Protesters Storm Lake View’s Abbott Hotel, Demand Answers (PHOTOS)

Rumors that the Abbott Hotel would close Dec. 31 sparked a protest Monday afternoon with members from the Lakeview Pantry and Lakeview Action Coalition demanding answers, a move that apparently worked according to plan.

Sreya Sarkar, the director of education and advocacy at the Lakeview Pantry, says the single-room occupancy hotel’s new owners, BJB Partners, finally contacted her team for a meeting after years of failed attempts.

“We actually got word today that the new owner wants to meet with us, coincidentally on the same day as our press conference,” Sarkar said. “We’ve been trying to meet with him for years.”

Even with that news, angry residents at the scheduled press conference stood their ground to fight the hotel’s closure, chanting phrases like, “Fight, fight, fight. Housing is a human right.”

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The Abbott Hotel at 721 W. Belmont Ave. is primarily used as temporary housing for at-risk individuals who need a place to stay until they get back on their feet. BJB recently purchased the hotel for $4.3 million with plans to renovate it into a more updated SRO, similar to Threshold’s plan with the Diplomat Hotel.

Organizers say, however, the 35 residents still in the building aren’t getting enough information on when they need to arrange new housing or whether Abbott will be closed for good.

“We have about 20 clients at the Abbott Hotel, and they called to say they heard rumors the hotel was closing the 31st of December,” Sarkar said. “They weren’t given a notification or a flyer, but residents are nervous that they might have to move out soon.

“Three weeks ago they shut down the cable," Sarkar continued. “Then they moved to week-to-week payments, and now the clerk is telling new residents it’s day-to-day. … These are the tactics they’re using before they close.”

And while none of the building’s actual residents showed up to the press conference, formerly homeless Frank Karels said SROs like the Abbott Hotel helped him get his life back while working a minimum wage job.

A representative with the alderman’s office said BJB is working with each resident on a case-by-case basis to find new housing while the hotel is under construction. 

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