Westward Ho Hotel (Closed)
Phoenix, AZ
Postcard courtesy Gorb70

The grand Westward Ho Hotel rises above downtown Phoenix in this old postcard view. Opened in December 1928, the 16-story hotel was once the tallest reinforced concrete building between California and the Mississippi River. It was also one of the first major Phoenix buildings to offer centralized air conditioning, which must have sounded pretty good to summer visitors. 03-06

A 240-foot television tower was added to the roof in 1949, bringing the building’s total height to about 500 feet. The antenna broadcast programs for KPHO-TV Channel 5, Arizona’s first television station. During its hotel years, the Westward Ho welcomed everyone from Hollywood stars to visiting presidents.

UPDATE: The hotel closed in 1980 and reopened as affordable housing for seniors and residents with disabilities in 1981. A major restoration was completed in 2017, and the former hotel remains open as the Westward Ho Apartments. 09-26

Maricopa County Courthouse
Phoenix, AZ
Postcard courtesy Gorb70

Here is an old postcard view of the Maricopa County Courthouse, completed in 1929 after about a year of construction. The courthouse shared this massive downtown building with Phoenix City Hall, with county offices occupying one side and city offices on the other. 03-06

The fifth and sixth floors held the county jail, placing prisoners right above the courtrooms and government offices. The courthouse later became part of American legal history when Ernesto Miranda was tried here following his 1963 arrest. His case reached the U.S. Supreme Court and led to the familiar Miranda warning.

UPDATE: The courthouse is the same surviving landmark commonly called Old Phoenix City Hall. It continues to house Maricopa County Superior Court facilities, along with the Phoenix Police Museum and Maricopa County Justice Museum. 09-26

Valley National Bank
Phoenix, AZ
Postcard courtesy Gorb70

Here is an early postcard view of the Valley National Bank, showing off its Art Deco lines in downtown Phoenix. Completed in 1931 and opened the following year, the 12-story tower was officially called the Professional Building. During the Depression, developers apparently decided that “Professional” sounded a little more reassuring to tenants than putting the word “Bank” across the front. 03-06

Valley National Bank later made the building much harder to miss. In 1958, it added a glass executive penthouse and an enormous three-story neon eagle sign to the roof. The sign slowly rotated above the Phoenix skyline and was billed as the largest revolving sign in the world. It also appears with the tower in the opening skyline shot of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho.

UPDATE: The rooftop sign was removed when Valley National Bank moved out in 1972. After decades of vacancy, the Professional Building underwent a $44 million restoration and reopened in 2015 as the Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Downtown. The old executive penthouse now serves as the Floor 13 Rooftop Bar. 09-26

Luhrs Tower
Phoenix, AZ
Postcard courtesy Gorb70

Here is an early postcard view of the Luhrs Tower, showing off its stepped Art Deco profile in downtown Phoenix. Ground was broken in March 1929, and the 14-story tower was completed that December at a cost of about $400,000. Designed by the noted Southwest firm Trost & Trost, its setbacks, decorative stonework, and strong vertical lines gave the growing Phoenix skyline a little big-city style. 03-06

The tower was developed by attorney George Luhrs Jr., fulfilling a dream started by his father, pioneer Phoenix businessman George H.N. Luhrs. The elder Luhrs had arrived in Arizona during the territorial days and built a successful business and real estate empire, but he died shortly before the tower was finished. Upon completion, the 185-foot building ranked among the tallest office towers in the Southwest.

Movie fans may recognize the Luhrs Tower from Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 classic Psycho. It appears in the background as Marion Crane drives through downtown Phoenix after leaving town with the stolen money. Several other familiar downtown buildings can be spotted during the same sequence, making it a nice little time capsule of the old Phoenix skyline.

UPDATE: The Luhrs Tower survives as part of the historic Luhrs Block and remains in use as commercial office space with dining businesses at street level. It should not be confused with the neighboring 1924 Luhrs Building, which has since been converted into a hotel. 09-26

Tropicana Motel (Closed)
Yuma, CA
Postcard courtesy Bill Herzog

This postcard catches the Tropicana Motel during its better days along old U.S. Highway 80 in Yuma, Arizona. Opened in 1958, the motel offered kitchenettes for only $4, along with refrigeration, free television, telephones, shuffleboard, and a heated swimming pool. Not a bad little desert stop for four bucks. 12-06

The tall, flashing Tropicana sign was the real roadside attraction, towering above the rather modest motel rooms below.

UPDATE: The Tropicana Motel buildings and roadside sign still stand. Zee’s Grill now operates on the property, giving the old motel grounds a new use while leaving plenty of the original roadside scene intact. 09-26