Phoenix & Southwest CRE News In Your Inbox.
Sign up for Connect emails to stay informed with CRE stories that are 150 words or less.
Tucson Community College Razing 3 Downtown Hotels for Student Housing
A Tucson community college is tearing down 60’s era downtown hotels to make way for the expansion of its downtown campus. Pima Community College has begun to demolish three historic hotels on the Miracle Mile corridor.
The college bought the three historic hotels on Drachman Street between 2018 and 2019 for $3.5 million. Tucson Inn, the Frontier Motel, and Copper Cactus Inn, formerly the El Rancho Motor Hotel, are adjacent to the college’s downtown campus.
The school began searching in mid-2024 for potential developers to turn the buildings into student housing.
The neighborhood’s history goes back to its heyday in the 1960s when it was a popular stop for travelers driving across the country. The Miracle Mile strip was the perfect spot to pass through, connecting the city to Routes 80 and 89 and Arizona State Route 84, but after Interstate 10 was completed, they lost most of their business.
- ◦Development
