Pricechopper: Desert Hot Springs Motel - AGAIN
Friday, August 10, 2007, by Marissa Gluck
How low can it go? The Lautner-design Desert Hot Springs Motel has been pricechopped once again. Let's review: Owner Steve Lowe died unexpectedly in January of this year, leaving the fate of the motel up in the air. By March, the hotel was for sale. Original asking price: $745,000. By May asking price was $650,000. By June, the motel had found a buyer, lost a buyer and went back on the market at the same asking price. And now it's been pricechopped once again. Asking price is now $595,000. Surely there's a Lautner lover out there with a spare dime or two looking to pick up a pedigreed piece. Maybe the Cox-Arquettes will use their newly ill-gotten Lautner gains of $33.5 million to take pity on this poor building.
It sounds like a group of people are trying to purchase this. I'd like to see Pete, Patty Cake, John "Mr. Pop" and random Anonymous person purchase this and live together. It would make a great reality show.
Pool fixed? How about non-existent. There was a pool many years ago but it ended up on a different property when the area was broken up into lots. The price includes a vacant lot where a new pool could be built. The location of the property isn't great either. This is in Desert Hot Springs among the newer cheap tract houses for the valley workers.
Whoever buys this will hopefully be (like Mr. Lowe) taking on a labor of love, not a money making endeavor. That could be me if my lotto ticket is worth anything tonight, lol.
Worst case scenario is the price will drop to the point where a valley slumlord will pick it up and turn the units into rentals for those who can't even afford the cheap houses in the area.
Is it protected at all? Im wondering if it drops low enough if someone could tear it down or remodel beyond recognition.
Museums and Universities buy pieces for their collections for double this price. You'd think some forward-thinking Director would buy it for an Architecture school or museum residency program....
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