The project, which is slated for completion next year, will consist of a 210-room hotel and conference center at build-out. The facility will stand on a 10-acre parcel that is the former site of the Black Family La Jolla Stables. Located on N. Torrey Pines Road, the parcel is currently owned by the Regents of the University of California, which is leasing the land to Lowe. When completed, the property will be managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lowe.

Designed by Hill Glazier Architects, the project is being built by Newport Beach-based McCarthy Building Cos. The completed three-story property will encompass 191,958 sf and include a 150-car, below-grade parking structure, as well as a fitness center, swimming pool and Jacuzzi, gardens and outdoor dining areas. The conference facilities will be housed in a 25,000-sf section of the project.

"A unique aspect of this project is the reconstruction of the site's existing adobe structures," says project manager Bob Betz of McCarthy. "The site previously housed an equestrian facility with adobe buildings, so the architect has incorporated these structures into the hotel lobby area business center and pub. We will recreate these buildings by cutting the adobe bricks in half and veneering the brick to the new structures," he adds. McCarthy will be following a fast-track schedule of just 16 ½ months with build-out planned for spring of 2004.