Over the last 5 years, Pima Community College purchased three historic properties adjacent to the Downtown Campus with the express purpose of adaptively reusing them for college programs.  

These three historic properties, the Tucson Inn, El Rancho Motor Hotel, and Frontier Motel, are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Miracle Mile District and hold significant cultural and architectural value. They represent different eras in Tucson’s history and contribute to the city’s identity. They are regularly featured nationally and internationally in articles on Tucson. In 2022 Pima Community College committed 10 million to complete the project a year later in April 2023 the cost estimates presented by the college had ballooned to 35.7 million. This makes the cost per square foot more than twice the most expensive hospital buildings in the country. 

In Fall 2023,  after a wave of public outcry when Pima Community College revealed plans to demolish these landmarks for parking lots, the Drachman Properties Advisory Committee, consisting of over a dozen members, was formed but included only one preservation advocate to make recommendations regarding the fate of these buildings. You can read concerns by the lone preservation committee member Kenneth Scoville in the Arizona Daily Star.

In 2022 the College identified a portfolio of student-success-focused programs that needed this revitalized space.  To preserve our heritage and embrace the revitalization of the Miracle Mile area, it is crucial to save these buildings from demolition by Pima Community College. The college can play a significant role by integrating them into its educational programs, specifically focusing on hospitality, hotel management, and culinary arts. This innovative approach will not only benefit the college but also contribute to the improvement of the surrounding district and enhance the overall college experience. It is a unique opportunity to protect our cultural legacy while promoting education and community development.

Following significant public outcry after PCC pushed to demo the building for parking lots, the college assembled a “committee” and issued a request for quotes for adaptive reuse projects for the motels. A highly respected team, led by Historic Preservation Architect Corky Poster, proposed a visionary plan to transform the buildings into affordable housing, as well as a healthcare and food hub; a plan that could support students, families and our community.  Shockingly, the PCC Board rejected this thoughtful proposal and voted to demolish the properties and create empty dirt lots.

The PCC Board then took the unprecedented action of hiring a demolition contractor at a cost of over $500,000 to begin work the very next day, intent on completing the demolition before the new PCC Board takes office in January.

The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation (THPF) and Arizona Preservation Foundation (APF) have been fighting to protect these historic buildings. Legal counsel was hired earlier this year, as we strongly believe that Pima Community College, like the University of Arizona and ASU, is subject to the Arizona State Historic Preservation Act.

Following the vote for demolition, THPF and APF took legal action to obtain a temporary restraining order to force PCC to halt demolition. We won the initial argument and the court wisely issued a temporary restraining order to halt demolition. However, Pima Community College defied the spirit of this order by ripping out historic steel casement windows, destroying doors and door frames, and wholesale destruction of clay roof tiles, claiming these actions were part of “hazardous materials remediation.” This justification is inconsistent with preservation standards and has caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage, wasting public funds.

THPF and APF returned to court to ask the court to halt the destructive “remediation” work, and were granted a second win with the court ordering PCC to cease all destructive actions until the next hearing. To secure this vital reprieve, THPF and APF were required to post a $25,000 bond—a significant financial burden for our small, all-volunteer organizations.

We urgently need your help to stop this senseless demolition and hold Pima Community College accountable. Here’s how you can help:

Tell the Pima Community College board:

• • PCC needs to keep its promise to preserve the Drachman Properties.
  • The Request for Qualifications needs to explicitly include historic preservation and adaptive reuse of the Drachman Properties.
  • Demolition will never be an acceptable outcome.

4.Write a Letter to the Editor: Amplify this issue in the press to ensure the public knows what is happening.

These iconic historic properties deserve a future that honors their past and benefits the community. Stand with us to preserve Tucson’s history for generations to come.

Donate Now to Support THPF’s Legal Action.

Together, we can save the Tucson Inn and fight for the preservation of our shared heritage.

Tucson Inn

The Tucson Inn, constructed in the 1950s, is an exemplary Mid-Century Modern highway motel located on Tucson’s historic Miracle Mile. Designed by architect Anne Jackson Rysdale, it showcased modernist architecture with a touch of midcentury industrial design. The property hosted Hollywood celebrities like Rita Hayworth and literally luminaries like Earnest Hemingway. The inn had 65 guest rooms, including a heated swimming pool, formal restaurant, and diner/coffee shop. Although the corridor’s decline affected its relevance, the Tucson Inn remained an outstanding example of Tucson’s glamorous 1950s.

El Rancho Motor Hotel

The El Rancho Motor Hotel was built in 1941 by Mrs. M.R. McCarthy in Tucson, Arizona. It featured Spanish Eclectic Twentieth Century Revival Style architecture and initially had six units. In 1941, an eight-unit building was added, creating a row-on-row motel arrangement. The motel had air-conditioned rooms, some with kitchenettes, and was known for its attractive landscaping. The property changed ownership a few times over the years. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017 as part of the Miracle Mile Historic District.

Frontier Motel

Originally named the Pioneer, the property was opened in 1941 by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Paul in Tucson. Designed by architect George J. Wolf, it featured Spanish eclectic twentieth-century revival architecture. The motel had 14 units divided between two buildings, with kitchenettes in some rooms. The property changed hands and was later renamed the Frontier Motel. Additions were made in 1959 and 1965. The original neon sign of the motel is well-maintained and functional, representing its historic character.