A pending presentation to the CRA/LA Governing Board has revealed plans for a renovation of the historic Hotel Barclay in Downtown Los Angeles.

The Barclay, which was completed in 1897, was the first hotel in the city to provide electricity and telephone service to each of its rooms, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy.  The six-story building, designed by Morgan and Walls, featured 32 rooms on each floor upon its opening, with 60 private bathrooms and 10 shared facilities.

Though the property is considered the oldest continually operating hotel in Los Angeles, the six-story building has in recent decades served a residential population.  The Barclay contains 155 single-room occupancy units, of which 26 are currently occupied.

Relevant Group, the Los Angeles-based developer of the Dream Hollywood, is working with Rockefeller Kempel Architects to convert the Barclay into a 145-room "luxury boutique" hotel with 11,685 square feet of ground-floor retail.  The project, which is described as a speakeasy destination with "modern, trendy" offerings, is expected to begin construction in April 2020.

The Barclay sits a block west of the intersection of 4th and Spring Streets, where construction is now underway for two additional hotels - a 315-room citizenM and a 180-room Cambria.  Rebel Hospitality - the new owners of the Continental Building - have also filed plans with the City of Los Angeles to convert the property from apartments to a 140-room hotel.

To facilitate a conversion of the Barclay, Relevant Group and the Delijani family - which purchased the Barclay last year for $21 million - are required to replace the building's 155 existing SRO units at an off-site location, in accordance with the Wiggins Settlement Agreement.  The bulk of those replacement units would be located at 409-411 E. 5th Street, where Relevant filed plans earlier this month to construct an eight-story, 150-unit building serving individuals earning at or below 30, 40, and 50 percent of the area median income.  

Construction of the approximately $35-million housing project is expected to begin as early as November 2019.

The presentation to CRA/LA also provides more information on Relevant Group's plans for the Morrison Hotel.

The 105-year-old building, located at the northeast corner of Pico Boulevard and Hope Street, is famed for its appearance on the cover of The Doors' 1970 album "Morrison Hotel."  Relevant Group has filed plans to convert the vacant SRO building into a 69-room hotel and construct two high-rise towers on adjacent sites featuring an additional 381 hotel rooms and 135 housing units. 

Construction of the project is expected to begin in October 2020.

Though vacant for over a decade, the Morrison is outfitted with 111 units of SRO housing, which - in accordance with the Wiggins settlement - Relevant Group is required to replace that housing at an off-site location.  Accordingly, the developer has targeted a property at 1316-1328 Linwood Avenue in the Westlake community for the construction of a second 150-unit building, which would account for the 111 Morrison replacement units and the Barclay's five remaining replacement units. 

The $38-million project - which would serve individuals earning at or below 30, 40, and 50 percent of the area median income - is expected to begin in June 2020.