The Ruby Meadows Hotel, known as the "Disaster Hotel", is a fifteen-story hotel located at Gallagher Street in Enswood, North Bloxifornia, United States of Robloxia. Its nickname, "Ruby Meadows," was named in honor of Ruby Holloway, the original owner of the Parallel Citadel Hotel, and the construction site, which was built on top of a former wildflower meadow. The ground floors consist of a lobby and a restaurant grouped with a bar and two waiting rooms, while the upper floors include seven-story rooms and an outdoor pool on the rooftop.
Ruby Meadows Hotel was among the multiple projects proposed as a part of a citywide expansion in the 1960s. Construction commenced on the site of the former Parallel Citadel Hotel in 1965, which had burned down a year prior. Upon opening, Ruby Meadows Hotel became popular with tourists, despite negative feedback toward its design. Starting in the 1980s, the term "disaster hotel" was frequently used due to its poor stability and frequent storm damage, requiring millions in repairs and regular closures, although a majority of those problems had been resolved by the 2010s.
Site
Ruby Meadows Hotel is located near the west side of Gallagher Street in the upper section of Enswood, Bayview County, North Bloxifornia, United States of Robloxia. The site covers an area of approximately 105 studs x 95 studs, the same size of its predecessor, the Parallel Citadel Hotel. It is close to multiple buildings; on the east side, there are two separate apartment buildings and the city's only public park, while on the south side, it faces a large parking lot, including the town hall, which stands above the entrance of a highway tunnel. The west and north sides cover a low-sized open field.
Architecture
Facade
Excluding the base, the hotel is fifteen stories high; the rear setback expands the height to sixteen stories. The front facade was principally designed with a "classical look," which includes light yellow limestone; an indoor bridge hallway and balustrade visible on the second and third floors, respectively; and roughly thirty-eight blue or gray glass windows from the fifth to the fourteenth floors, with four per floor. In an unusual move, all glass panels contain no window frames, instead being connected as a part of both the exterior and interior walls of the guestrooms.
The ground level includes three separate wooden walkways that connect to two staircases that lead up to the first level. The base, elevating the hotel six additional feet above ground level, primarily consists of wild grass that serves as the foundation of the hotel, while the outer base is made out of ground rock. According to Harvey, the rock is a slate material that originated from volcanic ash, which was effective at "catching that earthy aesthetic." Below the bridge hallway is the pathway to the entrance, which consists of a soft red carpet that leads to glass double doors.
Interior
First to fourth floors
The lobby on the first floor was designed to be "straightforward" and "organized." It comprises a modern front desk counter where room information is available for guests, a meeting room with large glass panels to allow natural light to enter in, and a staircase that continuously leads to the twelfth floor. At the western side of the floor, there are two automated separate elevators that connect to all floors. There is an electrical room that powers the lower floors, including the elevators. In contrast to all buildings, the walls are designed with the same yellow limestone used for the outer exterior, while the floor surface is made of concrete. Architecture sheets showed that the floor surface was originally meant to be made out of white ceramic tiles but was replaced with its current surface during the base's construction.
The second floor largely includes a restaurant located on the north-northwest side of the hotel. There are five four-seater dining tables and two double-seater tables, all of which include wingback chairs to hold a total of twenty-four people. On the floor's northern section, there is a small hallway bridge that has a staircase in the middle to access the following floor, which continues to an open space that includes another set of stairs.
Rooms
During the preconstruction stage, Ruby Meadows Hotel had been planned to include eighty guest rooms, starting from the third floor. However, because of building size limitations, the total number of rooms was significantly reduced. The fifth to twelfth guest room floors have two separate elevators that open into a large hallway that divides into two smaller eastward ones that measure 16 studs (4 m) wide, while the thirteenth to fourteenth floors have an open space that includes a double couch. The fifth to twelfth floors have seven guest rooms, two of which face the southern, western, and northern sides, respectively, with the exception of one directly inside the hotel, while the thirteenth to fourteenth stories have three larger guest rooms; all of them cost a rate of $35 to $60. Each single room is measured 16 by 27 studs (4 by 8 m), while the double room is measured 33 by 31 studs (10 by 9 m).
Both single and double rooms consist consist of one bed with white sheets, a table, a closet, and an individual bathroom; the former were intentionally designed to house one low-income person who could afford it for between multiple days and two weeks maximum, which the latter were constructed to house families or groups after demands for more availability arose. In terms of design, the walls are the same yellow limestone used for the facade and the outer exterior, while both the floor and roof are made out of concrete used on the preceding and following floor. As the hotel only uses electricity for the lower floors, the guestrooms receive natural light, while those directly inside the hotel have a single lamp. During construction, Harvey wanted to use less electricity and believed that natural light was much more "aesthetic." Taking advantage of the size of the guestrooms, the window was made larger to allow more light into the rooms.
History
Background
In the mid-1950s, Enswood and its sister borough began to experience a population boom, particularly consisting of Bacons migrating toward the western United States, resulting in a troubled migration crisis. Overcrowding became a major issue among residents, leading to the Enswood government proposing an expansion toward the east side to construct public housing by 1956. Roughly 521.75 studs of acres of land were purchased by mid-1957. Construction began on multiple apartment complexes and two hotels, all intended to house 1,500 migrants and 450 permanent residents in total. Among them was the ten-story Parallel Citadel Hotel, the last project to be completed. It was designed by Ruby Holloway, who oversaw management. It was intended to house approximately 400 migrants and provide no tourism.
The hotel was constructed toward the end of the migration crisis, with overcrowding decreasing as migrants moved to the city's borough. Simultaneously, Enswood began to experience a tourism boom, which had begun toward the end of 1960. Upon opening in early 1961, the Parallel Citadel Hotel became a tourist attraction, with nearly all rooms regularly booked during the summertime. One factor was due to the city's lack of tourist attractions; the hotel was a source of entertainment, frequently hosting cultural celebrations, fashion events, and parties. However, the Parallel Citadel Hotel was not spared from safety risks. In late 1962, the hotel was closed due to reports of wall cracks caused by instability in the basement. During storms, the hotel frequently swayed due to high winds, and guests reported hearing "popping" noises. In January 1964, an investigation into the hotel's stability was conducted. In early 1964, during a thunderstorm, the hotel's northern side collapsed, followed by the entire building.
Development
Following the destruction of the Parallel Citadel Hotel, the property was sold to Astral Crest Properties, a real estate company. There were debates on whether or not another hotel should be constructed. Multiple proposals included an apartment complex, a shopping center, and a town hall. Ultimately, a hotel was favored, as Enswood continued to experience high levels of tourism, including the influence that the Parallel Citadel Hotel had on the city. In July 1964, amid an architectural design competition, architect Christopher Ellis was offered $150,000 to design the new hotel. Ellis drew out multiple sketches of the new hotel, one of which was set at Sweeney Road, in front of the Bloxifornia River.
Rather than seeking a large-sized hotel, similar to the Parallel Citadel Hotel, he deliberately shortened the building's length and increased its height by five stories. He bought in architecture designers Louise Wright and Sophia Atkinson to help with the layout. Wright designed the exterior, while Atkinson designed the interior. He presented them to several real estate developers, including Katelynn Griffith and Scott Duncan, who favored his designs over an estimated 50 proposals. After favorable feedback from Astral Crest Properties, they began funding the project by August 1964. The company had hoped to commence construction toward the start of 1965, with an estimated completion between August and November of that year, to compete with the holiday season. That September, Astral Crest Properties announced the planning of a new hotel on the site of the former Parallel Citadel Hotel and that it would assist in funding and development of the building. The team consists of Ellis as the developer and Demi Harvey as the contractor.