{"nrhp_refnum":"84001182","name":"Panama Hotel","other_names":["Senator Hotel"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"105 W. F St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Diego","county":"San Diego County","state":"CA","lat":32.71330001600006,"lon":-117.16401387999997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-03-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story reinforced concrete hotel and store building at 105 W. F Street, San Diego, California, opened in 1913 as the Panama Hotel and later known as the Senator Hotel. It was designed by architect David H. Holmes for Benjamin and William Lubin.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the hotel represents progressive early 20th century architecture and is tied to the Panama-California International Exposition. It reflects a phase when San Diegans built hotels in popular styles with new construction techniques in anticipation of growth from the Panama Canal opening. The Lubin brothers were the first to announce a building after the nearby U.S. Post Office and Custom House was built.","narrative":"Built in 1913 at the corner of First Avenue and F Street in San Diego, this four-story reinforced concrete hotel opened as the Panama Hotel, a name tied to the coming Panama Canal and the Panama-California Exposition. Architect David H. Holmes designed it for brothers Benjamin and William Lubin, who were among the first to announce new building near the new U.S. Post Office and Custom House. The exterior blends Renaissance Revival ornament with Sullivanesque details, including fretwork panels, quatrefoils, a heavy bracketed cornice and a battlement-like parapet. Inside, hexagonal ceramic floor tile and an original manually operated cage elevator survive. Changes have been limited to the ground floor. The hotel was renamed Hotel Juleff in 1923 and the Senator Hotel in 1932. It was recognized as a local example of early twentieth-century hotel architecture and for its link to San Diego's pre-exposition growth, and it still operates as a hotel with a lounge and restaurant below.","period_of_significance":"1900- (opened 1913)","architect_builder":"John Hart Construction Co.; David H. Holmes, Architect","architectural_style":"Renaissance Revival with some Sullivanesque details","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Occupied: the ground floor holds a cocktail lounge, lobby and restaurant, and the upper floors operate as a hotel. Condition is listed as good and altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.013566-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/84001182.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84001182/fe0ca1e1f0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84001182/fe0ca1e1f0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jeffrey Beall","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panama_Hotel.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Jeffrey Beall</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panama_Hotel.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860945","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5487870"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/san-diego-county/panama-hotel-84001182/"}