It looks like a mixed-bag for fans/residents of The Parker-Spruce Hotel after a fire on the 9th floor shut the place down in October. The Philadelphia Gay News (PGN) reports that the building will be closed "indefinitely". The slightly good news portion of the grab bag is that it will be sold to The Wankawala Organization, the group that currently runs the leasing of the property, and turned into a hotel yet again. That's a good thing, right? Well, even Councilman Mark Squilla seems kind of skeptical, given the Parker's history, "We still have some doubts given the way it's been run in the last four years when he's been leasing it ... All right, you're going to buy it now and get someone to partner with to open up, but how do we know it's going to be a legitimate hotel?"
The Wankawala Organization, owned by Mihir Wankawala, looks to turn the Parker back into a hotel of some sort. They're all the rage in Philly these days. According to PGN:
"City Councilman Mark Squilla met with Wankawala and said Wankawala plans to search for a brand-name hotelier to partner with after the sale is complete. Then, the building will need to be rehabbed, a process that could take up to a year, which could impact the reopening of Westbury, he noted."The Parker-Spruce will be closed a "minimum of six months" to rehab the property, which includes the Westbury Bar. The owners of the bar would have to lease the space from Wankawala once the sale is finalized. Due to stipulations in the leasing contract, Wankawala had the first crack at the property. The final sale price is unknown at this time. What is known at this time. This oddball, non-affiliated Parker-Spruce Twitter account kind of called this whole thing from the very beginning:
Mark it down. Today's the beginning of the end for the Parker.
— Parker Spruce Hotel (@theparkerhotel) October 20, 2014
· Parker-Spruce to be sold, remain closed indefinitely [Philadelphia Gay News]
· There Was a Small Fire at the Sketchy Parker Spruce Hotel [Curbed Philly]
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