The Ambassador and Ritz hotels offer 224 fully renovated permanent homes with wraparound services for low-income and formerly homeless residents.
“We are excited to celebrate the reopening of the historic Ambassador and Ritz Hotels with TNDC, city leaders, and the community, with renovations that will improve the lives of low-income residents in these SROs,” said District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston. “These hotels have provided respite to people in need of supportive care and services for decades, including essential homes during the AIDS crisis. We appreciate all the hard work that went into renovating these District 5 buildings for the benefit of low-income San Franciscans for years to come.”
The Ambassador Hotel
Built in 1917, the Ambassador Hotel was established in the early 1920s as a residential hotel offering affordable lodging. At the onset of the AIDS crisis, Hank Wilson, a longtime housing and AIDS activist who managed the residential hotel, opened its doors to low-income people living with AIDS. The building effectively functioned as an emergency shelter from the mid-1980s to at least 1996, pioneering a model of treatment that brought AIDS services to the building rather than requiring residents to travel to health clinics.
The Ambassador Hotel was acquired in 1999 by Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC), a non-profit developer that has built and managed more than 44 buildings located in the Tenderloin and across seven other San Francisco neighborhoods. This is the second major renovation the organization has performed on the Ambassador Hotel, after the initial renovation was completed in 2002 when TNDC acquired the property. This recent renovation, completed in 2023, addressed essential seismic upgrades and the conversion of 14 units to 100% ADA accessible apartments. Additional improvements included new interior finishes, electrical updates, modernized elevators, lobby remodel, new roof, and updates to both Wi-Fi and security systems. Residents benefit from on-site resident services and support networks, including social services provided by TNDC, SRO units with private baths, community kitchens, and laundry rooms.
The Ritz Hotel
Build in 1910, the Ritz was acquired in November 1991 by a non-profit corporation formed by TNDC and Chinese Community Housing Corporation. TNDC oversaw the renovation and manages the 100% Section 8 building, which is home to 90 adults with mental or physical disabilities.
This Beaux-Arts era building underwent a seismic retrofit and comprehensive general rehabilitation in 1993 to address years of deferred maintenance under the previous ownership. This new phase of rehab projects involved $16 million to significantly upgrade the hotel’s seismic and structural resilience, while also rehabbing unit interiors, upgrading the heating system, adding more community spaces including a laundry room, and bringing new fixtures, paint, and finishes throughout the building.
Read the full press release: sf.gov/news/mayor-london-breed-celebrates-completed-rehabilitation-two-historic-residential-hotels-san
