Tucson, Arizona - The Tucson Inn is located along the Miracle Mile Historic District. The 63 unit motel was built in 1953 and appeared as an example of mid-century modern architecture. The Tucson Inn was designed by architect Anne Jackson Rysdale. The motel also once hosted well known names such as Rita Hayworth and Earnest Hemingway. 09-17
Tucson Inn Great Sign
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The tall neon sign of the Tucson Inn was one of the great sights along Tucson’s old motel row. Its starburst, sweeping arrow, and stacked neon letters rose high above Drachman Street, advertising a place that had been welcoming highway travelers since the early 1950s. During the day it was classic Googie roadside architecture. After dark, with the neon running through its colors, it was even better.
The Tucson Inn opened in January 1953 along the busy U.S. Routes 80 and 89 corridor. With 63 rooms, a heated courtyard swimming pool, coffee shop, lounge, and restaurant, it was one of Arizona’s largest and most modern motor hotels at the time. Guests could pull off the highway, park near their room, take a swim, and settle in for dinner without having to go anywhere else.
Tucson Inn
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The motel was designed by Anne Jackson Rysdale, the only registered female architect practicing in Arizona at the time. Rysdale gave the Tucson Inn a low, modern profile built around its courtyard, while the enormous neon sign made sure nobody driving past would miss the entrance. It was a fine combination of Southwestern motel design and full-sized roadside showmanship.
The Tucson Inn attracted more than its share of famous visitors. Rita Hayworth reportedly stayed here, and Ernest Hemingway spent time in the motel’s Baghdad Room with his longtime friend, painter Waldo Peirce. Photographs taken on March 20, 1959, show the two friends sharing drinks there. It was reportedly the last time Hemingway and Peirce ever saw one another.
Tucson Inn
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Like many of the motels along Tucson’s old Miracle Mile, the Tucson Inn lost much of its highway traffic after Interstate 10 redirected travelers away from the original strip. The buildings aged, the neighborhood changed, and the once-upscale motor hotel gradually became another survivor from an earlier era of Arizona travel.
Just days after the Tucson Inn was shut down in May 2017, I happened to be traveling through town. Something looked wrong as soon as I pulled up. The motel appeared unusually deserted. All I could see were the familiar pickup truck and a car, with no guests or other vehicles anywhere around the property.
Tucson Inn
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
While peering through the office window with my camera, I was startled to see owner Susie Lin sitting in a La-Z-Boy recliner with her eyes closed. I quickly stepped away. A few minutes later, she came running around the side of the building and asked what I was doing.
Once I explained my interest in the Tucson Inn, the mood changed. Susie told me that the city had closed the motel because of building violations. She believed the closure would be temporary and planned to reopen soon. After nearly 40 years of ownership, retirement was also somewhere on the horizon, but she was certain the famous sign would remain.
Tucson Inn Neon
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Susie then showed me a collection of magazines, newspaper stories, and photographs featuring the Tucson Inn over the years. This was more than an old motel to her. It was a large part of her life, and she was proud that so many people had stopped to photograph and remember it.
It was a special moment talking with her inside that unexpectedly quiet motel. When I left, I realized that something had just happened that I would never forget. The Tucson Inn and its glowing sign had been part of my road trips since the 1990s. That afternoon became another memory of the place, from a time when road trips were real and stopping at an old motel could lead to a story you never expected to find.
Tucson Inn Neon
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Unfortunately, Susie never had the chance to reopen. Pima Community College acquired the property in 2018, and the Tucson Inn remained closed while preservationists and college officials debated the future of the aging complex. Its location within the Miracle Mile Historic District offered some hope, but estimates for repairing and reusing the buildings continued to climb.
There was one bright spot. The great roadside sign was carefully restored through Tucson’s Thrive in the 05 program, with work completed by Cook & Company Signmakers. On December 14, 2022, a community block party was held and the switch was thrown once again. After five dark years, the starburst, arrow, and colorful Tucson Inn letters returned to the night.
Tucson Inn
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: Unfortunately, the Tucson Inn was closed in May 2017 due to various building violations. In speaking with the owner Susie Lin, she hopes to reopen in the fall or perhaps may retire as she is reaching nearly 40 years of ownership. In either case, she believes that the iconic sign will remain. Here's hoping for a reopening. 09-17
UPDATE: Preservation groups fought to save the motel buildings, but a judge rejected the final effort to stop demolition in December 2024. The Tucson Inn was demolished in April 2025 for the expansion of the Pima Community College campus. Susie Lin’s hope for the sign did come true, however. The restored neon landmark remains standing along Drachman Street, lighting up the old motel strip even though the motel it once advertised is gone. 08-26
Tucson Inn
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
I typically stop and pass through Tucson almost once a year while on roadtrips. While I'm glad that the sign was saved, and more recent photos will be added here soon, I still remember the first time I came across this sign back in the 1990s and being amazed by the size of the sign. It was signs like this that gave me a view on what the mid-century may have been like when roadside motor courts and signs like this used to grace the American roadside. While this one is now gone, the memories of seeing this place during its last decade or two will never be forgotten and is priceless.
Goodbye Tucson Inn. It was great to have seen you.
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