Bradley Vows to House Poor Despite Hotel Fire

Though the fate of the vacant Skid Row hotel that suffered $500,000 in damage in a fire early Sunday remained unclear Monday, both Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and the building’s owners vowed that plans to house 66 homeless and poor people on the property would go forward.

Standing outside the Leonide Hotel on South Main Street, Bradley pledged that $1.5 million in funds already designated by the Community Redevelopment Agency for renovating the three-story brick building would be “available still to rebuild if that becomes necessary.”

The hotel’s nonprofit owners, the Los Angeles Community Design Center and the Chrysalis Center, had planned to begin a $2.5-million renovation this spring with CRA and state funds. Ann Sewill, Community Design Center head, said no decision had been made whether to demolish the structure. The cause of blaze is under investigation.