Photos: ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-area real estate developments of the past 50 years
Some, but by no means all, of the larger projects on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥-area land in the past 50 years.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Community Center, now closed.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Community Center complex under construction in April, 1973.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on Feb. 26; 1973. It is adjacent to the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Convention Center; background and the convention downtown hotel; lower right; then called Braniff Place which eventually became the Hotel ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Federal Savings Tower. The 20-story building, at 32 N. Stone Ave., is now occupied by Pima County Legal Services.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
El Con mall in January, 1972, shortly after it was enclosed and air-conditioned after more than 10 years as an open-air mall.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
El Con Mall, with Levy's Department Store in the lower left, in 1978.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
The 150-room Plaza International Hotel on the corner of North Campbell Avenue and East Speedway Boulevard, close to the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, nears completion on March 18, 1971.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
People pack into the Buena Vista Movie Theatre to see "Saturday Night Fever" on July 1, 1978.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
The Broadway department store at Park Mall, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, in 1974.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1970s
The main ranch house, at the Double U Dude Ranch ca. 1940. Now the club house for the Canyon Ranch health resort.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
Williams Centre mid-rise office buildings on Broadway Blvd., ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, after completion in 1986.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
The Sheraton El Conquistador Hotel in Oro Valley under construction in December, 1982.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
Aerial view of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Mall under construction. 1981.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
Opening day was less than a month away, but from the looks of things, there was still a lot to do at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
Westin La Paloma Resort nearing completion in the 1980s.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
Steel girders that support the building floors extend from the concrete core of the United Bank Tower, 1 S. Church, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, on Oct. 9, 1985. The 23-story core contains the elevators.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
Sundt Construction workers hoisted a Christmas tree made of rebar to the top of the United Bank Tower under construction at 1 S. Church, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, on Dec. 10, 1985.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
The tallest building in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, the Unisource Energy Building reflected in the windows of one of the city's oldest high rises, the Chase Bank Building.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
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 “biosphereans†ended a two-year stint living inside its sealed ecosystem.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1980s
Biosphere II under construction in 1990.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1990s
People look at a home under construction at Hacienda del Oro subdivision in Rita Ranch in 1992.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1990s
The campus of the UA Tech Park, 9070 S. Rita Road, on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014, in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz. The 1,345-acre research park on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s southeast side hosts technology businesses of varying sizes.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1990s
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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1990s
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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 1990s
The new entrance of Park Place under construction in early 2000.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2000s
Clouds linger over the west end of the Catalinas with the new Evo DeConcini Federal Courthouse in 2001.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2000s
Construction workers busy planting citrus trees in the Rose Garden courtyard of La Encantada open-air mall in 2003.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2000s
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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2000s
Terry Gilster, superintendent with Five Star Industrial, monitors work at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Canning will start producing this summer.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2000s
Shoppers come and go from some of the shops at the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Spectrum shopping center in 2012.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2000s
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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Spectrum 18 in 2015.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2000s
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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2010s
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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2010s
Construction continues on the AC Hotel ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on Sept 27, 2016.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2010s
The sixth-floor pool deck with a southward view at the AC Hotel ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2010s
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 ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz. on December 17, 2019.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2010s
A stairway allows workers to get on the top of Amazon's 800,000-square foot warehouse located at the Port of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2010s
Construction continues on the structural steel building for the nine-story hospital at Banner University Medical Center ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ on August 16, 2016. The Board of Regents got a $187 million building permit for the steel structure around the existing hospital.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2010s
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.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2010s
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
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ real estate: 2010s
Caterpillar's new regional offices at 875 W Cushing St.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
How ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s real estate market has changed over the last 50 yearsFor Star subscribers: After 50 years in the business, local real estate legend George Larsen reflects on how the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ market has evolved.
For Star subscribers: Property owners are looking at ways to repurpose big, obsolete spaces with massive parking lots around ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and the nation.
For Star subscribers:Â Business is booming on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s bustling southwest side with more than 200 apartments, a hotel, new eateries and more in the works.
The House voted Thursday to repeal laws that allow any investor who acquires 80% of the units in any condominium complex to then force the owners of the other 20% to sell.
