A Spanish Revival Landmark Saved for Future Generations
Section 106 Success Story: Hotel del Sol (Yuma, Arizona)
For generations, the Hotel del Sol has been a recognizable landmark in downtown Yuma.
Located within the National Register-listed Main Street Historic District, the building represents an important part of the community’s architectural and transportation history.
The building’s Spanish Revival character—including its arcades, tower, and porches—helped define its place in the historic district.
The Project
The City of Yuma proposed transforming the property into a regional multi-modal transportation center designed to improve transportation connections for residents and visitors throughout the greater Yuma area.
The project originally contemplated adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of the historic hotel. Engineering studies conducted in 2022, however, identified structural deficiencies. The project scope consequently changed, and demolition of the historic building was proposed—creating an adverse effect under Section 106.
photo by: Arizona SHPO
The historic Hotel Del Sol Building, listed in the National Register in 1982, is located in the historic downtown of Yuma, Arizona across from the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot. Vacant for decades, the building is currently being rehabilitated by the City of Yuma as a multimodal transit center.
The Section 106 Process
Rather than treating demolition as the end of the conversation, Section 106 consultation brought together SHPO, the Federal Transit Administration, the City of Yuma, the Yuma County Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority, and the project’s architect.
Together, the consulting parties developed a creative approach that addressed the building’s structural problems while preserving its most important historic characteristics.
The solution called for retaining and structurally and seismically retrofitting the historic exterior while limiting new construction to the interior.
What We Would Have Lost
When initial structural studies indicated that the top floors of the building would require substantial modification for occupancy, the project team considered completely demolishing the building. Working with the State Historic Preservation Office through the Section 106 consultation process, the Federal Transit Administration, the City of Yuma, and their design team were able to develop a plan that would modify the interior of the building, while keeping the facade and the lobby largely intact. Although the project was determined to have an "adverse effect" on the building, continued consultation through the design process ensured the preservation of character defining elements of the facade and minimized impacts to the surrounding historic downtown.
The Success
The project ultimately preserved the Hotel del Sol’s Spanish Revival exterior, including its arcades, tower, and porches. While the modifications to the Hotel del Sol did result in an adverse effect to the building, consultation which focused on retention of character-defining elements of the historic facade resulted in a no adverse effect finding for the Main Street Historic District.
Consultation during development of the agreement document for the project provided for the careful removal of character-defining elements from demolished portions of the building, and repair and reinstallation inside the new passenger lobby as part of a curated exhibit explaining the history of the Hotel del Sol.
Section 106 helped transform a potential total demolition into a transportation project that keeps a beloved Yuma landmark visible, recognizable, and useful.
Submitted via the National Preservation Partners Network. Visit Section 106 Under Threat for more success stories, information, and to take action.
