New life coming for an old landmark | News

Renovations at the Tucson House, 1501 N. Oracle Road, got underway on March 10 with a celebration that included Gov. Katie Hobbs and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero as well as other Tucson government officials. 

Built in 1964 as a high-end apartment building with 407 units, the house is being reconfigured into 358 affordable living spaces meant for seniors 55 and older. When completed, residents will have new community and amenity areas, enhanced outdoor areas and most importantly, new infrastructure. The apartments will be made accessible and will look new when the work is done.

During construction, some residents have been relocated to vacant Tucson House apartments. Tucson House Resident Services have been working with residents for the past three years to ensure seniors have secured a place to live.

Mike Edmonds, a resident since 2019, was one who stayed. He is not disturbed by the noise and mess that comes with construction.

“I was born and raised in Washington D.C. so noise, construction, traffic doesn’t bother me at all,” he said. “For others who have sensitivities, who have issues, I can see how it can be and has been disruptive.”

Edmonds is looking forward to having a renovated apartment but “I’m trying not to create any fantasies or expectations. Let’s just wait and see what it is at the end but I expect it to be like you walked into a new apartment,” he added.

The work was made possible by a competitive $50 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

It’s all part of the “Thrive in the ‘O5” initiative, a four-pronged plan that seeks to improve a neighborhood that has not seen investment for some decades. Those prongs include workforce development, home ownership, people and neighborhoods. Tucson House is “hitting the people element of that,” Gene Martinez, the Thrive in the ’05 community organizer, said.

The ’05 area covers from I-10 to Stone Avenue and from Miracle Mile to Speedway.

“They picked this area just to give back resources and give attention to these neighborhoods that have been overlooked historically,” Martinez said. “Now we’re in transformation plans … and there are a couple of projects that are in that plan and Tucson House is one of them.”

According to Liz Morales, Tucson’s assistant city manager, Gov. Katie Hobbs is a “champion of affordable housing.” Hobbs said when she first visited Tucson House she saw that the landmark could become something more than an old apartment.

“Tucson House is more than just 17 stories of walls and windows — it is a beacon of hope, a symbol of resilience and a demonstration of the rich culture that defines this city,” Gov. Hobbs said. “I visited Tucson House in my first year as governor and when I visited I learned that converting these units into public housing was smart, responsible and was going to be hugely impactful. Tucson house is a lifeline for vulnerable individuals.”

Of course, rehabilitation is needed.

“Residents here have had to deal with out-of-service elevators, plumbing and sewer issues and crumbling infrastructure,” the governor said. 

There is hope, however, now that the work has begun.

“Today, Tucson House and the older adults who will reside in the nearly 400 renovated units become part of our story to transform affordable housing,” she added.

Tucson Mayor Regina Romero worked with others to form a vision of what Tucson House could be.  

“What you see here today is a shared commitment to see that every Tucsonan has a safe, stable place to call home,” she said. 

Morales acknowledged the significance of Tucson House and how its upgrades will impact the community.

“This is an important time for the city as we have invested many years and the community, the neighborhood, has really wanted to see Tucson House become another asset in our community,” Morales said. “Our residents of Tucson House, those are the champions of this project.”

Several partners made the upgrade possible. Gorman and Company, a company that works with municipalities and governmental organizations to revitalize communities, is a co-developer and Choice Implementation Entity. Others involved in the project are the city of Tucson; El Pueblo Housing Development, the city’s non-profit development arm; Tucson architects Poster Mirto McDonald; the Arizona Department of Housing; Housing and Urban Development; Tucson International Development Association; the National Parks Service, Arizona State Historic Preservation Office; Pima County; Hudson Housing Capital; and Praxis Consulting Group.