Photos: Tucson-area real estate developments of the past 50 years
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Rick Wiley
Photo editor
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Some, but by no means all, of the larger projects on Tucson-area land in the past 50 years.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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La Placita Village and the United Bank building being constructed by M.M. Sundt construction company in September, 1973. Looming behind is the hotel at the Tucson Community Center, now closed.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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The Tucson Community Center complex under construction in April, 1973.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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Construction of La Placita Village; middle foreground; which is a $6.3 million; 2.6 acre complex with Mexican-style stores, cafes and offices along the newly realigned West Broadway Boulevard in downtown Tucson on Feb. 26; 1973. It is adjacent to the Tucson Convention Center; background and the convention downtown hotel; lower right; then called Braniff Place which eventually became the Hotel Arizona.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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It would seem that Bud Howton was not one to be bothered by heights. On Feb. 10, 1972, he made his monthly check of the lights on the time and temperature sign atop the Tucson Federal Savings Tower. The 20-story building, at 32 N. Stone Ave., is now occupied by Pima County Legal Services.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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El Con mall in January, 1972, shortly after it was enclosed and air-conditioned after more than 10 years as an open-air mall.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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El Con Mall, with Levy's Department Store in the lower left, in 1978.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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The 150-room Plaza International Hotel on the corner of North Campbell Avenue and East Speedway Boulevard, close to the University of Arizona, nears completion on March 18, 1971.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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The lone Williams Centre office building under construction in his aerial photo in 1984. The 16-story Great Western Bank-Pima Savings building is at foreground right. Home lots from the original natural desert of the Williams Addition, an innovative 160-acre development with only 22 homes on large lots, still show in upper right. Developer Lew McGinnis bought all but two of the homes by 1980 to create Williams Centre.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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People pack into the Buena Vista Movie Theatre to see "Saturday Night Fever" on July 1, 1978.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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The Broadway department store at Park Mall, Tucson, in 1974.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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After six months of construction, the framework for the new Kino Community Health Center on East Ajo Way near South Country Club is in place on, April 30, 1975, as the $24 million southside hospital is set to replace the Pima County General Hospital. The publically funded county facility is expected to have 221 beds.
Tucson real estate: 1970s
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The main ranch house, at the Double U Dude Ranch ca. 1940. Now the club house for the Canyon Ranch health resort.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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Williams Centre mid-rise office buildings on Broadway Blvd., Tucson, after completion in 1986.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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The Sheraton El Conquistador Hotel in Oro Valley under construction in December, 1982.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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Aerial view of Tucson Mall under construction. 1981.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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Opening day was less than a month away, but from the looks of things, there was still a lot to do at the Tucson Mall on Feb. 23, 1982. The 102-store mall at North Oracle and West Wetmore roads would be the city's largest when it officially opened on March 22, 1982. With a total of 1.4 million square feet and at a cost of $77 million, the mall took 18 months to complete.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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Loew's Ventana Canyon Resort under construction in this aerial photo in 1984. The 400-room hotel on 93 acres of prime desert land opened in December that year. It was part of a 1,000 development project that included home lots costing $225,000. A census found 22,000 Saguaro cactus on the land, of which about 200 had to be relocated for the hotel.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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Foothills Mall at La Cholla Blvd. and Ina Road in this aerial photo in 1984. The mall was a favorite for local residents in the northwest, but it never quite took off. It was purchased by developer Don Bourn and FHM Partners LLC in 2016, after the previous owner became delinquent on its loan. Bourn previously owned the mall from 1994-1999 and took it from 12-percent to 95-percent occupancy.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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Westin La Paloma Resort nearing completion in the 1980s.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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Steel girders that support the building floors extend from the concrete core of the United Bank Tower, 1 S. Church, Tucson, on Oct. 9, 1985. The 23-story core contains the elevators.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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Sundt Construction workers hoisted a Christmas tree made of rebar to the top of the United Bank Tower under construction at 1 S. Church, Tucson, on Dec. 10, 1985.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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The tallest building in Tucson, the Unisource Energy Building reflected in the windows of one of the city's oldest high rises, the Chase Bank Building.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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Raising their glasses in celebration, Margret Augustine and Carl Hodges toast the groundbreaking for the Biosphere II project in Oracle. The event took place on Jan. 30, 1987. The complex was built as a self-sustaining environment for humans, and in 1993 eight βbiosphereansβ ended a two-year stint living inside its sealed ecosystem.
Tucson real estate: 1980s
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Biosphere II under construction in 1990.
Tucson real estate: 1990s
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People look at a home under construction at Hacienda del Oro subdivision in Rita Ranch in 1992.
Tucson real estate: 1990s
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The campus of the UA Tech Park, 9070 S. Rita Road, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014, in Tucson, Ariz. The 1,345-acre research park on Tucson's southeast side hosts technology businesses of varying sizes.
Tucson real estate: 1990s
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Jim Davis of Nelson Greer Painting puts the finishing touches on the huge hearts, stars and musical notes that splash the exterior walls of a huge Lisa Frank Inc. warehouse being built at the Airport Commerce Center on Valencia road and Palo Verde roads in 1996.
Tucson real estate: 1990s
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Construction workers are installing roof deck on the large oval steel beams at the center court of Park Mall in 1999. The large court area will soar to 50' with dramatic skylights and architectural interest.
Tucson real estate: 1990s
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The new entrance of Park Place under construction in early 2000.
Tucson real estate: 2000s
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Clouds linger over the west end of the Catalinas with the new Evo DeConcini Federal Courthouse in 2001.
Tucson real estate: 2000s
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Construction workers busy planting citrus trees in the Rose Garden courtyard of La Encantada open-air mall in 2003.
Tucson real estate: 2000s
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The main pool area in the foreground reflects the feverish work that's continuing on the 564,000-square-foot JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa on the West Side, shown in 2004.
Tucson real estate: 2000s
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Terry Gilster, superintendent with Five Star Industrial, monitors work at Arizona Canning Co. as a huge piece of sterilizing equipment is hoisted out of the six-story tower at the former Slim-Fast plant on the city's Southeast Side in 2007. The sterilizer will be refitted to process the beans that Arizona Canning will start producing this summer.
Tucson real estate: 2000s
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Shoppers come and go from some of the shops at the Tucson Spectrum shopping center in 2012.
Tucson real estate: 2000s
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A few fans get their photos taken with costumed characters from the film franchise just outside the ticket booth at the premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at the Harkins Tucson Spectrum 18 in 2015.
Tucson real estate: 2000s
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A long line of people are lined up inside of the Target Fullfilment Center in 2009 to get job applications. Target's huge fullfilment center will be hiring fewer than 200 people. The positions they are going to hire now are mostly for warehouse type positions and the pay ranges from $12.50 to $14.75 over a 2 yr. progression.
Tucson real estate: 2010s
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This is a view of the pool and hotel at the grand opening of the Casino Del Sol Resort, Spa and Conference Center on November 11, 2011. The $130 million expansion from casino and entertainment center includes a 215-room hotel making it a 161,000 square foot resort and entertainment destination. In addition to fireworks, the festivities included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, speeches from Pascua Yaqui Tribual Council members, a ceremonial blessing and concert.
Tucson real estate: 2010s
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Construction continues on the AC Hotel Tucson by Marriott on East Broadway and Fifth Avenue as seen from the 1 W. Broadway building on the southwest corner of Stone and Broadway in Tucson on Sept 27, 2016.
Tucson real estate: 2010s
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The sixth-floor pool deck with a southward view at the AC Hotel Tucson Downtown by Marriott, 151 E. Broadway, on Sept. 20, 2017. The 136-room hotel features three floors of rooms, six suites, a pool deck with downtown views, gym and lobby bar that is open to the public.
Tucson real estate: 2010s
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Construction crews with Barker Contracting work on a shell building in The Landing shopping center, a new shopping center on W. Irvington Rd. and I-19, in Tucson, Ariz. on December 17, 2019.
Tucson real estate: 2010s
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A stairway allows workers to get on the top of Amazon's 800,000-square foot warehouse located at the Port of Tucson on Aug. 14, 2018. The distribution center is located in both the city and county property and is the second largest building of its kind in the city. The largest is the Target fulfillment center also on the city's southeast side.
Tucson real estate: 2010s
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Construction continues on the structural steel building for the nine-story hospital at Banner University Medical Center Tucson on August 16, 2016. The Board of Regents got a $187 million building permit for the steel structure around the existing hospital.
Tucson real estate: 2010s
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Kristian Watkins, project manager for development and construction with Banner Health, at right, leads a group through what will be a waiting area in the first of a series of free public tours of the new nine-story Banner - University Medical Center tower, 1501 N. Campbell Ave., on March 29, 2018. The 670,000-square-foot tower is on schedule to welcome its first patients in April 2019.
Tucson real estate: 2010s
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The Hub-2, the shortest building, in the foreground shown in 2016. It is part of a group of private student housing at Park Ave. and Speedway Blvd
Tucson real estate: 2010s
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Caterpillar's new regional offices at 875 W Cushing St.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
As featured on
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