The Parker Spruce Hotel Officially Sold, What’s Next?
The Parker Spruce Hotel | via Google Street View
It’s official, the Gayborhood’s Parker Spruce Hotel has been sold.
A fire tore through the 9th floor back in October, forcing the building, including the Westbury Bar, to close down indefinitely. The Philadelphia Gay News reported in November that owner Spruce Hotel Corporation had a deal in place to sell the building to The Wankawala Organization, a hospitality company that was in charge of leasing and looked to rehab the property and partner with a boutique hotelier.
The Wankawala Organization owns and operates a few hotels in the region, including a Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Quakertown, and managing director Mihir Wankawala told us that they plan to “make [the Parker Spruce] into a three-and-a-half, four star property … something that goes well with the community and the surroundings.” Once the architectural plans and designs are finalized, Wankawala said they plan to reach out to the community to present the new Parker Spruce. Wankawala confirmed his company is working with Stuart Rosenberg of SgRA Architects, whose work includes the Le Mèridien at 1421 Arch Street, on the design of the hotel. “It’s very exciting and we hope to do many more in Philadelphia,” said Wankawala. If all goes according to plan, the new hotel with corner bar/restaurant/lounge could open sometime in the second quarter of 2016.
After the fire, people were a little concerned that it would simply return to its shady ways. That list included Councilman Mark Squilla, who told PGN in November: “We still have some doubts given the way it’s been run in the last four years when he’s [Mihir Wankawala] been leasing it … All right, you’re going to buy it now and get someone to partner with to open up, but how do we know it’s going to be a legitimate hotel?”
Wankawala said he couldn’t yet say what hotel would coming to 13th Street, as the deal is still being finalized.
PARKER HOTEL SOLD!!! https://t.co/ayhYgqDd4Q
— Ben Stango (@benstango) April 23, 2015
