Historic Fusion

San Diego's Gaslamp District looks forward to the completion of the Hard Rock Hotel.

By Robert Carlsen

Carrier Johnson Architects and Turner Construction Co. recently celebrated the topping out of San Diego's newest Gaslamp District landmark, the Hard Rock Hotel, the city's first branded condo-hotel property.

Located at Fifth and L streets on a former large parking lot, the $85 million, 12-story property will incorporate two historic brick buildings that are also on the site, the National City and Otay Railroad Depot building on the eastern half (which will become the lobby bar) and the Spaghetti Factory restaurant at the northwest corner. The depot building has been disassembled and will be reassembled just prior to the completion, which is scheduled for September.

Frank Wolden, design principal at Carrier Johnson, said his firm's design proved that "you can combine hip, contemporary with the historic warehouse and industrial aesthetic of the Gaslight District. The Hard Rock did it at its Chicago property and we're doing our own version here."

The 420-room Hard Rock Hotel San Diego is attracting buyers via its rock 'n roll-inspired design, wealth of accompanying entertainment options, and prime location. Three hundred units sold out in nine hours, the company said.

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Turner said its scope of work includes retail space, meeting facilities on the second floor, a sky bar, spa and pool area on the fourth floor, and roof top garden, as well as two levels of underground parking for approximately 200 vehicles. The second floor will feature the banquet annex, six meeting rooms totaling 8,860 sq. ft. and three additional meeting rooms with 2,053 sq. ft. The Asian fusion restaurant, Nobu, is on the street level.

David Holland, Turner's project manager, said the main challenges are street issues and coordinating with the city on traffic and deliveries.

"By completing the gateway to the lively Gaslamp Quarter and abutting both Petco Park and the Convention Center, Hard Rock Hotel San Diego will expand the urban experience," said Wolden. "Together with the Carrier Johnson-designed mixed-use Bridgeworks Hilton Gaslamp Hotel across Fifth Avenue and the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade linear park, the project will transform an existing urban plaza into one of the great downtown spaces in San Diego."

The south condo-hotel tower, defined by contemporary fenestration and detail, will provide a sophisticated backdrop to the Fifth Avenue buildings, according to Wolden. The tower's main entry will generate activity with an inviting water feature and dramatic 40-ft. lobby. Above, translucent "light boxes" are envisioned as a window into the project's life by incorporating vertical layers of subliminal energy to the street scene below.

The project's fourth floor "playground" is the plush pool deck and Rande Gerber bar; the space will invite users to party beneath an overhang subtly evocative of a guitar body, a design feature once again taking its cues from the Hard Rock name.

The Project Team:

Owner: Tarsadia Hotels, 5th Rock LLC
Architect: Carrier Johnson
General Contractor: Turner Construction
Key Subcontractors: Morley Construction, Standard Drywall and University Mechanical.