Tucson House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tucson House |
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Tucson House Apartment building
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| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Residential |
| Location | 1501 North Oracle Road Tucson, Arizona, United States |
| Coordinates | 32°14′25″N 110°58′45″W / 32.240246°N 110.97909°W |
| Construction started | 1960 |
| Completed | 1963 |
| Opening | 1963 |
| Owner | City of Tucson |
| Height | |
| Roof | 195 ft (59.4 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 17 |
| Lifts/elevators | 3 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Nicholas G. Sakellar |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 408 |
Tucson House is a tall apartment building in Tucson, Arizona. It was finished in 1963. This building stands 195 feet high and has 17 floors. When it was first built, it was meant to be a very fancy place to live. It was the most luxurious apartment building in Tucson at that time! Today, the City of Tucson owns it. It is used as public housing, which means it provides affordable homes for people.
A Look Inside Tucson House
Tucson House was planned in 1960 by builders from Chicago. They wanted to create a super luxurious apartment building. When it opened in 1963, it was indeed the fanciest residential building in Tucson. It was even featured in popular magazines like Time and TV Guide!
The apartments had amazing views, either to the north or south. The living room walls had sliding doors that opened up to balconies. Old advertisements for Tucson House called it "a city within a city." This was because it had so many cool things for residents!
Some of the special features included:
- Limousine service
- Rooms for games, recreation, and arts and crafts
- A beauty salon and a barber shop
- A laundry room
- A large swimming pool (Olympic-sized!)
- A sauna
- A beautiful main lobby
- Three elevators
- Strong security measures
- A special "penthouse" sunroom on the 17th floor, which was both indoors and outdoors.
A famous person, U.S. Congressman Morris K. Udall, even lived there for two years in the 1960s. Tucson House was the tallest building in Tucson from 1963 to 1967. It is still the tallest residential building in Tucson today!
Changes Over Time
Even with all its great features, Tucson House faced some challenges. A new highway, Interstate 10, was built about a mile away in the early 1960s. This highway changed how traffic moved around the city. Many businesses and motels along Oracle Road, where Tucson House is located, started to struggle.
By the mid-1970s, fewer people were living in Tucson House. The area around Oracle Road was changing. The building's loan, which was backed by the government, could not be paid back. So, in 1976, the property was sold to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD then gave money to the City of Tucson to buy it.
In 1979, the City of Tucson took over the 408-apartment complex. They changed it into public housing. It now provides homes for older people and those with disabilities.
In 2016, a small problem with a water valve caused residents to be without water for over 24 hours.
Behind Tucson House, there is a community garden called the Blue Moon garden.
Images for kids
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Tucson House vintage photo 1963, view from Oracle Road
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Tucson House 1501 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson, Arizona from Drachman St. - Copy 01
Find Out More
- Tucson Citizen article about Tucson House
- Tucson Weekly article
- Oracle Area Context Study
| Preceded by Transamerica Building |
Tallest Building in Tucson 1963—1967 195ft |
Succeeded by Pima County Legal Services Building |
