City, Kimpton Hotels Begin Talks on Historic Building

The City of Pasadena and San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants have signed a 120-day “exclusive negotiation agreement” (ENA) regarding the much-anticipated rehabilitation of an historic Julia Morgan-designed building near City Hall.

The City wants to restore the “Julia Morgan Building” in the Pasadena Civic Center District and will use the ENA to explore a potential partnership with Kimpton to transform the building into a fashionable, 150-room boutique hotel. Kimpton specializes in adapting historic landmark buildings and the goal of the ENA is to reach a long-term agreement to make the project a reality. No further details of the lease negotiation will be released until an agreement is reached and presented to the City Council for approval.

“The City is excited about preserving this historic building while also creating more upscale hotel lodging options that are being demanded by leisure and business travelers to Pasadena,” Pasadena Assistant City Manager Steve Mermell said.

Pasadena acquired the historic building in April 2012, culminating in many years of trying to purchase the building which was the original home of the local YWCA. The City’s primary goal for owning the building designed by famed architect Julia Morgan is to ensure its preservation and status on the National Register of Historic Places. The property is also designated as a historic monument by the City of Pasadena. Ms. Morgan was California’s first licensed female architect who also designed Hearst Castle in San Simeon.

“We’re excited about the negotiations that are underway between Kimpton and the City to explore the future refurbishment and transformation of the historic Julia Morgan building into a hotel,” said Michael Depatie, Chief Executive Officer of Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. “We have particular expertise in adaptive reuse projects and we are very interested in expanding our footprint of great hotels and restaurants in Southern California, especially in the City of Pasadena where we’d be proud to lay roots.”

In July 2012, the City requested proposals regarding new uses for the historic building and an adjacent city-owned parcel on Garfield Avenue. An internal advisory panel evaluated all proposals and recommended the City begin exclusive negotiations with Kimpton. Officials for Kimpton and the City will be meeting during the next few months to work on a lease agreement that would breathe new life into the building. For more information about the City of Pasadena go to www.cityofpasadena.net.

San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, a collection of boutique hotels and locally loved restaurants in the United States, is an industry pioneer that was the first to bring the “boutique hotel” concept to America. In 1981, Bill Kimpton founded the company that today operates 61 hotels and 67 restaurants in 24 cities and is well-known for making travelers feel welcomed and comfortable through authentic and unscripted customer care, stylish ambience and embodying a certain playfulness in its approach to programs and amenities. Adjacent to the hotels are top-rated Kimpton restaurants.

Kimpton also is considered a leader in the hospitality industry in ecological practices through its innovative EarthCare program at its hotels and restaurants. Privately held Kimpton was recognized by Fortune Magazine as a “Best Company to Work” for in 2013 for the fourth time. For more information, visit www.KimptonHotels.com.