Design Honors Existing Hotel and Incorporates Tower

SAN JOSE—Listed on the California Register of Historic Places, the former Montgomery Hotel was originally located at the corner of S. First Street and Paseo de San Antonio. However, the landmark had fallen into disrepair and in 2000, was moved in its entirety to its present location about 185 feet south on First Street in an effort to preserve the structure and make way for the expansion of the neighboring Fairmont Hotel addition.

The move, part of a $25.5 million restoration and renovation by then-owners DivcoWest and Epicus Development, was the ninth heaviest building ever moved at the time. The hotel reopened in 2004 as an historical boutique hotel under the Joie de Vivre brand.

Khanna Enterprises III LLC of Santa Ana, CA acquired the property in 2008 and began looking for the best way to maximize its long-term value and increase its presence on the San Jose skyline. In 2015, Khanna engaged TCA Architects to create a solution utilizing a vacant 50-foot-wide space on the hotel lot.

Having previously been located on a corner, The Montgomery featured both a primary contributing facade (entry) and secondary contributing facade, with the secondary entry opening directly out to the existing open space. The new structure, whatever shape it eventually would take, could provide a natural transition into the historic structure.

TCA, leveraging its historical preservation experience, immediately recognized a key site condition that would guide the rest of the design process and significant aspect that had to be overcome–its narrow width. At only 50 feet wide, it was at least 10 feet short of what is considered to be a minimum width for a modern hotel featuring a double-loaded corridor, where there is a central hallway with guest rooms on either side.

After working with leading engineering firm, Arup, TCA's design team devised a unique solution that would honor the existing building while incorporating an adjacent 24-story tower with a modern double-loaded corridor floor plate to accommodate an additional 200 or more guest rooms. The new tower would rise next to the existing structure, and upon reaching its roofline, the tower would then step out, cantilevering an additional 20 feet over the existing building. Diagonal support straps have been incorporated into the window lines every three floors, offsetting the cantilevered weight.

The space between the new tower and the existing building will be spanned with a glass wall at both ends–a “hyphen” in historic preservation vernacular, enclosing the space between the structures as a new five-story atrium lobby. The atrium serves to bridge the history of the original structure with the new design.

TCA Architects' updated design for the Tribute Hotel Tower expansion of the historical hotel brings a complementary yet updated stature to the San Jose skyline, says Paul Adamson, hospitality studio director with TCA. The architects have been careful to temper the new design, acknowledging the importance of the existing building. To mitigate the impact of the scale of the new tower, the upper floors are set back from the primary façade of The Montgomery, preserving the historic structure's place on the streetscape. The Tribute owners are currently awaiting approval from San Jose's historic preservation department and a site development permit from the planning department.

“It's challenging, design-wise and technically, to add a new, larger structure to an existing landmark,” Adamson tells GlobeSt.com. “Fortunately there are excellent precedents for just this type of addition. Stylistically, the addition wants to be contemporary, but made to harmonize with the older structure by artfully composing the scale of the new building and carefully selecting compatible materials. Technically, our collaborating engineers are using state-of-the-art methods to ensure the new tower gives adequate 'breathing room' to the existing building so the public can continue to enjoy the historic features of the original hotel.”

While the Montgomery Hotel currently operates as a Four Points by Sheraton, the combined structures are expected to operate as a single hotel under the Starwood Brand, Tribute, a moniker reserved for historical properties, upon completion in 2019.

“It's a much beloved part of San Jose's downtown district,” Adamson tells GlobeSt.com. “The addition would allow the owner to elevate the service level of the present property, enhancing the guest experience and improving revenue, which, in turn, can be used to help sustain the value of the original building.”

SAN JOSE—Listed on the California Register of Historic Places, the former Montgomery Hotel was originally located at the corner of S. First Street and Paseo de San Antonio. However, the landmark had fallen into disrepair and in 2000, was moved in its entirety to its present location about 185 feet south on First Street in an effort to preserve the structure and make way for the expansion of the neighboring Fairmont Hotel addition.

The move, part of a $25.5 million restoration and renovation by then-owners DivcoWest and Epicus Development, was the ninth heaviest building ever moved at the time. The hotel reopened in 2004 as an historical boutique hotel under the Joie de Vivre brand.

Khanna Enterprises III LLC of Santa Ana, CA acquired the property in 2008 and began looking for the best way to maximize its long-term value and increase its presence on the San Jose skyline. In 2015, Khanna engaged TCA Architects to create a solution utilizing a vacant 50-foot-wide space on the hotel lot.

Having previously been located on a corner, The Montgomery featured both a primary contributing facade (entry) and secondary contributing facade, with the secondary entry opening directly out to the existing open space. The new structure, whatever shape it eventually would take, could provide a natural transition into the historic structure.

TCA, leveraging its historical preservation experience, immediately recognized a key site condition that would guide the rest of the design process and significant aspect that had to be overcome–its narrow width. At only 50 feet wide, it was at least 10 feet short of what is considered to be a minimum width for a modern hotel featuring a double-loaded corridor, where there is a central hallway with guest rooms on either side.

After working with leading engineering firm, Arup, TCA's design team devised a unique solution that would honor the existing building while incorporating an adjacent 24-story tower with a modern double-loaded corridor floor plate to accommodate an additional 200 or more guest rooms. The new tower would rise next to the existing structure, and upon reaching its roofline, the tower would then step out, cantilevering an additional 20 feet over the existing building. Diagonal support straps have been incorporated into the window lines every three floors, offsetting the cantilevered weight.

The space between the new tower and the existing building will be spanned with a glass wall at both ends–a “hyphen” in historic preservation vernacular, enclosing the space between the structures as a new five-story atrium lobby. The atrium serves to bridge the history of the original structure with the new design.

TCA Architects' updated design for the Tribute Hotel Tower expansion of the historical hotel brings a complementary yet updated stature to the San Jose skyline, says Paul Adamson, hospitality studio director with TCA. The architects have been careful to temper the new design, acknowledging the importance of the existing building. To mitigate the impact of the scale of the new tower, the upper floors are set back from the primary façade of The Montgomery, preserving the historic structure's place on the streetscape. The Tribute owners are currently awaiting approval from San Jose's historic preservation department and a site development permit from the planning department.

“It's challenging, design-wise and technically, to add a new, larger structure to an existing landmark,” Adamson tells GlobeSt.com. “Fortunately there are excellent precedents for just this type of addition. Stylistically, the addition wants to be contemporary, but made to harmonize with the older structure by artfully composing the scale of the new building and carefully selecting compatible materials. Technically, our collaborating engineers are using state-of-the-art methods to ensure the new tower gives adequate 'breathing room' to the existing building so the public can continue to enjoy the historic features of the original hotel.”

While the Montgomery Hotel currently operates as a Four Points by Sheraton, the combined structures are expected to operate as a single hotel under the Starwood Brand, Tribute, a moniker reserved for historical properties, upon completion in 2019.

“It's a much beloved part of San Jose's downtown district,” Adamson tells GlobeSt.com. “The addition would allow the owner to elevate the service level of the present property, enhancing the guest experience and improving revenue, which, in turn, can be used to help sustain the value of the original building.”