From The Editor

his month several of Downtown’s landmark buildings were recognized as National Register historic properties. This recognition holds symbolic and practical economic value for Downtown. Downtown revitalization begins with valuing our architectural and historic landmarks as symbols of Tucson’s history and identity. Structures such as the Bank One building, the Hotel Congress, Rialto Theatre and Block, Fox Theatre, Chicago Store, and 6th Avenue’s Arizona Hotel create the context for what is to follow. They are the foundation of further redevelopment in the Congress Street area.

The economic value will be the incentive that the federal government provides to restore such buildings through historic tax credits. The Fox Theatre and the Rialto Block are presently undergoing renovation, with some of the funding coming from these credits. With the example already set by Warren Michaels at 116 E. Congress, and by others, the economic value of rehabilitating these treasures will be more readily apparent.

As Donovan Rypkema, a nationally-recognized expert on historic preservation, told us last year at our Congress Street workshop, restoring our historic properties has multiple economic benefits, including stabilizing neighborhoods, providing jobs, incubating small businesses, revitalizing downtowns, encouraging infill (part of a Smart Growth strategy), and spurring “heritage tourism”.

The City of Tucson initiated this project and provided funding, and we at TDA provided assistance with archival and field research, but the bulk of the work was accomplished by students in UA Architecture professor Brooks Jeffery’s Preservation Studies class. In addition to the research, the students wrote up a lengthy statement describing the historic context and the individual property applications. The eight buildings were designated as contributing properties within a “Multiple Property Listing”. Because the properties are not physically contiguous, it was impossible to justify the establishment of a historic district. However, there is an architectural, social, and historic context that exists, into which these and other potentially eligible properties, fit. Because the historic contexts that were approved were rather general (“Town Planning and Development in Tucson, Arizona 1775-1953” and “Architecture in Tucson, Arizona 1900-1953”), other historic properties can be added to the multiple property listing at some future date.

While most of the properties recognized are already in the process of rehabilitation, there are other Downtown historic landmarks, not yet registered, that may be at risk of further decay and potential demolition.

Donovan Durband
Executive Director, Tucson Downtown Alliance
President, It’s Happening Downtown, Inc.

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