The Westward Ho is a
high-rise building in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
. The 16-story building, which is 208 ft (63m) to the roof, held the title of
tallest building in Arizona for over 30 years until the completion of the
Meridian Bank Tower in 1960.
The building primarily served as a
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
from its grand opening in 1928 until its official closure on April 7, 1980.
The facility also housed several offices and restaurants, including one on the 16th floor called ''Top of the Ho''. There were also several gathering rooms in the hotel, the ''Turquoise Room'' on the 2nd floor where many marriage receptions were held, and a large convention center adjacent to the main hotel which could seat 1,600 called the ''Thunderbird Room'' where many of Phoenix's big events took place.
After the hotel closed in 1980, the new owners converted the building into a subsidized housing complex for the elderly and mobility impaired. Currently, the facility houses as many as 320 residents in 289 rooms which were recently renovated to make them more accessible for apartment residents.
History
Construction of the hotel was announced in spring 1927 under the originally planned name, ''Roosevelt Hotel''.
[Winslow Daily Mail inslow, ArizonaFeb 16, 1927, page 6 – Phoenix – The actual construction of the new Roosevelt hotel will comence February 21.] The project was financed by Sutherlin-Barry & Company of
, for owner G. L. Johnson of
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. The architectural team who designed the hotel were Fisher, Lake, and Traver, who had also designed the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California a few years before. The hotel was to be operated by Johnson's Pacific Hotel Company. Work came to a halt in early 1928 with only 6-stories completed. In April, J. V. McNeil Company of
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, were awarded a contract to complete the hotel.
In September 1928, Charles V. Bob of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
purchased all issued and outstanding shares of the Pacific Hotel Company from G. L. Johnson, complete financing of the hotel was transferred to Bob, including construction, furnishings, and equipment.
["New York Man Takes Over New Roosevelt Hotel" Winslow Daily Mail inslow, ArizonaSep 1, 1928, page 1] August Heckscher
August Heckscher (August 26, 1848 – April 26, 1941) was a German-born American capitalist and philanthropist.
Early life
Heckscher was born in Hamburg, Germany. He was the son of Johann Gustav Heckscher (1797–1865) and Marie Antoinette Br ...
loaned $275,000 to Bob prior to the purchase, in return for the loan, Bob pledged 10,000 shares of Pacific Hotel Company to Heckscher.
Following the transfer of ownership, the hotels future name was changed from Roosevelt to Westward Ho. On September 20, ''Southwestern Supply Company'' of Phoenix was awarded a $100,000 contract for the heating and air-conditioning of Western Ho. The hotel officially opened its doors on December 15, 1928.
According to librarian at the Sun City Museum developer
Del Webb got his start hanging doors at the hotel during its construction. His namesake company would go on to build an expansion to the hotel.
A 5-story annex was built west of the original structure by the
Del E. Webb Construction Company
The Del E. Webb Construction Company was a construction company that was founded in 1928 and developed by Del Webb. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, it became the Del E. Webb Corporation a publicly traded company on the New York ...
in 1948.
The steel tower and antenna on top of the building were erected in 1949 to broadcast Phoenix's first television station,
KPHO-TV channel 5. This brings the total height of the structure to , making it the tallest structure in Downtown Phoenix. In 1960, KPHO moved to its new transmitter on
South Mountain. After use in the 1970s by
KXTC 92.3 FM, the antenna on Westward Ho now functions as a
cell tower
A cell site, cell tower, or cellular base station is a cellular-enabled mobile device site where antennas and electronic communications equipment are placed (typically on a radio mast, tower, or other raised structure) to create a cell, or adj ...
.
In 1982, the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
recognized the Westward Ho as a historic building. In 2003, the building was acquired by the Phoenix Preservation Partnership, a Rhode Island-based group of investors.
Hotel Westward Ho
The building has had quite a few owners in its time, beginning with G. L. Johnson in 1927, who sold it to Charles V. Bob and August Heckscher in 1928 while still under-construction. Heckscher took over full control of the Westward Ho in the early 1930s, and after many years of successful ownership died April 26, 1941, leaving his life's real estate to his wife
Virginia Henry Curtiss
Virginia Henry Curtiss (1875 – July 11, 1941) was president of The Heckscher Foundation for Children and was a member of New York City's Child Welfare Board.
Biography
She was born in 1875 in Vienna and educated in England. She married widower ...
, who died just a few months later. The hotel was put up for sale and eventually purchased by partners
John B. Mills and R. H. Hawn of ''Federal Underwriters, Inc'',
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
in 1943.
["Westward Ho Hotel Is Sold" Arizona Independent Republic hoenix, ArizonaNovember 16, 1943] They purchased the hotel without ever actually seeing it in person, persuaded by W. R. Wayland, president of the Westward Ho since 1937.
Wayland was already partnered with the two in their Texas hotel interests, working with their holding company Federal Underwriters, later Associated Federal Hotels, of which Mills was
Chairman of the Board
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
.
They already owned several other large hotels in Texas, including the former William Penn Hotel in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, which was demolished in 2006, Cliff Towers Hotel in Dallas, and the Hotel Hawn in
Temple, Texas
Temple is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. As of 2020, the city has a population of 82,073 according to the U.S. census, and is one of the two principal cities in Bell County.
Located near the county seat of Belton, Temple lies in t ...
. There was no change in management or policy following the change of ownership.
In December 1972, after nearly 30 years of ownership by the Mills family, the hotel was sold to Leisure Inns and Resorts Inc. of
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
. In March, after encountering financial difficulties and a foreclosure notice, Leisure Inns sold the property to
Minneapolis
Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
banker Deil Gustafson, owner of four banks in Minnesota and the
Tropicana Hotel in
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
.
In May 1975, management announced that the facility would no longer operate as a hotel and would become a retirement residence, in August, a
foreclosure
Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the collateral for the loan.
Formally, a mortg ...
suit was filed against Gustafson by Republic National Life Insurance Company of Dallas, who claimed the owners were late on mortgage payments and were failing to operator as a hotel, part of an original agreement. The Republic National Life Insurance Company purchased the hotel at a
Maricopa County
Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about 6 ...
sheriff's auction in June 1976, under the terms that Gustafson had until December 10, 1976 to pay a $2,044,800 purchase price for the hotel and an approximate penalty of $180,000, if Gustafson failed to pay before the deadline the sheriffs office was to give Republic the deed. Hours before the deadline Gustafson got a hold of the deed through the Maricopa County Recorder's office and filed for protection from creditors under federal bankruptcy laws, the judge in the case blocked
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) is the law enforcement agency that serves Maricopa County, Arizona, and is the largest sheriff's office in Arizona. The MCSO provides patrol services and criminal investigation to unincorporated areas ...
from handing the deed over. In March, Gustafson's lawyer and an attorney for Republic National came to an agreement that $2,504,908 was to be paid to Republic Nation by March 1, 1977 or the stay order on the Sheriffs office would be lifted and Republic National become new owner. The payment was not made and ownership of the Westward Ho was passed to Republic National Life Insurance Company on March 1, 1977. In December 1977, the building was sold to Al and Marie Seidel and their partners, R&C Trust.
["Westward Ho bought" The Prescott Courier rescott, ArizonaJanuary 6, 1978]
Post hotel era
After a rough decade for the hotel, it was again sold in December 1977 to Al and Marie Seidel and their partners, Roger Rudin and Tom Caprino of R&C Trust and Westward Ho Associates with plans of using federal funding to turn Westward Ho into a home for the aged. Renovations began mid-1980 to convert the former hotel into a federally-subsidised housing complex for the elderly, the first residents began moving in the following year.
The hotel is currently serving as housing for either the physically or mentally disabled.
The building was again thoroughly remodeled between 2003 and 2004 to improve the living conditions of the residents and restore the buildings historical facade. At an estimated cost of $9 million, window-mounted
air-conditioner
Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
s were removed and a new centralized air-conditioning unit was installed. Additionally, approximately 450 exterior windows were replaced with replicas of the originals, the exterior was power washed, stucco was repaired, and the building was repainted to match its original beige color. Upgrades to the automatic fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems were also made.
Gallery
Westward Ho Building Tower Top.jpg
Westward Ho Building.jpg
Westward Ho PHX.jpg
Westward Ho Entrance.jpg
Westward Ho Tower.jpg
In popular culture
The Westward Ho appears in the opening sequence of the 1960
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
film ''
Psycho''. The clip fades in centered on
Hotel San Carlos
The Hotel San Carlos branch in Phoenix, Arizona, also known as San Carlos Hotel, is both an operating hotel and tourist site. It has been associated with ghost sightings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1983 a ...
, which is located on the northwest corner of Central and Monroe. The former Arizona Bank Building (under-construction) can be seen just west of Hotel San Carlos, and
Camelback Mountain
Camelback Mountain ( ood, Cew S-wegiom) is a mountain in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The English name is derived from its shape, which resembles the hump and head of a kneeling camel. The mountain, a prominent landmark of the Phoenix metro ...
can be seen in the background. When the camera pans south to the right you can see the
Heard Building in the foreground with its antenna, which was often confused to be the Westward Ho antenna. Behind the Heard Building you can see the
Professional Building.
In the 1998
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an independent and mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultur ...
remake of
''Psycho'', the camera zooms into a window on the 8th floor of the Westward Ho.
In the 1972 film ''
Pocket Money
Pocket money may refer to:
*In British English, an allowance for children
*''Pocket Money'', a 1972 film starring Paul Newman and Lee Marvin
* ''Small Change'' (film), a 1976 film directed by François Truffaut, titled ''Pocket Money'' outside the ...
'', actor
Paul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman (January 26, 1925 – September 26, 2008) was an American actor, film director, race car driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three ...
throws a television set off the 4th story balcony of a hotel room in the J wing of the Westward Ho.
Lee Marvin
Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alth ...
and
Strother Martin
Strother Douglas Martin Jr. (March 26, 1919 – August 1, 1980) was an American character actor who often appeared in support of John Wayne and Paul Newman and in Western films directed by John Ford and Sam Peckinpah. Among Martin's memorable pe ...
can also be seen inside the same hotel room. Other areas of the hotel used in the film included the lobby, patio, J Wing stair and walkways, and the hotel barber shop. In the film, the hotel was supposed to be located in Mexico.
In the 1956 film ''
Bus Stop
A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...
'' starring
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
, the parade scenes were filmed on Central Ave in front of the entrance.
Famous people
* Vice President
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
had breakfast at the Westward Ho prior to giving a speech in the Thunderbird Room October 15, 1960.
* Then-actor (and future President)
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
was a guest speaker for the
Phoenix Chamber Of Commerce in the Thunderbird Room on May 30, 1961.
* President
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
stopped by the Westward Ho for dinner in honor of Senator
Carl Hayden
Carl Trumbull Hayden (October 2, 1877 – January 25, 1972) was an American politician. Representing Arizona in the United States Senate from 1927 to 1969, he was the first U.S. Senator to serve seven terms. Serving as the state's first Representa ...
on November 17, 1961.
* Senator
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
campaigned for Presidential candidate
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...
at the Westward Ho on the afternoon of January 30, 2004.
See also
*
Phoenix Historic Property Register
The Phoenix Historic Property Register is the official listing of the historic and prehistoric properties in the city of Phoenix, the capital and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona.
History
The register was established on 1986 with the ai ...
*
List of tallest buildings in Phoenix
Phoenix, the capital of the U.S. state of Arizona, has 23 buildings standing at least . The tallest building in Phoenix is the 40-story Chase Tower, completed in 1972 with 38 habitable floors rising to . It is also the tallest building in Ari ...
References
External links
Westward Hoo
Emporiscompiled by graduate students at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.
{{s-end
Residential skyscrapers in Phoenix, Arizona
Hotel buildings completed in 1927
Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona
National Register of Historic Places in Phoenix, Arizona
Del E. Webb buildings