Will life ever return to Monterey Hotel?
Podcast Episode
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An increasing amount of attention is being paid to the long empty and neglected Monerey Hotel in downtown Janesville.
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A Hallway visible through a glass door on the Milwaukee St. side of the Monterey Hotel shows signs of decades of neglect.
JANESVILLE — Throughout its 77 years, the Monterey Hotel has not lacked admirers.
Residents reminisce about the hotel’s former grandeur. Government folks prize its historical value. Planners include it in their downtown renewal strategies.
But for more than a decade, the Art Deco landmark has been vacant.
The hotel has been the focus of many plans—and just as many conflicts.
The spotlight has returned to the Monterey because of a new downtown plan. Funded by the city and Forward Janesville, the plan envisions the hotel as part of a mixed-focus district encompassing The Armory dinner theater and the Speakeasy restaurant.
Shining another spotlight is Steve Trueblood, a resident with his own redevelopment plans. Trueblood protested Friday in front of the hotel to call attention to its untapped potential.
Redeveloper Jim Grafft has owned the Monterey for about 10 years. He has a long-range vision for the hotel, too. He sees apartments on her upper floors, possibly a restaurant or other commercial enterprise at the street level.
He has bought several surrounding buildings and is demolishing part of one, the Jeffris Theater, for hotel parking.
Grafft believes the Monterey can be redeveloped.
“I don’t plan on losing money on anything I do,” he said.
He points to another project, the former Highway Trailer plant in Edgerton, as an example of how he transforms former eyesores. Two new businesses, Green-Tek and CPT, now occupy the 350,000-square-foot building, which was in such bad shape that Grafft once fell through the roof.
“The hotel is in a whole lot better shape than that one was,” Grafft said.
But several obstacles have hindered redevelopment of the Monterey.
The hotel—now bare of toilets, carpeting, sinks and doors—contains asbestos that requires professional removal, Grafft said.
Grafft won’t start work on the hotel until he demolishes the theater, which also contains asbestos. A contractor was supposed to have removed it by July, but more asbestos was found during demolition, which started in August. That stalled the work.
“By law, I can’t do anything until it’s gone,” Grafft said.
In early October, city officials condemned the partially demolished theater based on an engineer’s assessment that it was unstable. They required Grafft to fence and roof the area, hire security guards and brace the walls. They also gave Grafft 30 days to demolish the theater, a deadline Grafft called unrealistic.
That deadline expires Monday.
Meanwhile, the YWCA has moved some families from the abutting Jeffris Flats to a motel for safety reasons.
City officials visited the demolition site Wednesday, said Jay Winzenz, the city’s assistant administrative services director. He said Grafft’s asbestos contractor told him the removal work should be finished Friday.
Winzenz would not specify what the city would do if Grafft fails to meet Monday’s deadline. The city has cited Grafft before for not meeting other 30-day deadlines on the Jeffris Theater demolition.
“I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to Monday and see where we’re at,” Winzenz said.
Grafft said conflicts with the city and the YWCA have been “pretty frustrating.”
He said he has written several letters to the YWCA in the last three years, explaining his intentions to demolish the theater. He said he offered to pay for work to separate the buildings, which are connected by plumbing, a staircase and the roof.
These days, he communicates through an attorney.
Grafft and the city have clashed over redeveloping other properties, including the former Rock County Jail. Grafft has said he sees a pattern of harassment.
“Michael Vick treats his dogs better than they treat me,” Grafft said, referring to the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback convicted in a dogfighting operation.
Gale Price, the city’s manager of building and development services, said recent discussions with Grafft have focused on the theater demolition, not the Monterey Hotel.
“That’s the most immediate concern with the safety issue there,” he said.
Price said city officials will meet with property owners as the downtown renewal effort moves forward.
The city hopes the Monterey can be redeveloped, Price said. He said the downtown plan identifies certain buildings for improvements, but the recommendations aren’t set in stone.
Ultimately, redeveloping the hotel will be up to Grafft.
“It’s going to take a lot of resources, a lot of money,” Price said. “I think something could happen there, but unfortunately, in a society like ours, things have to make money” to survive.
Grafft said he has no timeline to redevelop the hotel. He said it all depends on parking, which he plans to create once the theater is gone.
Meanwhile, he has other projects on his plate.
“Most of the properties I buy are vacant, troubled properties that have challenges,” he said. “That what I do.”
MONTEREY TIMELINE
1929: “Monterey” is the winning name in a contest sponsored by The Janesville Daily Gazette to name the city’s newest hotel, a six-story Art Deco structure built on the site of the old Grand Hotel.
1930: The Monterey Hotel welcomes its first guests at a grand banquet.
1936: The company that issued bonds for the hotel declares bankruptcy. A group of residents becomes the new owner.
Mid-1950s: The Monterey is remodeled and a new entrance cut on High Street. Art Deco details and marble are ripped out. Architectural molding is plastered over, and terrazzo floors are carpeted.
1960: Sen. John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline, spend a few hours at the Monterey Hotel during a campaign stop in Janesville. Eleanor Roosevelt, Henry Luce and Louis Armstrong also reportedly had been guests.
1962: A partnership of three Janesville businessmen—Gene Obligato, Earl Fugate and Jim Cullen—buys the Monterey.
1960s and ’70s: The Monterey is sold twice more. Under the first owner, the hotel gets a seedy reputation as a home to drifters and drunks, according to Gazette files. The second owner tries to clean up the hotel.
1983: A fire kills one tenant.
1977: Archie Johnson buys the hotel. His son Richard runs it as a residential hotel with maid service.
1989: Johnson sells the Monterey and the Orleans Restaurant to American Realty Constructors of San Francisco.
1990s: A group of California doctors buys the hotel. Plans are to use it for senior housing, but the building winds up in federal bankruptcy court.
1996: Jim Grafft buys the Monterey at a bankruptcy auction.
Sep 19, 2009 at 9:38 p.m.
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Its a crying shame, as i see these pictures of the hotel :(
If it was redone an up to par & codes...it would be such a lovely site, an to think of the jobs it would bring in to the city of janesville, during remodleing as well as to keep it running. I'm sure if the walls could talk..... theres so much that could be said. I feel it would also be a wonderful place to have visitors from all over the world.an for that to happen....would be great for the town of Janesville.
Jul 21, 2009 at 5:48 a.m.
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... coming to the argument a couple of years too late, but I just found this article through a google search, feeling nostalgic for the building that was the setting of many of my childhood memories. As a former resident of the Monterey Hotel, I wish Grafft good luck. That majestic building needs to be restored and put to use. There is enormous potential there, at enormous cost. And as the son of a man who is both a Downtown preservationist and a commercial real estate agent, I can see that a revitalized Monterey could be the cornerstone of a historic Janesville.
Nov 13, 2007 at 12:34 p.m.
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I would have to disagree with the thougths that the Monterey could be re-developed into a hotel. I think the examples of joining to The Armory, bus companies etc. is a very,very big stretch. Sometimes when people have an idea, they will do anything to make that idea seem reasonable, despite the reality that it is not. People need to understand that this is part of the problem, what do you do with this hotel? No one wants to invest millions into the project, and have it flop. I think Mr. Blodos cry to the city is ridiculous! Why would the city of Janesville EVER take on such a big task? I'm sure the city has other issues on its plate at the moment, and im amlost positive that the city doesn't have near the funding to re-develope this property. Furthermore I feel that the "haters" of Mr. Grafft need to look through their ignorance and understand that Jim Grafft is among other things a commercial re-developer, he would not spend money on somethign that he both has no plans for, and has no plans on making money on. I applaud the publics intrest in the hotel, and i applaud that the city would like to do something with the hotel, but i think that people need to be realistic with their aspirations. There would be alot of things I would like to see the Monterey become, but that doesnt mean that it will become them. As much as i would like to keep going however, class is over, got too go!
Nov 8, 2007 at 3:36 p.m.
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The Hotel Monterey could succeed as a boutique hotel, there are markets for it, including:
-customers of the Armory
Rooms could be sold as part of a overnight package: dinner-show at the Armory and a stay at an historic art deco boutique hotel across the street.
-Visitors to Mercy Hospital and other institutions
-partner with a Janesville company that has business trips coming into town.
-partner with Bus tour groups
-Fans of historic art-deco hotels (there are groups nationwide)
-Weddings, and other special events,
Successfully market it to these groups and others and you've got a busy hotel, despite being in downtown and not on the interstate. I think a hotel is the best use for the property. There are better locations for condos or apartments downtown. Office is definately not a good use. Too bad the old Jeffris theater is being torn down for parking and not used as a conference/banquet facility for the hotel.
Nov 2, 2007 at 10:43 a.m.
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On Monday, Nov. 12 at 4:30 p.m., we will again be protesting outside the Monterey Hotel, asking the city to force this issue with Jim Grafft. Following, at 5:30, will be a Monterey Memory Night at the Speakeasy Restaurant and then we will go to the city council meeting to provide public comment.
In my presentation to the council I will present 19 examples of historic downtown hotels that have been restored,many in our area, and have flurished, in many cases serving as the catalyst for downtown revitalization efforts.
This is our chance to respect and restore this great building. If Jim Grafft won't do it, or can't afford the project, then he needs to let go and let us find someone who will. The historic and economic value of the Monterey Hotel is bigger than one man.
This is our chance,Janesville/Rock County to speak up for our city and our heritage. http://www.gopetition.com/online/14949.h...
Nov 1, 2007 at 2:44 p.m.
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If the city inspected the top floors now, I wouldn't be surprized if the Monterey was found to be condemnable or near condemnable.
Looking through the ground floor windows it's easy to guess that the roof and the top floors are in even worse shape.
Something should be done now to save it.
Nov 1, 2007 at 1:48 p.m.
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The rents from the cellular and wireless Internet access antennae s on the roof are probably what is paying the taxes on the property.
Why would anyone stay in a hotel in downtown Janesville? The reason the hotels are all out along the Interstate is that it is convenient. It's easy to find them from the Interstate, the major shopping and restaurants are all out there, and it's easy to get back on the Interstate again when you leave the hotels.
You'd have to be foolish to bypass all the chain motels with their known qualities in convenient locations to drive all the way downtown and stay at an unknown independent motel.
Perhaps it could be refurbished as cheap office space and rented out to the city instead of having them build a larger city hall in the future.
Nov 1, 2007 at 1:35 p.m.
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I agree with you that he may not go through with it, But if someone else owned it and was willing to make the efforts, It would be a great hotel in the downtown area.
Nov 1, 2007 at 12:27 p.m.
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Grafft's niche is not to revitalize...it's to make money. He is a businessman, so of course that is a priority. To say he is a steward with revitalization as a goal is a stretch--he buys problem properties cheaply hoping to make a buck. Leaving a building deteriorate--and yes it is--for 10+ years simply means he hasn't figured out how to accomplish that with this particular building, and the adjacent theater. Wasn't he the one who purchased the old jail and didn't follow through?
Nov 1, 2007 at 12:22 p.m.
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I disagree with your assesment that it has a lot working against it. As part of the downtown revitalization project it has the potential to become a buetiful hotel that can and would attract shoppers, Out of towners, and many people to the downtown area adding more revenue to businesses there. The Monterey hotel is a downtown landmark and should be utilized in the manner in which it was built. A buetiful building in its own right. I as a citizen of Janesville hope that this is what happens to the hotel. Its a classic!
Nov 1, 2007 at 10 a.m.
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This beautiful, wonderful building has a lot working against it.
First, the size. It takes but a quick glance around the Janesville rental market to see that rental housing is plentiful and cheap. Heck, houses are plentiful and cheap. Second, the location. In a town this size, I am doubtful as to how many residents want high-rise living facilities. In New York and Chicago it's not an option- you take what you can get- but in Janesville not many people, especially seniors, are going to want to struggle with the issues of high- rise living.
At least it appears to be secure- Grafft has done a good job of securing the building. If it isn't being used as a crackhouse, it at least looks kind of pretty, except for all those weird antennaes on the stop.
I'd be very interested to see what other properties Grafft has revitalized, since that seems to be his niche.
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