 Santa Rita Ballroom (Demolished)
Tucson,
AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70
By the time of this photo, the old Santa Rita Ballroom looked like its dancing days were long behind it. The building was actually part of the Santa Rita Hotel, a Tucson landmark that opened in 1904 and received a large new wing in 1917. The surviving ballroom section seen here dated from that expansion, not the war years. 02-07
During World War II, the Santa Rita became one of Tucson’s big nightlife spots, welcoming bands led by Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, and Glenn Miller. The Arizona Theatre Company also staged its first production in the hotel’s basement ballroom in 1966.
UPDATE: The original hotel was demolished in 1973, while the remaining 1917 wing survived until August 2009. Despite preservation efforts, the ballroom was torn down and the site became part of the Tucson Electric Power headquarters complex. 09-26
 Labor Temple (Closed)
Tucson,
AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70
The Tucson Labor Temple has occupied this spot along Stone Avenue since the early 1930s. The building itself dates to 1929 and originally served as a showroom for the Henry Meyer Hupmobile automobile agency. The Tucson Central Trades Council moved in during 1931 and gave the place its better-known name. 02-07
The Labor Temple was not all meetings and union business. During the 1930s, it also hosted boxing and wrestling matches for a 55-cent admission. Famed photographer Dorothea Lange photographed its poster-covered facade while visiting Tucson in 1937.
UPDATE: The old Labor Temple survives and has since become home to the Temple Arts Collective. Its former meeting halls and industrial spaces now contain studios, galleries, and other creative businesses. 09-26
 Hayden Flour Mill
Tempe, AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70
Here are photos of the Hayden Flour Mill, which is the oldest reinforced concrete building in Tempe. The mill opened in July of 1918 and finally closed down in 1998. Many thanks to Gorb70 for info. 02-07
According to the Business Journal of Phoenix, the Hayden Mill site could become home to some sort of restaurant or retail shops. The silo area is also being considered for living space such as condos or a hotel.
Standing at the foot of Mill Avenue, the Hayden Flour Mill is one of those landmarks that seems to have grown right along with the town. The first mill opened here in 1874, helping turn a small farming settlement into what would become Tempe. The concrete mill seen today was built in 1918 after two earlier mills were lost to fire. Its towering grain silos followed in 1951 and remained the tallest structures in Tempe for more than half a century.
 Hayden Flour Mill
Tempe, AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70
Milling finally ended in 1998, but the old Arizona Rose and Sifted Snow flour signs can still be spotted along the concrete walls. Even with downtown Tempe growing up all around it, the mill and those giant silos are pretty hard to miss.
UPDATE: The Hayden Flour Mill remains standing and is planned for redevelopment with a boutique hotel, shops, restaurants, and public gathering spaces while preserving the historic mill and silos. 09-26 |
 Corner Market (Closed)
Tucson, AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70
The Corner Market is an old adobe neighborhood store tucked away in Tucson’s historic El Presidio district. Built around 1880, the building still has its clipped corner entrance and the faded Corner Market lettering painted across the stucco. Look closely and the old market is still announcing itself to anyone passing by. 04-07
The little store was once operated by merchant Lin Silk and later found new life as residential and commercial space. It is a nice survivor from the days when small corner markets were scattered through Tucson’s older neighborhoods.
UPDATE: The adobe building remains standing and has been preserved for new uses. Best of all, the weathered Corner Market ghost sign can still be seen on the outside wall. 09-26
 Tucson Cable (Closed)
Tucson, AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70
The Tucson Community Cable Corporation building brought a little Art Moderne style to downtown Tucson with its terra cotta exterior, rows of metal-framed windows, and green-trimmed entrance. The building dates back to 1948, when it opened as the home of VFW Post 549, once the largest VFW post in Arizona. 04-07
Tucson Community Cable moved in during 1984 and operated Access Tucson from here for decades. Local residents could learn television production and even put their own programs on the air. Now that was community television.
UPDATE: Access Tucson ended production here in 2015. The building survives and has since been converted into the VFW Lofts, although the old Tucson Cable signs have been removed. 09-26
 Chicago Store (Rem.)
Tucson, AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70
The Chicago Music Store had already been keeping Tucson supplied with guitars, horns, drums, and just about everything else musical for 88 years when this photo was taken. Founded by Clara Levkowitz in 1919, the store started out selling an unusual assortment that included clothing, ammunition, pocket watches, and even animal feed before music took over. 04-07
The big Congress Street store was packed from floor to mezzanine with instruments and decades of accumulated treasures. It even appeared in Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, during a scene featuring a young Jodie Foster.
UPDATE: Chicago Music Store moved around the corner to Sixth Avenue in 2016 and remains in business. Its old Congress Street building has been restored and repurposed, with the familiar yellow Chicago Store lettering still stretched across the facade. 09-26
 Value Village (Gone)
Tucson, AZ
Photo courtesy Gorb70
The Value Village thrift store was a longtime fixture along Tucson’s Fourth Avenue, where bargain hunters could dig through racks and shelves in search of that one oddball treasure. Opened in 1965, the store was operated by the nonprofit Beacon Group and provided jobs and vocational training for people with disabilities. 04-07
After more than 40 years on Fourth Avenue, Value Village moved into a much larger former roller rink on North Stone Avenue. Yes, the old Skate Country became a thrift store.
UPDATE: Value Village has since closed, and its signs have been removed. The original Fourth Avenue building survives and has been repurposed for other businesses. 09-26
|
