In the wake of the disastrous 1985 Mexico City earthquake , seismic tests conducted on the hotel showed the main building to be unsafe . As a result , the hotel 's main wing had to be closed without notice on October 20 , 1985 , causing a chaotic scramble to relocate hundreds of social events booked at the hotel over the coming months . The 89 rooms in the 1967 Lanai wing and the 18 cottage homes remained in operation as the '' ' Huntington Sheraton Lanai and Cottages ' '' , while the six-story main building sat vacant . Huntington Hotel Associates ( HHA ) , consisting of developer Lary Mielke , Tom Tellefsen , William Zimmerman and James M. Galbraith , announced plans in 1986 to demolish the main wing of the hotel and replace it with a replica . After a year of debate and numerous pleas from preservationists , Pasadena voters chose on May 19 , 1987 , to give zoning approval to the demolition of the main building . HHA bought the hotel from Keikyu in December 1987 . Sheraton ceased operating the hotel in January 1988 , and it was renamed '' ' The Huntington Hotel & Cottages ' '' . The contents of the main building were sold to the public in June and July 1988 and demolition of the main building began on March 27 , 1989 , lasting three months . The lanai and cottages closed in mid-1990 as construction of the new main building progressed
1985 Mexico City earthquake
1985 Mexico City earthquake
The Langham Huntington, Pasadena