| Pioneer | |
|---|---|
| The Pioneer Hotel Building in the downtown business district of Tucson, Arizona. The hotel now functions as a business office and apartment building. | |
| Location | 100 North Stone Avenue, Tucson, Arizona, United States, 85701
"Pioneer Hotel Building by Kathryn Hammond". http://url.missing/. |
| Opening date | December 12, 1929 |
| Architect | Roy Place |
| Owner | Holualoa Congress LLC [1] |
| Floors | 11 |
The Pioneer Hotel, designed by Tucson Architect Roy Place, was one of Tucson's first high-rise building. Opened in 1929, the spanish revival hotel became the social center of the downtown business district. The property catered to the social elite.[2] In the mid-20th century Harold and Margaret Steinfeld, owners of a large downtown department store lived in the penthouse. A disastrous fire severely damaged the building in December 1970, and among the 29 victims were the Steinfelds. The building has been converted from a hotel to an office building.
Though it adds a rich layer of history to the business district of downtown Tucson, the Pioneer Hotel has not been listed in the National Register of Historic Places because of "reversible integrity changes" made in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The "modernization" included stripping the building of its ornate cast stone entryway and adding vertical glass striping in an attempt to up-date the building to reflect design trends popular in the middle to late 20th century. Other changes included the covering of the buildings roof top terrace arcade, changing the store front window configuration and reconfiguration of the lobby.
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The building is 11 stories tall and, when it opened in 1929, it housed the largest ballroom in the country.
A metal frame was added to the top of the building in the 1970s.
After the fire, developer Allan Elias converted the building to offices with extensive remodeling and facade work in 1977. Later, John Hancock Mutual Life spent $1.3 million renovating the building, including hallways and other common areas.
The building is currently owned by Holualoa Congress LLC.[1]
In the early hours of the morning on December 20, 1970, fire ripped through the Pioneer Hotel building.