DETROIT (WXYZ) — A new owner has plans to restore Hotel Yorba, a landmark building in southwest Detroit that the city ordered vacated last year.
Kahlil Assad purchased the hotel, located at the corner of Hubbard Street and West Lafayette, for $1.8 million. He estimates the building will need roughly $8 to $10 million in renovations.
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The hotel dates back to 1926 and has more than 200 rooms. It is perhaps best known to rock 'n' roll fans as the place where the White Stripes recorded the song "Hotel Yorba" 25 years ago.
Assad is no stranger to restoring old buildings. He took over his father's HVAC business, The Air King, and moved it into a building on Grand River in Detroit, giving it a modern overhaul while preserving its history. His company is also working on a similar renovation of the King's Arms Hotel on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard.
"What I do know is that we're trying to make this really unique and cool," Assad said.
Assad said he and his team moved quickly after acquiring the property to stabilize it.
"We didn't want to see it just...— it was deteriorating. It was getting bad really quick. We jumped in there after closing, put a roof on it to stabilize it, to make sure that it was, you know, it's not going to get any worse than it is," Assad said.
He said scrappers had come through the building, taking what they could — including the room numbers off the doors. That has made it difficult to identify the exact room where the White Stripes recorded their famous song, believed to be Room 206 on the second floor.
Assad said he is still working through what the renovated space will look like.
"So the retail space, the restaurant space, what's gonna fit best, a café, a bar, a sandwich shop, and so forth. So what does the neighborhood really want to see?" Assad said.
He said the project will serve both the neighborhood and visitors drawn by the hotel's musical legacy.
"There's a need for lodging as well as just the people that love the Hotel Yorba, love the White Stripes, that want to stay there," Assad said.
When asked whether interest in the hotel extends beyond White Stripes fans, Assad was candid.
"I think it's mostly the White Stripes," Assad said.
At least one neighbor is supportive of the plans.
"I think it would be good as apartments. I think they have some ideas to try to bring some hotel aspects back to it, which I think is kind of interesting for the area. Like I'm all for it. I think that'd be cool," Jamie said.
Assad said his love for the city and the southwest Detroit neighborhood motivated him to act.
"Also, I love Detroit, you know, and we've been a Detroit-based business for so long. I love the city and you know, I love the Southwest. I love the neighborhood. I just want to see it, you know, I just want to see it do good," Assad said.
The project is currently in the planning phase. Assad's goal is to begin the renovation process next spring. He said his plan is to preserve the White Stripes room.
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