Historic Downtown

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Clues to the Past: Terrazzo Tiles offer a Glimpse of Congress Street Businesses in the Mid-20th Century

by Ken Scoville

Congress Street is a treasure chest of clues as to the changes that have evolved in the Old Pueblo. Some of the evidence is quite apparent just by scale alone. Tucson’s first high-rise is currently occupied by Bank One; its earlier incarnations were the Consolidated Bank of Tucson, then Valley National Bank. It is an interesting juxtaposition that our newest skyscraper—the UniSource Energy Tower—rises above the lone surviving 19th century adobe building in the commercial core, the Charles O. Brown House just across Broadway. High-rise construction is the ultimate expression of “highest and best use” that is the mantra of the real estate industry. The survival of the Brown residence is an anachronism to the confluence of technology and financial return that is our newest tower of glass. These clues can be seen even during a daily commute to work but it is only on foot that one can truly become a detective to solve the mystery of the evolution and growth of the City of Tucson.

At Congress and Stone one can see the two most prominent bookends of commerce, the Fox Theatre and the Congress Hotel. Accommodations and entertainment are the two key ingredients to bring people to shop, and these anchors of development continue to be the formula all over Tucson. Walking east on Congress from Stone Avenue, just a casual look at the parapets of buildings indicates that many facades have been covered up. A few brave property owners have uncovered an earlier heritage of artisan masonry and visual evidence of the Old Pueblo’s transition from indigenous adobe construction to brick and the desire to replicate architecture from eastern cities at the start of the twentieth century.

One of the most subtle clues to the past on Congress is right under your feet in the form of a 15th century tradition that became a 1940’s to 1950’s tradition on Congress. Many of the businesses during the mid-20th century inscribed the name of their business on the threshold in an Old World flooring craft called terrazzo. At 21 East Congress, Daniel’s Credit Jewelers is inscribed at the entry and is one of a collection of clues to the history of businesses long gone from Congress Street.

A clue to the importance of Daniel’s Jewelers and its relationship to Congress Street was the clock in front of their storefront. This huge clock was purchased by the founder, Elmer Present, and became the landmark meeting place on the street of dreams. Thanks to Gordon Jewelers’ donation of the clock, the preservation efforts of Terri Bainbridge, and $18,000 of City funds, the clock survives in the Veinte de Agosto Park between Congress and Broadway, on the west side of Church.

Some of the terrazzo entries are unmarked, but prominent merchandising legacies can be identified as one walks eastward: Franklin’s, which featured men’s clothing and accessories at 25 East Congress; McLellan’s dime store at 63 East Congress; National Shirt Shops Coast To Coast at 98 East Congress; and Dave Bloom and Sons which also featured men’s fine furnishings at 145 East Congress. The intensity of retail along Congress and Stone during the heyday of the 1950’s would have impressed the most avid mall shopper of today.

The technique of terrazzo flooring began as an effort of recycling when Venetian workers began using discarded marble remnants for their own floors, which were then sealed in clay and then polished with rubbing stones. This achieved a comfortable surface to walk on but dulled the surface and obscured the true marble color. The artisans discovered that goat’s milk brought out the true patina of the marble even after the floor dried; this evolved into the first sealer for terrazzo floors. This European tradition was brought to the United States and many public buildings featured terrazzo. These floors were even the choice of George Washington for many of the rooms in his home at Mount Vernon. There are local examples of terrazzo flooring throughout Tucson, especially some of the earlier landmark buildings at the University of Arizona.

Each of these Congress Street merchandisers memorialized in terrazzo has a proud hometown beginning that flourished along with the drugstores and movie houses on the Old Pueblo’s street of dreams. These remaining name plates make a statement of permanence that we should honor and preserve. They also hint of the impact of the development of the El Con Mall in the 1960’s and the exodus for the suburbs. A downtown mall might have saved retail merchants, but this was never a political reality of the decade of change that has forever defined the look of Tucson today.

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Greetings From The Past!

A view looking north on Stone from the St. Agustín Cathedral.

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