The recently renovated Hotel Fresno on Broadway Plaza downtown had a grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 3. Mayor Jerry Dyer, City Council Member Miguel Arias and Assembly Member Joaquin Arambula (D–Fresno) spoke to the media about their roles in the public-private initiative to rebuild the hotel. It took six years to retrofit the building as apartments, at a cost of $36 million, according to developer Refebe Gouges. Of that amount, $20 million came from the City.
There were 2,000 people who put teir names in for apartments, while only 81 were available. A lottery was held in November 2023, and the winners moved in mostly during the following six months. The hotel is now fully occupied. Some tenants pay market rate, whereas others have their rent subsidized. A one bedroom of 587 square feet, subsidized, goes for $864 a month.
The building dates back to 1912, when it was opened as Fresno’s largest and most luxurious hotel. It became neglected, and before the renovation it had been abandoned for 40 years—left to the rats and pigeons and occasional squatters. The project to put the building back into use is part of a movement to renovate old buildings in downtown Fresno that includes the former Bitwise buildings and the proposed new headquarters of Radio Bilingüe in the old Central Valley Cheese factory building.
