Progress on the Downtown Motor Hotel, 383 S. Stone Ave., continued this week toward the long-vacant property’s rebirth as an affordable-housing complex.
Built in 1941 as a single-story hotel for travelers, the property is being turned into a 44-unit, multi-family apartment complex by Compass Affordable Housing.
Armory Park residents opposed the plan to demolish much of the building to convert the property, citing its significance as an historic property designed by famed Tucson architect Josias Joesler.
But the State Historic Preservation Office approved the project after the architect said up to 70 percent of the original building had already been replaced over the years.
Compass has agreed to save and restore the motor lodge’s historic neon sign, and an on-site poster exhibit will document the property’s history.
