Hotel Fresno is back open and transformed into affordable housing

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- After being abandoned for decades, Hotel Fresno is not vacant anymore.

"Maybe it shouldn't be called Hotel Fresno maybe should be called the miracle hotel for the time it took to get it developed," said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer.

The building was constructed back in 1912 and was a crown jewel and a bustling luxury hotel.

"My father used to come here and visit my mother back in the 50s and 60s when they were first dating. He would come and stay here to visit my mother," said Michael Brown, a Hotel Fresno resident.

But it went out of business and was left to rot in the early 1980s.

The neglected hotel was deemed unsafe to enter, but people still did. Even in 2017, a woman even fell off the roof.

Most, only remember the historic landmark as a gutted lifeless building with shattered windows, graffiti, and severe damage.

Now, it's a place Michael calls home.

For him, this is a full circle moment to live in a building with so much personal history.

"It's amazing because this place was pretty messed up. I thought it was going to be condemned. Just to see the work that they've done on it, it's amazing," says Brown.

The nearly $40-million project suffered many setbacks including changes in developers, the pandemic, and unforeseen structural issues.

About 2,000 people applied to live in the 81-unit building. Room prices start at $400 dollars a month and go up to $1,300 for the larger sizes.

"There's so much history in the building and it's really fun to be a part of it and live here," says Vanessa Ellinger, a Hotel Fresno resident.

For Ellinger and her mom, this is a long time coming.

"I know that so much history has been a part of the building and knowing that it was abandoned, and we live here, in a place that was left alone for so long, but they were able to restore it," says Ellinger.

Mayor Dyer says Hotel Fresno is just one piece of a greater puzzle to revitalize downtown.

"We set a goal of 10,000 people living downtown and at 10,000 people that will be the tipping point to turn our downtown into a great downtown we're working on that feverishly," says Mayor Dyer.

Mayor Dyer says the city is actively working on transforming several old downtown buildings into affordable housing, like the JCPenney building, and the Helm building.

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