This story was originally published by El Central.
For generations, Hotel Yorba has been hard to miss. Its rooftop sign has towered over Lafayette Boulevard and is visible from Interstate 75, making it a familiar landmark in Southwest Detroit. Built in 1926, the four-story, 250-room building operated for decades as a low-cost rooming house, serving people in need of temporary housing. In 2001, it became part of Detroit’s musical history through its connection to The White Stripes.
Now, after years of deterioration and a city-ordered closure, Hotel Yorba is facing another turning point. Kahlil Assad, a longtime construction-industry executive and mechanical contractor who owns the family-run HVAC and refrigeration company The Air King, acquired Hotel Yorba after years of involvement in Detroit property ownership and redevelopment.
Unlike a conventional redevelopment project with a finished concept, Assad says he does not yet know exactly what the building will become. Instead, he is asking the neighborhood to help decide.
That conversation took place Aug. 20, when Assad and his team hosted a community barbecue outside Hotel Yorba to hear residents’ ideas for the property’s future. The gathering also gave Assad an opportunity to explain why his initial plan for low-income housing is being reconsidered after conversations with neighbors. “After we had closed on the property, we met the neighbors and immediately realized that that’s not what the neighborhood wanted,” Assad said.
The possibilities now range from retail and a restaurant to apartments, high-end condominiums, low-income housing, a hostel or another hotel. Rather than commit to one use, Assad said the team wants residents’ input. “We’re really looking for ideas of what the community is looking for,” he said, adding that the goal is to determine “what is going to work here” and what the neighborhood wants to see.
For some residents, seeing activity around the long-vacant building was encouraging. Emily Reyst, a Hubbard Farms resident who has lived in Detroit for six years and works in community development and affordable housing, attended to hear what neighbors wanted for the property. “I would just be really excited to see it revitalized and come to life in a new way,” Reyst said.
Adriana Zuniga, a longtime Southwest Detroit resident, welcomed the opportunity to offer her opinion. “I am grateful that someone did buy the building” she said. She favors a return to a hotel but also suggested affordable senior housing.
For longtime residents, however, the question is not only what the building becomes, but whether redevelopment preserves the role the Yorba has played in the community. Joseph Sarasua, a Hubbard Farms resident since 1991, remembers the Yorba as a transient hotel rather than a luxury destination. He said it housed displaced people and residents living from week to week, and sometimes refugees when other facilities were full.
“As long as I’ve been here, it’s been a transient hotel that houses a lot of people that were displaced or living from week to week,” Sarasua said. “It never really was, as long as I’ve lived here, a luxury hotel.”
Sarasua remembers the building before its condition worsened. When he moved to the neighborhood, he said, the main entrance had recently been restored and the windows repaired. “It needed work. It always needed work,” he said. “But it wasn’t like this. It wasn’t as bad.”
The deterioration eventually led to the city’s intervention. According to the Detroit Free Press, in September 2025, Detroit officials ordered Hotel Yorba vacated after inspectors found unsafe conditions, including a leaking roof, collapsing ceilings on the third and fourth floors, an infestation of insects and vermin, missing and defective smoke detectors and a nonfunctional fire alarm panel.
That history is part of what Sarasua wants developers to consider. He supports renovating the hotel but worries redevelopment could make the neighborhood less accessible to existing residents. He added that higher prices could contribute to the gentrification he has seen in the neighborhood.
The Yorba’s history extends beyond housing. Built as a residential hotel, it was associated with Detroit’s working-class history and workers involved in construction of the nearby Ambassador Bridge. Decades later, it became part of the city’s rock-and-roll mythology.
In 2001, The White Stripes released “Hotel Yorba” on their album White Blood Cells, and the building appeared in the song’s music video. Assad said that connection remains important. White Stripes fans have visited the property, he said, and the development team plans to include a dedication to the band, which has no direct involvement in the redevelopment.
Preserving the building’s history will be complicated by its condition. Assad said much of the interior has been stripped, including doors, brass fixtures, electrical wiring and phone cable. Still, he said the team intends to preserve as much of the remaining structure as possible.
“We want to keep this as historical as possible; we’re not looking to change everything. The priority is stabilization,” Assad said, adding that his team has installed a new roof to prevent further water damage. The project remains in its financial and design-planning stages, with permitting expected before substantial construction begins. Assad estimates the redevelopment will take 24 to 36 months, with the immediate focus on preparing the property, design, permitting, financial planning and community outreach.
For now, Hotel Yorba remains caught between its past and its future. The building has a new owner working to restore it and a neighborhood being asked to imagine what comes next. “We welcome the community involvement,” Assad said. “We welcome anybody to come out and share their opinion.”
Residents who want to offer suggestions can follow Hotel Yorba Detroit on Instagram (@hotelyorbadetroit) or contact Assad at Kahlilassad@theairking.com.
