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Tag: hotel design

Then and Now: The Sahara Motor Inn

Posted on by Hunter

At Optima®, we deeply appreciate the storied structures that enrich our understanding of local culture. In our “Then and Now” series, we’ve explored the fascinating evolution of significant buildings in Arizona. With our latest post, we delve into the rich tapestry of Phoenix’s past, with a spotlight on the Sahara Motor Inn, a former city icon that once personified the vibrant spirit of the Southwest.

The Sahara Motor Inn opened its doors in 1955, built by an investment consortium led by notable figures, Marion Isbell and Del Webb. This mid-century marvel was much more than a hotel. It was a symbol of a thriving, evolving Phoenix, a testament to the rise of automobile culture, and an emblem of the burgeoning region.

Sahara Motor Inn Illustration
Sahara Motor Inn Illustration. Credit: Brian, Flickr Creative Commons

Designed by Matthew E. Trudell, the Sahara Motor Inn sprawled across a city block, boasting 175 guest rooms, two penthouse apartments, and a host of modern amenities. It wasn’t just the size or facilities that made the hotel stand out. The architecture, a harmonious blend of mid-century styles, utilized popular materials such as red brick, colored art glass, and cast-in-place concrete.

Renowned in its heyday, the hotel attracted a celebrity clientele including Marilyn Monroe, who resided there while filming Bus Stop in 1956. As time went on, the Sahara Motor Inn partnered with the Ramada Inn motel chain, becoming the “Sahara Ramada Inn” in the 1960s. The desert gem gradually faded, overshadowed by the expansion of large hotel chains that promised a consistent guest experience nationwide.

Bus Stop, starring Marilyn Monroe

By 2000, the Sahara Ramada Inn was no longer the crown jewel of downtown Phoenix. The forces of redevelopment were sweeping through Phoenix, with civic leaders and universities envisioning a new era of urban transformation. The hotel was sold to Arizona State University (ASU) in 2010 and was later razed to make way for the university’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

The story behind Motor Inn is a classic narrative of transformation, encapsulating the spirit of change so familiar in Phoenix. From its birth as a luxury hotel in the heart of the American Southwest to its rebirth as an educational institution, its journey mirrors that of the city itself.

Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Photo: Wiki Commons

The story of the Sahara Motor Inn still stands, even as the building itself is no longer a part of the city’s architectural landscape. It remains a tale of a bygone era, a time of profound change and growth, underlining the relentless momentum of progress.

Then and Now: The Remarkable Rebirth of the Hotel Adams

Posted on by Hunter

At Optima®, we revel in opportunities to explore the layers of architectural history and cultural significance found in the places we reside. In the heart of Phoenix, one structure stands as a testament to the city’s vibrant evolution over time: the Hotel Adams.

The journey for this architectural gem began in 1894, during Arizona’s territorial days, when Phoenix was a city of merely 5,000 residents. Attorney J.C. Adams, a recent arrival from Chicago, sought to enrich the city’s modest accommodations. Leveraging his financial connections, Adams constructed the city’s first luxury hotel, a grand Queen Anne-style building that immediately elevated Phoenix’s stature.

Adams lobby (pictured in 1920) (Photo: McCulloch Brothers Inc. / Arizona State University Libraries)

With balconies, private bathrooms in many rooms, fireplaces for heat, and an innovative cooling system featuring electric fans blowing air over giant ice blocks, the Adams Hotel wasn’t just elegant, but innovative for its time.

In 1910, the Adams Hotel succumbed to a devastating fire, and rose from its ashes as a five-story, Mission Revival-style structure, rebuilt on the same site with fireproof, reinforced concrete. Reopened in time for the statehood celebration in 1912, the Hotel Adams once again became a hub of social, political, and cultural activity.

The Hotel Adams located at Central Avenue and Adams Street,
1960. (Photo: Douglas C. Towne)

From its storied lobby, which housed Arizona’s first commercial radio station, to its altruistic pledge during World War II to always have a room available for servicemen, the Hotel Adams remained a symbol of the city’s community spirit.

As Phoenix evolved, so did Hotel Adams. In 1973, the decision was made to replace the aging building with a modern hotel to support the new Civic Center. The result was the 17-story, 538-room hotel that today is known as the Marriott Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel. Yet, within its modern shell, the Renaissance Phoenix retains the spirit of the Hotel Adams.

Marriott Renaissance Phoenix Dowtown Hotel
Marriott Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel. Credit: Daniel Gillaspia, Flickr Creative Commons

The basement area is a testament to the hotel’s tenacious spirit. Encased by concrete walls poured back in 1910, it’s now home to Melinda’s Alley, a clandestine hangout known for its rotating cocktail menu.

As we celebrate the extraordinary journey of the Hotel Adams, we are continually inspired by such symbols of resilience and reinvention. These architectural narratives speak to the enduring power of creating spaces that carry forward the spirit of evolution, community, and cultural significance. We’re proud to be a part of Arizona’s rich architectural history, and we look forward to the stories yet to be told.

 

Women in Architecture: Denise Scott Brown

Posted on by Hunter

Denise Scott Brown knew from the age of five that she wanted to be an architect. Born in 1931 Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), Scott Brown pursued her dream by spending her summers working for architects and studying at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.

In 1952, Scott Brown moved to London to work for modernist architect, Frederick Gibberd. While in London, Scott Brown won admission to the prestigious Architectural Association School of Architecture before moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1958 to study at the University of Pennsylvania’s planning department and obtain a master’s degree in city planning and architecture.

In 1967, Scott Brown joined Robert Venturi’s architectural firm, Venturi and Raunch, where she became principal in charge of planning in 1969. Scott Brown’s approach to architecture with Venturi was to understand a city in terms of social, economic, and cultural perspectives and to use these perspectives a set of complex systems in which to build a structure.

With Venturi, Scott Brown designed the Bryn Mawr College Campus Center as well as a campus plan in 1997 which considered the campus’s physical character as originally shaped by famous planners and architects Calvert Vaux, Frederick Olmsted, Louis Kahn, and more. The student body of Bryn Mawr College, having grown, needed an expanded campus, and Scott Brown planned an expansion that celebrated the campus’s original orthogonal pattern while accommodating the students’ needs. 

Nikko Hotel, designed by Scott Brown
Nikko Hotel, courtesy of Venturi, Scott Brown, and Associates

Another of Scott Brown’s designs is for the Japanese Nikko Hotel chain, in which Scott Brown merged the ideals of western comfort with Japanese Kimono patterns to celebrate the heritage of the hotel chain while catering to the western audience. 

In 1989, Venturi and Raunch was renamed to Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, celebrating Scott Brown’s contributions to the firm. The firm is known as one of the most influential architecture firms of its time and is celebrated for radical theories of design while approaching its practice clearly and comprehensively.

In 1991, Robert Venturi was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize, while Scott Brown was not recognized for her contributions to Venturi’s work. Scott Brown boycotted the award ceremony. In 2013, a student organization titled Women in Design started by Caroline Amory James and Arielle Assouline-Lichten at the Harvard School of Design started a petition for Scott Brown to receive joint recognition for the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Though Scott Brown has still not been awarded joint recognition for the Pritzker Prize, in 2017, she won the prestigious Jane Dew Prize. 

Throughout her career, Scott Brown struggled to be recognized as an equal partner at a male-dominated firm. In 1975, Scott Brown wrote an essay titled “Room at the Top? Sexism and the Star System in Architecture,” though Scott Brown did not publish the essay until 1989 out of fear of damaging her career. The essay became an immediate hit, and Scott Brown has continued to advocate for women in architecture throughout her life.

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