Bits of Tucson history unearthed at downtown dig

Planting holes from an old orchard, a 1930s engine block and an 1861 Sonoran coin are among the artifacts uncovered during an archaeological study at the site where a new downtown hotel will be built.

Some of the finds will be displayed in the lobby of the new AC Hotel Tucson, 151 E. Broadway. Others will be archived at the Arizona State Museum.

The dig by Desert Archaeology was a requirement of a federal loan for the project, and the State Historic Preservation Office must sign off on the site before construction can begin.

The site was a house in 1883, livery stables in 1908, and an auto shop in 1917. There were stores and restaurants there in the ’30s and the Flamingo Night Club in the ’40s. It’s been a parking lot since the ’50s.

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When it opens in 2017, the eight-story hotel will have 136 guest rooms, meeting space, a restaurant and retail space, and a rooftop pool and bar. It is expected to employ 50 people.

“It’s the first hotel built in downtown Tucson within the past 20 years — a very much needed aspect and niche that needed to be filled,” said Nick Fox, a spokesman for owners 5 North 5th Hotel and managers Cima Enterprises.

“It’s really neat to see everything that’s been dug up,” he said, and it’s been a good time to reflect on “the combination of what we’re doing with an urban contemporary hotel, yet respecting all of the artifacts that have been underneath.”