Baldwin Park : Hotel Construction Starts
After 14 years of legal and economic setbacks, construction began last week on a 10-story, 200-room Hilton hotel north of the San Bernardino Freeway at Garvey and Puente avenues. The 10-story hotel, to be completed next spring, will become the centerpiece of the Park Towne Center, a $52-million commercial development that includes a Vons Pavilion.
Planning on the troubled Puente-Merced redevelopment project started in 1974 but bogged down soon after in a protracted court battle with nearby neighborhood organizations. A scaled-back version of the project was set to begin in 1978, but an economic downturn delayed construction.
The hotel is being developed by Stanley W. Gribble & Associates, the center developer, Houston-based Vista Host Inc. and the city Redevelopment Agency, which will receive a percentage of hotel profits.
“It will enhance the image of the city,” Mayor Leo King said.
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