back
Support Global Action on
Aging!
Thanks!
|
 |
Westward Ho
sold, will stay as housing for elderly
Glen Creno,
The Arizona Republic
May 20, 2003
The Westward Ho, a historic high-rise hotel and downtown Phoenix
landmark, has been sold for $26.87 million to a partnership that will
overhaul it inside and out.
The buyer is Phoenix Preservation Partnership, a group led by Cathedral
Development of Providence, R.I., according to property records. Phoenix
said it kicked in a $1.4 million loan into the deal as part of the overall
cost to buy and renovate the 15-story building at 618 N. Central Ave,
north of Van Buren St. The hotel will continue to offer subsidized
housing.
The hotel was built in 1928 and once hosted movie stars and other
celebrities. After falling on hard times with the rest of downtown Phoenix
in 1981, the 400-room hotel was converted to subsidized housing for the
elderly and handicapped. Almost 300 people call it home now.
Manny Gonzalez, Phoenix's housing director, said construction crews will
enlarge some rooms, turn an auditorium into additional rooms and restore
the hotel's exterior from its current white color to the original desert
beige tone.
Gonzalez said the city wanted to ensure that affordable senior housing is
available downtown and that the building's historic status maintained.
The San Carlos and the Westward Ho are the only major historic hotels to
survive downtown, according to Phoenix's Historic Preservation Office. The
city Phoenix recently approved $300,000 in off-site public improvements
for the San Carlos, at Central Avenue and Monroe Street.
Construction is scheduled to begin next week, said David Twombly, the
owners' representative.
Twombly said about $9 million will be spend on renovations, including a
new heating and air conditioning system, new windows and creation of the
new rooms in the auditorium, formerly a dinner theater called the
Thunderbird Room. A second floor will be added to that building to create
space for the extra rooms.
"At the end of the job, you'll see a dramatic difference,'' Twombly
said.
Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
Terms of Use | Privacy
Policy | Contact Us
|
