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Real Life Stories
 Profile: A Community Rebuilt: The New I-Hotel is a Monument to Manilatown
Product: The Affordable Housing Program provides grants to support the development of affordable rental and homeownership opportunities for very low- to moderate-income households. The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco awarded an AHP grant of $830,000 through its member Bank of America California to the Chinatown Community Development Center.
Partners: Chinatown Community Development Center, Bank of America California, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, The Archdiocese of San Francisco
The rebuilding of the International Hotel marks the restoration of affordable senior housing to Manilatown, the neighborhood on the outskirts of Chinatown and the Financial District.
Originally built in 1907, the International Hotel—affectionately known as the I-Hotel—was a low-cost residential hotel, home to many Asian immigrants, particularly Filipino men. During the urban redevelopment boom of the 1960s, the hotel was targeted for demolition. The first eviction notices were issued to residents in 1968. However, nine years of litigation, protests, and disagreements among activities and public officials ensued.
Then, in the middle of the night on August 4, 1977, elderly Filipino and Chinese immigrants were forcibly evicted from their low-income single-room occupancy residence. Chaos filled the streets; protestors, police, and residents clashed. Two years later, the project was demolished and the site remained a blighted eyesore for a quarter of a century, while the community continued to fight to preserve the site as affordable housing for seniors.
“The new I-Hotel is a monument to their struggle,” says Emil De Guzman, President of the Manilatown Heritage Foundation. “At the time, the I-Hotel was the last stand for Manilatown. In the end, I believe the residents won. For years to come, this building will honor their lives.”
The 15-story building is composed of 3 separate air parcels—a 104-unit affordable senior housing complex; a Catholic center and primary school; and an underground garage. The land is owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and the physical building is owned by the International Hotel Senior Housing.
The I-Hotel was financed through a wide variety of public/private sources. The project received a $15.4 million loan from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing; an $11.1 million HUD Section 202 grant, and $1.5 million in corporate, foundation, and individual donations to Chinatown Community Development Center’s capital campaign. In addition, Chinatown Community Development Center and Bank of America California were awarded an $830,000 AHP grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco to develop the project.
In August 2005, construction of the housing portion of the project was completed and in late September 2005, the residents moved in. The apartment units include a mix of 88 studios, 16 one-bedroom units, and 1 manager unit. All apartments are handicapped-accessible with large bathrooms and kitchenettes. Apartments are reserved for seniors earning no more than 50% of the area median income (AMI). Most, however, are expected to serve seniors earning less than 30% of AMI.
The new I-Hotel is a multi-tiered building that incorporates cool shades of tan brick in its exterior design. It makes liberal use of large glass windows and expansive balconies on the top two-thirds of the building to provide residents with scenic views of the San Francisco Bay, North Beach, and Coit Tower to the north, the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island to the east, the Transamerica Pyramid to the south, and Chinatown to the west.
The project includes a ground-level courtyard for communal gatherings, as well as a 1,700-square-foot rooftop garden. A glass façade on the building’s south side features etchings that depict struggles of the I-Hotel’s original residents. Other amenities include a 1,800-square-foot community room with a subsidized meals program for seniors. Also on the ground level is the Manilatown Center, which honors the I-Hotel struggle and is designed to educate future generations about the contributions of the Filipino-American community.
The original tenants of the I-Hotel were given preference to move back into the new studio and one-bedroom units. “Moving back felt pretty good,” says Anna Yim, who moved back to the I-Hotel with her husband last year. “The International Hotel is convenient to Chinatown, shopping, restaurants. And it’s brand new.”
“We’ve been waiting a long time for the I-Hotel to be rebuilt,” adds James Walsh, an original tenant who moved into a corner efficiency unit on the 14th floor with breathtaking views. “My place is embarrassingly grand!”
December 2006
Back to Real Life Stories
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Real Life Stories
Profile: A Community Rebuilt: The New I-Hotel is a Monument to Manilatown
Product: The Affordable Housing Program provides grants to support the development of affordable rental and homeownership opportunities for very low- to moderate-income households. The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco awarded an AHP grant of $830,000 through its member Bank of America California to the Chinatown Community Development Center.
Partners: Chinatown Community Development Center, Bank of America California, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, The Archdiocese of San Francisco
The rebuilding of the International Hotel marks the restoration of affordable senior housing to Manilatown, the neighborhood on the outskirts of Chinatown and the Financial District.
Originally built in 1907, the International Hotel—affectionately known as the I-Hotel—was a low-cost residential hotel, home to many Asian immigrants, particularly Filipino men. During the urban redevelopment boom of the 1960s, the hotel was targeted for demolition. The first eviction notices were issued to residents in 1968. However, nine years of litigation, protests, and disagreements among activities and public officials ensued.
Then, in the middle of the night on August 4, 1977, elderly Filipino and Chinese immigrants were forcibly evicted from their low-income single-room occupancy residence. Chaos filled the streets; protestors, police, and residents clashed. Two years later, the project was demolished and the site remained a blighted eyesore for a quarter of a century, while the community continued to fight to preserve the site as affordable housing for seniors.
“The new I-Hotel is a monument to their struggle,” says Emil De Guzman, President of the Manilatown Heritage Foundation. “At the time, the I-Hotel was the last stand for Manilatown. In the end, I believe the residents won. For years to come, this building will honor their lives.”
The 15-story building is composed of 3 separate air parcels—a 104-unit affordable senior housing complex; a Catholic center and primary school; and an underground garage. The land is owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and the physical building is owned by the International Hotel Senior Housing.
The I-Hotel was financed through a wide variety of public/private sources. The project received a $15.4 million loan from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing; an $11.1 million HUD Section 202 grant, and $1.5 million in corporate, foundation, and individual donations to Chinatown Community Development Center’s capital campaign. In addition, Chinatown Community Development Center and Bank of America California were awarded an $830,000 AHP grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco to develop the project.
In August 2005, construction of the housing portion of the project was completed and in late September 2005, the residents moved in. The apartment units include a mix of 88 studios, 16 one-bedroom units, and 1 manager unit. All apartments are handicapped-accessible with large bathrooms and kitchenettes. Apartments are reserved for seniors earning no more than 50% of the area median income (AMI). Most, however, are expected to serve seniors earning less than 30% of AMI.
The new I-Hotel is a multi-tiered building that incorporates cool shades of tan brick in its exterior design. It makes liberal use of large glass windows and expansive balconies on the top two-thirds of the building to provide residents with scenic views of the San Francisco Bay, North Beach, and Coit Tower to the north, the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island to the east, the Transamerica Pyramid to the south, and Chinatown to the west.
The project includes a ground-level courtyard for communal gatherings, as well as a 1,700-square-foot rooftop garden. A glass façade on the building’s south side features etchings that depict struggles of the I-Hotel’s original residents. Other amenities include a 1,800-square-foot community room with a subsidized meals program for seniors. Also on the ground level is the Manilatown Center, which honors the I-Hotel struggle and is designed to educate future generations about the contributions of the Filipino-American community.
The original tenants of the I-Hotel were given preference to move back into the new studio and one-bedroom units. “Moving back felt pretty good,” says Anna Yim, who moved back to the I-Hotel with her husband last year. “The International Hotel is convenient to Chinatown, shopping, restaurants. And it’s brand new.”
“We’ve been waiting a long time for the I-Hotel to be rebuilt,” adds James Walsh, an original tenant who moved into a corner efficiency unit on the 14th floor with breathtaking views. “My place is embarrassingly grand!”
December 2006
Back to Real Life Stories
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