🧱 Preservation vs. Progress: Arizona Court Sides with Community College in Historic Motel Battle
🏛️ "State Agencies" vs "Political Subdivisions": Legal Technicality Determines Fate of Tucson's Mid-Century Motels
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
🏫✨ Pima Community College in Tucson owns three old motels with 🌟 cool neon signs that were built in the 1950s. The college wants to tear down these buildings because they're unsafe 🚧 and would cost too much money to fix – about 💵 $35 million! Some groups that try to protect old historic buildings ⚖️ went to court to stop the college, saying there's a law that means they need special permission first. Today, the judges decided that this law doesn't actually apply to colleges, only to certain state government departments. This means the college can go ahead with their plans to tear down the buildings 🏚️, though they will keep and save the colorful neon signs 🌈 that many people love.
🗝️ Takeaways
🏛️ The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled that Pima Community College is not required to consult with the State Historic Preservation Officer before demolishing historic motels
🧩 The court decision hinged on whether "state agencies" in Arizona's historic preservation laws includes "political subdivisions" like community colleges
💰 PCC cited prohibitive restoration costs of $35 million and safety concerns as reasons for demolition
🏙️ The three motels (Tucson Inn, Copper Cactus Inn, and Frontier Motel) are part of the Miracle Mile Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
🚧 PCC purchased the properties between 2018-2019 for $3.5 million and initially considered student housing before deciding on demolition
🪧 The college plans to preserve the iconic neon signs while demolishing the buildings themselves
⚖️ The ruling potentially impacts how cities, counties, and other political subdivisions throughout Arizona approach historic preservation
Beyond Neon Signs: Court Sides with Pima Community College in Historic Preservation Battle
¡Comunidad de Tucson! Today we navigate the complex intersection of education, preservation, and community priorities.
In a significant ruling that will reshape Tucson's historic Miracle Mile district, the Arizona Court of Appeals has denied relief to preservation foundations seeking to prevent Pima Community College from demolishing three iconic mid-century motels.
This decision (see PDF file above), released on April 3, 2025, upholds PCC's right to proceed with demolition plans that have sparked passionate debate across our community about what we choose to preserve and why.
The Court's Decision: What Happened?
The Arizona Court of Appeals Division Two issued their opinion today in the case of Arizona Preservation Foundation and Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation v. Pima Community College District Board.
The court accepted jurisdiction but ultimately denied relief to the preservation groups, effectively allowing PCC to move forward with plans to demolish the Tucson Inn, Copper Cactus Inn (formerly El Rancho Motor Hotel), and Frontier Motel – collectively known as the "Drachman Hotels."
At the heart of the legal battle was a fundamental question: Does Arizona's historic preservation law (A.R.S. §§ 41-861 through 41-864), which requires consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) before demolishing historic properties, apply to political subdivisions like community colleges?
The court concluded it does not.
Presiding Judge Eckerstrom, writing for the unanimous court, stated that "the plain language of the historic preservation statutes in question, in its overall statutory context, establishes that our legislature did not bind political subdivisions when establishing the responsibilities of 'agencies' or the related duties of the SHPO for historic preservation on land owned or controlled by state agencies."
The Hotels: A Glimpse of Tucson's Mid-Century Past
These three motels, built between 1948 and 1958, stand as remnants of a different era in Tucson's development. Located within the Miracle Mile Historic District, which earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, they represent the automobile-centered tourism that transformed American travel culture after World War II.
The Tucson Inn, perhaps the most iconic of the three, featured prominently along the "Miracle Mile" corridor of Oracle Road (Highway 77), which was once celebrated as a vibrant entry point to the city. Its recently restored neon sign stands as a colorful reminder of this bygone era when road trips defined American leisure travel.
PCC purchased these properties between 2018 and 2019 for over $3.5 million, reportedly at the initiative of PCC board member Demion Clinco. This decision—ironically led by Clinco, who has been associated with preservation efforts—ultimately placed the properties under the ownership of a political subdivision rather than a state agency, exempting them from the state preservation laws that might have protected them.
After exploring development options and receiving a proposal for restoration, the college's governing board unanimously voted in November 2024 to demolish the structures instead, citing safety concerns and restoration costs estimated at over $35 million.
Beyond Preservation: The Community College's Perspective
For PCC, this case represents more than just a decision about buildings – it reflects the challenges faced by community colleges nationwide as they balance multiple priorities with limited resources.
Las realidades económicas no son simples. The economic realities aren't simple. Community colleges serve as crucial access points to higher education for many marginalized communities, and every dollar spent on historic preservation potentially means less funding available for educational programs, faculty, or student services.
The college has committed to preserving the neon signs from these motels, including the recently restored Tucson Inn sign, acknowledging their cultural significance while arguing that the condemned buildings themselves present prohibitive restoration costs and safety hazards.
The Preservation Perspective: What's at Stake?
For preservation advocates, the loss of these buildings represents more than just the disappearance of interesting architecture – it's the erasure of physical connections to our collective past. The Miracle Mile Historic District tells important stories about Tucson's development, tourism history, and the post-war economic boom that shaped the modern Southwest.
Preservationists argue that these buildings could potentially be rehabilitated and repurposed, bringing new life to historic structures while honoring their cultural significance. The tensions between preservation and progress, honoring history, and meeting present needs lie at the heart of this dispute.
The Broader Context: Selective Preservation and Community Priorities
This case doesn't exist in isolation. It connects to ongoing discussions about which parts of our history we choose to preserve and which communities' stories get prioritized in preservation efforts.
The controversy has raised questions about "selective preservation" – the tendency to focus on preserving certain aesthetic elements (like neon signs) while allowing the buildings themselves to be demolished. Some community advocates have questioned whether preservation efforts sometimes prioritize visual nostalgia over addressing pressing community needs like educational access, housing affordability, and economic opportunity.
Interestingly, despite the unanimous vote by PCC's governing board, public criticism has reportedly focused disproportionately on the board's Hispanic and Native American members, raising uncomfortable questions about the racial dynamics of preservation debates in our community.
Less discussed is the central irony that board member Demion Clinco, who has been associated with preservation efforts, allegedly spearheaded the acquisition of these properties. This move ultimately placed them under the ownership of a political subdivision rather than a state agency, thus exempting them from the very preservation laws that might have protected them from demolition.
The case also highlights Tucson's complex history of urban development, including the construction of Interstate 10, which severed the Pascua Yaqui community of Old Pascua and Barrio Anita from the Santa Cruz River and neighboring communities to the west. These development patterns have historically prioritized certain communities' interests while disrupting others.
Legal Implications: What the Ruling Means
Today's court decision has significant implications for historic preservation throughout Arizona. By finding that political subdivisions like community colleges are not bound by the same historic preservation requirements as state agencies, the ruling potentially affects how cities, counties, school districts, and other local governmental entities approach historically significant properties.
The court noted that political subdivisions may still have historic preservation responsibilities from other sources, including local ordinances, voter decisions, and other state statutes. For example, Pima County and the City of Tucson have their own historic preservation rules and are designated as Certified Local Governments for historic preservation purposes.
However, the narrower interpretation of state historic preservation law means that these entities will have more flexibility in making decisions about historic properties under their control without mandatory SHPO consultation.
What Comes Next? Potential Futures for the Drachman Street Properties
With the court's ruling, PCC appears cleared to proceed with demolition of the three motels. While the preservation foundations could potentially appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court, such appeals are discretionary, and the Supreme Court accepts only a small percentage of cases.
For the Drachman Street properties themselves, PCC will likely move forward with abatement and demolition while preserving the neon signs as promised. The college has not yet announced specific plans for the site following demolition, though campus development was mentioned in earlier planning documents.
The Ongoing Conversation: History, Community, and Priorities
This case opens important conversations about how we balance competing priorities in our community. What deserves preservation, and who decides? How do we weigh educational needs against historical significance? When resources are limited, how should we prioritize?
These questions have no easy answers, but they deserve thoughtful community engagement. If you're interested in learning more about historic preservation in Tucson, resources include:
The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation, which works to advocate for and document historic places throughout the city
Pima County's Cultural Resources & Historic Preservation Division, which manages county preservation efforts
The City of Tucson's Historic Preservation Office, which administers local historic districts and landmarks
The story of Tucson's architectural and cultural heritage continues to evolve, with each generation making decisions about what to preserve and what to reimagine. While the Drachman Hotels may soon be gone, the questions they've raised about community values, priorities, and whose history gets preserved will remain with us.
La conversación continúa. Somos los guardianes de nuestra historia compartida, pero también los arquitectos de nuestro futuro colectivo.
What do you think about this decision? Was the court correct in its interpretation of Arizona's historic preservation laws? How should communities balance educational needs against historic preservation? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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