Radisson Redux : Part of Renovation Completed at Quake-Struck Sherman Oaks Hotel

The lobby smelled of fresh paint, and some rooms still looked as if just struck by the Northridge earthquake, but operators of the Radisson Valley Center Hotel nonetheless reopened Thursday after more than 16 months of quake repairs.

“It was touch-and-go there for awhile,” project manager Gene Slafer said of the last few frantic days. “We didn’t know exactly when we would be open.”

The first phase of a $12-million hotel renovation--six times what the 13-story building cost to build in 1968--wrapped up late Wednesday, with the hotel opening its doors at 7:30 a.m. Thursday, hours after a 3.1-magnitude aftershock rumbled across the San Fernando Valley.

“Mother Nature was reminding us who is in charge,” Slafer said.

But with 110 new shear walls to strengthen the building, and reinforced support columns, Slafer estimated the building can now withstand a quake much stronger than the 6.7-magnitude temblor that turned it into a leaning shell on Jan. 17, 1994.

“If the Big One comes, I’m ready for it,” he said.

Most others, though, are just glad to have the hotel back in business.

For the near year and half it stood empty and dark, sliding doors off their tracks, drapes slapping forlornly in the breeze, it was a lingering quake reminder visible to drivers descending Sepulveda Pass into the Valley.

“It is the most visible earthquake-damaged building in Sherman Oaks, and the reopening should be a signal that Sherman Oaks is back,” said Richard Close, president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.

Indeed, over the past several months, the community has shown signs that the bulk of the recovery work is over. Among the most noticeable changes is the reopening last month of the landmark Hamburger Hamlet restaurant at Ventura and Van Nuys boulevards.

Small storefronts along Ventura Boulevard, vacant since the quake, are slowly refilling with the sort of funky and varied businesses that have earned the street a reputation as a hip consumer paradise.

And just as important, damaged apartment buildings and condominiums nearby--once filled with those upscale consumers--are being renovated. Homeowners have taken advantage of quake repair work to fix up their homes, sparking a small building boom along the hillside streets south of Ventura Boulevard.

“My feeling is the earthquake was a tragedy, but some good will come out of it,” Close said. “Our motto is ‘Sherman Oaks is newer and better than ever.’ ”

That sentiment is common among Radisson workers, who talked Thursday in optimistic tones about restoring the hotel to its former prominence. Once one of the few top-drawer hotels in the Valley, the aging Radisson--formerly a Hilton--watched some of its business in recent years head to competitors in Warner Center and Universal City.

For now, only about 75 of the hotel’s 215 rooms are ready for guests. Each includes a small card asking guests to “Pardon Our Dust” as crews continue to spruce up rooms on upper floors and finish cosmetic work throughout.

In the downstairs cafe, a handful of diners munched on burgers and salads as waiters--many of whom were kept on during the renovation as construction help--doted on them.

“It’s nice to have it back,” said Richard Navarro, who lived in the hotel for a month when he moved to the Valley nine years ago. “It left a real void.”

Finally, about 1:30 p.m., the hotel staff welcomed its first guest, Taiwanese businessman Daniel Cho. An associate who lives in the neighborhood wanted Cho to stay close by, so he kept calling the hotel in recent weeks to make sure it would open in time.

“This is very exciting,” Cho said. “We’ve never been the first guests to check into a hotel before.” Then, as the excitement waned--quickly--Cho’s attention turned to more tangible matters.

“Any special discount for the first guest?” he asked.