A year ago, East Los Angeles Community Corp. bought the Boyle Hotel, the 1889 building next to Mariachi Plaza and future Gold Line Stop. The tenants, many who are mariachis, consider the new owners as bad as the previous ones who allowed slum-like conditions to fester. The LATimes writes:
In 2004, the mariachis waged a public battle over the fate of the Boyle Hotel, saying the evangelical congregation that owned it had allowed already dire living conditions to worsen.
When the nonprofit stepped in to buy the building, the move was greeted as a victory for local residents who worried about the tide of new development planned around the $900-million Gold Line commuter rail extension, which would include a plaza stop.
One year later, residents say the new owner is just as bad as the old -- pushing them out of the hotel by making living conditions unbearable. The tensions underscore the difficulties the agency has encountered in a community that fears the many changes gentrification brings, especially higher rents.
The building itself always looked like it was ready to crumble. According to the article, the East Los Angeles Community Corp. pledged to raise $5 million to restore the hotel, and the agency successful history of renovating and constructing affordable-housing projects.
Comments