A hotel that once was the Tucson home of Hollywood celebrities while here shooting movies is now embarking on a new life as College Place Tucson.
The one-time Hilton Hotel, 1601 N. Oracle Road, now has 185 rental units. There are also 14 "transitional rooms" that can be for shorter term visits by parents.
 The revamped Whataburger at 6504 E. 22nd St. is the first in the state with the company’s new design. Photo courtesy of Whataburger |
It is about 1½ miles from the University of Arizona campus just a half mile away from Pima Community College’s downtown campus.
College Place also features an outlet of Einstein Bros. Bagels, a convenience store and a "cantina" offering nightly buffets.
The site also has a 4,800-square-foot meeting and catering space that can accommodate up to 350 people, and a pool, spa, exercise facilities, a barbecue area, a sand volleyball court, a game room and a lighted multi-purpose sports court.
Oracle Innkeepers LLC had operated the property for the past 10 years, most recently as Arizona Plaza Hotel. It was closed as a hotel about two years ago.
The owners have since spent about $4.5 million converting it into college housing, according to Ed Ackerley of Ackerley Advertising.
The property originally opened in 1952 as a Del Webb-designed Hilton. It later became a Vagabond Plaza Hotel and then the Arizona Plaza Hotel.
Single rooms at College Place rent for $650 a month. Double rooms go for $450 per person. The rates are competitive and even less than what the UA is charging for dormitory rooms, according to College Place. Rooms have cable TV, WiFi and appliances. The complex also has a laundry.
First Tucson Whataburger rebuilt with new design
Tucson’s oldest Whataburger, 6504 E. 22nd St., is the first in the state to be rebuilt and reopened using the chain’s new architectural design.
The new 2,426-square-foot Whataburger is almost twice the size of the original pagoda-style building of 1,660 square-feet, which was built 39 years ago.
The new restaurant held its ribbon cutting May 29.
One of six Whataburgers in the Tucson area, the new facility is the first to open in Arizona since 2001. The original building, designed with visibility in mind, was the first in the state to display Whataburger’s signature orange-and-white striped, A-frame design.
Whataburger has 35 stores in Arizona and 700 across 10 southern states stretching from Arizona to Florida, according to Jayson Romeo, director of operators for Arizona. He said Whataburger intends to phase in the new design at all stores. The chain has 700 stores, mainly in southern states, with Arizona its westernmost state.
Older downtown buildings eligible for façade program
Owners of downtown buildings constructed before 1948 have until June 22 to apply for loans to help them restore their buildings’ façades to their original looks.
The City of Tucson program offers loans to 45 eligible downtown businesses located between Congress Street, Broadway and Pennington Street between Toole and Church avenues.
In a first phace of the program, offering up to $7,500 in help preparing architectural and engineering concepts, up to eight building owners will be chosen from among competing applicants.
Of those eight, four building owners will be selected by Nov. 8 for loans of up to $90,000 for mid-block properties and up to $125,000 for corner properties. The Downtown Partnership will establish a committee to decide which buildings should be chosen.
Building owners must come up with 50 percent of all funding to be eligible for the loans, which come from about $530,000 available from the Downtown Revolving Loan Fund administered by the Business Development Finance Corporation.
The 10-year loans would be forgivable if the property owner or tenant remains in compliance with the terms of the program over the 10-year period, according to Karen Masbruch, assistant city manager, who is heading up the project.
Gresham & Beach acquired by national firm
Gresham & Beach Architects Inc., 177 N. Church Ave., Suite 755 in the TransAmerica Building, has been acquired by KKE Architects Inc., one of the top 50 U.S. architectural firms. The office will now be known as KKE Gresham & Beach.
Jim Gresham founded Gresham & Beach in 1968, the same year KKE opened its doors in Minneapolis. Gresham & Beach has focused on designing, planning and programming for healthcare facilities, as well as for educational, cultural, institutional and historical projects.
Over the past 25 years, Gresham & Beach’s clients have included Yavapai Regional Medical Center in Prescott and Prescott Valley, the University of Arizona, Gila River Indian Community in Sacaton, Tucson Medical Center, Palo Verde Hospital, University Medical Center, Tohono O’Odham Nation in Sells and Hopi Nation in Polacca.
Richard Beach, AIA, a healthcare architect, has contributed to every healthcare project undertaken by the Tucson firm. As managing principal, Beach leads overall operations and design efforts for the Tucson office.
KKE also is establishing an office in Phoenix as part of its growing Arizona business.
Worth noting
• No. 3 Commonwealth Investments LLC purchased 2111 E. 17th St. for $825,000. Ron Zimmerman of Bourn Partners represented the buyer. Rob Glaser of Picor Commercial Real Estate represented the seller.
• Blockbuster Video signed a five-year lease renewal for 6,107 square feet at Oracle Village Shopping Center at Oracle and Roger roads. David Hammack of Volk Company Commercial Real Estate represented Blockbuster.
• Bohemia, an artists’ emporium, leased 4,000 square feet at 2920 E. Broadway Boulevard. David Hammack of Volk Company Commercial Real Estate represented the Landlord in the transaction.
• Rug Decor leased 3,000 square feet at Oracle Crossings on Oracle Road north of Ina Road, for its first Tucson-area location. David Hammack of Volk Company Commercial Real Estate represented the tenant. Ben Craney of Bourn Partners represented the landlord.
• Loewen Window Centers leased 2,590 square feet at Steam Pump Village on Oracle Road, north of First Avenue in Oro Valley. David Hammack and Brenna Lacey of Volk Company Commercial Real Estate represented the landlord.
• Quizno’s Classic Subs leased 1,750 square feet at Old Vail Station, Vail. David Hammack of Volk Company Commercial Real Estate represented the tenant.
• Valley Energy Co., a Tucson-based electrical contractor, signed a one-year lease for 1,650 square feet of industrial space at 3810 E. 44th St. from Rich Rodgers Investments Inc. Brandon Rodger of CB Richard Ellis represented the landlord.
E-mail items for this column to reporter Ed Egger at eegger@azbiz.com. Real Estate & Construction appears weekly.
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