Phoenix, AZ - The New Windsor Hotel is a landmark hotel located in downtown Phoenix and is one of the few historic buildings still surviving to this day. According to AZCentral, the hotel was originally built in 1893 with its original name the Sixth Avenue Hotel. The hotel became known as the Windsor Hotel in 1925, then in the 1950s the name was modified to New Windsor Hotel.
New Windsor Hotel
Phoenix
, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The New Windsor Hotel is one of those downtown Phoenix survivors that looks especially good after the sun goes down. Its tall red neon blade spells out “NEW WINDSOR,” green “HOTEL” letters glow nearby and a strip of white neon traces the entrance canopy. Surrounded by newer buildings and parking lots, the old place still manages to hold its corner with plenty of personality.
The hotel began in 1893 as the Sixth Avenue Hotel, a two-story Victorian brick building constructed by Phoenix businessman A.D. Walsh. Arizona’s territorial capital had recently moved to Phoenix, bringing politicians, visitors and a growing demand for downtown rooms. More than 130 years later, it remains the only 19th-century hotel building in Phoenix still operating as lodging.
The name changed to the Windsor Hotel in 1925. A major remodeling project in 1935 added the third floor and covered portions of the brick exterior with smooth stucco, giving the building much of the appearance seen today. By the 1950s, another small word was added and the place became the New Windsor Hotel.
New Windsor Hotel
Phoenix
, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Look high on the exposed brick wall and an older piece of advertising can still be seen. A faded painted sign identifies the Windsor Hotel and proudly promises “air cooled” rooms. Before refrigerated air conditioning became common in Phoenix, that must have sounded pretty inviting during the summer.
The hotel’s neon arrived during its mid-century years and became a familiar sight along Adams Street. The red vertical sign, green letters and glowing canopy are not especially elaborate compared with some of Phoenix’s giant roadside marquees, but together they give the building a warm nighttime look that has attracted generations of photographers.
While many historic downtown hotels became offices, luxury apartments or parking lots, the New Windsor continued serving its original purpose. Its roughly 70 rooms now operate mainly as single-room occupancy housing, providing modest nightly, weekly and monthly accommodations. That continuing residential role is just as much a part of the building’s story as the neon and Victorian brickwork.
New Windsor Hotel
Phoenix
, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. It is not a polished museum piece, and that may be part of what makes it special. This is still a working downtown hotel, carrying on in a part of Phoenix where very little from 1893 remains.
UPDATE: The New Windsor Hotel remains open as single-room occupancy housing. Its historic brick and stucco exterior, faded “air cooled” ghost sign and colorful neon displays continue to survive. 09-26
Here's a current view of the New Windsor Hotel courtesy of Google Maps.
New Windsor Hotel
New Windsor Hotel
New Windsor Hotel
