Yuma, Arizona (AZFamily)— Federal and state funding will help transform the historic Hotel Del Sol in downtown Yuma into a transportation hub.

City engineers are working to preserve elements of the hotel’s exterior, but much of it will be demolished to make way for Yuma’s first intermodal transportation center.

The city received $10.6 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s RAISE grant.

RAISE stands for Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity. This is a USDOT program that invests in the nation’s transportation goals.

The Arizona Family Yuma Bureau toured the hotel and captured some final images before the renovation.

Hotel del Sol was built in 1916. It was originally called Hotel Del Min, named after then-Yuma Mayor Frank Min.

Although it has been abandoned as a vacant lot for nearly 40 years, some impressive architecture remains.

“It was designed by Taylor and Taylor, two architects from Los Angeles. They came and built this beautiful Spanish Revival hotel, which is so near and dear to Yuma’s history.” said Amanda Dahl, historian and director of the Sanguinetti House Museum and Gardens.

The hotel retains much of its original design, with interior decoration featuring wooden frames and crown moldings.

Dahl said the hotel was in the center of town, across from the train station.

“You can get off your trip and quickly find a place to stay,” she said.

Plus, the ultimate amenity against the summer heat, all 300 rooms were air-conditioned.

“In 1937, it was probably one of the most popular lodging establishments in Yuma because it could advertise that each room had air conditioning,” Dahl said.

It also appeared on the silver screen as a backdrop for the 1994 action film The Getaway.

“One of the hotel’s signs was put up for that movie and they never took it down, so it’s very historic, like it was original to the building. You can see it, but it was added later and was never removed,” Dahl said.

The hotel will be repurposed as a public transport hub. Construction is scheduled to begin next summer.

You can access the hotel’s lobby. Some of the hotel’s artifacts will be incorporated into the lobby in some way, the city said.

While Dahl welcomes the restoration, he wants it to stay true to the 1926 Hotel Del Min.

“I really hope it stays as original as possible,” Dahl said.

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