it was acquired by jcg financial co., followed by sunday inn inc.. when they tried to evict the tenants and turn it into a luxury hotel again in 1979, the tenants filed a lawsuit accusing them of harassment and won. a decade later, in 1988, the building was acquired by the people's republic of china under the company name of may wah international enterprises. their goal was to turn it into "a chinese business/cultural center". while the historic facade was preserved, the interior was redesigned in the international style. when diplomatic relations between the us and china fizzled out, it was turned into a low-rent apartment building. when they tried to evict the residents to raise the rents, they were sued, leading to a us$1.7 million settlement.