most natural anchor available, to the nearby Myrtle Ave.’s upscale shopping district. Not to mention the “Crown Jewel” of all Monrovia, with all the stars that used to stay there!
There’s more than enough tourism for all of Route 66 out there. The first and most basic point we try to get across to those trying to promote their sections, is to go back out there and drive it again yourself – now forget what you know about Route 66, pretend you’re from a foriegn country and you’ve never been to America, you have no book to guide you, your cell phone has no signal and you’ve got no gps! NOW – how would you know how to stay on Route 66???
Your tourists are out there, you’re just not showing them where to go, they go to the Wigwam & the Pier everyday…
I loathe to put words in Scott’s mouth, but I think he’s saying a lot of Route 66 travelers tend to bypass Route 66 once they get to the Los Angeles region by hitting the freeways. Admittedly, this is anecdotal evidence, but I’ve been hearing it for years.
Scott is welcome to correct or elaborate on what I’ve said.
Probably still in large part, due to the confusing maze of driving out there, and inadequate signage. Using that particular area as an example, there’s a dead end on Foothill Blvd. over there in Monrovia, that you have to make your way around to get to the other side – how would one know there even is another side to pick back up? If you do happen to be on the freeway coming into town, where’s the signs saying exit here to Route 66? Why is it called Foothill Blvd., instead of Route 66???
Yes – WE – know most of the answers to these questions, but the tourist from another country doing their best to stay on the road doesn’t, not to mention the intimidation they must feel the first time they hit traffic in L.A.? Heck, if you’re not from there, yet have lived in the U.S. all your life, just try getting to the Pier your first time out in big city traffic! lol
They need signage from Arizona all the way to the Pier! Progress has been made with the new San Bernardino 66 signs, but what would really be nice, is a uniform NATIONAL signage program, frequently spaced out all the way across the route, from one end to the other.
Make the Aztec the luxury hotel it should be, however, and I doubt any of these things will be it’s major issue? The residential neighborhood behind it is very nice, and so is the shopping district just down the corner. Make it high quality like the new Campbell Hotel, preserve it’s history, and the people will come – in droves!
Trying to survive on a local dive bar crowd – HUGE – mistake…
Hey, RT, where do you live and how often have you been to Los Angeles on 66? Having the Aztec be a luxury hotel for ANYONE coming to Los Angeles is really a difficult prospect, as it is not in Los Angeles, and quite a distance from anything else “luxury.” The reason it did well as a luxury hotel in 1925 is because it was far away from LA and a retreat option. The sprawl of the 40’s and 50’s car culture (that so many 66’ers romanticize about and which grew out of Los Angeles!) made the Aztec no longer a “retreat” but yet not close enough to remain luxury. It is still that way. Hence, mixed-use must be the option. 66 travelers alone will never by able to support this landmark simply because, as Ron stated, once arriving in San Bernardino they largely forsake the road that has brought them so far. The reasons why, well, many can argue that. I won’t add my voice here, for Ron’s sake.
I agree with Scott that mixed use would be the best — if not ideal — use for the hotel, given the area and the circumstances.
And the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has repeatedly supported adaptive reuse of historic properties such as the Aztec. It is correct that there aren’t enough Route 66 travelers to support the Aztec as simply a hotel. So you have to find other sources of revenue for it.
Ummm – having a luxury hotel, not only has absolutely nothing to do with mixed use, but most actually have mixed use anyway, as has been the case with the Aztec for years, just nothing of high quality, like the awesome potential for the old coffee shop on the corner? Perhaps a flower shop, that could also be used for guests? Or the Barber Shop, turned into a salon?
As for L.A., and I have lived nearby years ago, I and many tourists I have encountered from around the world traveling Route 66, aren’t much interested in the big cities (except Vegas of course), but rather the small treasures along the way like Monrovia and the Aztec. If you live nearby, you might choose to focus to the west of it and the ghetto, while I choose to focus on IT as one of California’s most significant architectural finds, and the nearby restored neighborhood and shopping district?
You might also choose to think no way on the coffee shop, because there’s a Starbucks across the street, while my experience tells me many are tired of the chains and prefer something unique?
Everyone has an opinion, I guess that’s just mine, which doesn’t make either of you more right, or mine more wrong? Mine just comes from almost 30 years in the hotel business???
Was opened in September of 1925.