User:Jadewik/Pioneer Hotel Building (Tucson, Arizona)

The Pioneer Hotel, one of Tucson's first high-rise buildings, opened in 1929 in the center of the downtown business district. As a new hotel, it was known as the premier hotel and it catered to the social elite. In the mid-20th century Harold and Margaret Steinfeld, owners of a large downtown department store lived in the penthouse. A disastrous fire severely damaged the building in December 1970, and among the 29 victims were the Steinfelds. The building has been converted from a hotel to an office building an apartment.

Though it adds a rich layer of history to the business district of downtown Tucson, the Pioneer, like the Santa Rita Hotel, has not been listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Building Description
The building is 11 stories tall and, when it opened in 1929, it housed the largest ballroom in the country.

Building History
A metal frame was added to the top of the building in the 1970s.

After the fire, developer Allan Elias converted the building to offices with extensive remodeling and facade work in 1977. Later, John Hancock Mutual Life spent $1.3 million renovating the building, including hallways and other common areas.

The building is currently owned by Holualoa Congress LLC.

Pioneer Fire December 1970
In the early hours of the morning on December 20, 1970, fire ripped through the Pioneer Hotel building.

Temp. Working Material
The date Dec. 20, 1970, is burned into Tucson's collective psyche - literally.

That was the day the Pioneer Hotel, long a downtown skyscraper and landmark, was destroyed by an arson-caused fire, claiming the lives of 28 victims. A 29th individual died, months later, of injuries sustained in the fire.

The fire, which caused the largest single loss of life in the city's history, drew national attention and prompted outrage on the part of some because of allegations that the Fire Department was underequipped and unable to reach the top of the 11-story building at North Stone Avenue and Pennington Street.

Some of the victims perished in the flames or from smoke inhalation in their rooms, while others, desperate to escape the fire's intensity, leapt to their deaths from the windows.

Following the fire, police arrested Louis Cuen Taylor, a 16-year-old who had been arrested several times previously for minor juvenile offenses, and he subsequently was charged with arson and murder. Convicted in 1972, he was sentenced to life in prison.

Taylor insisted he was at the Pioneer to steal food and drinks from a Hughes Aircraft Co. Christmas party. Witnesses testified that he helped people escape the flames.

Three small fires, believed to be arson, were reported by resident hotel manager C.E. Goyette two months prior to the December conflagration. It isn't known whether the incidents are connected.

Among victims of the fire were owners of the hotel, Harold and Margaret Steinfeld. Steinfeld and his father, Albert, a prominent Tucson merchant, built the hotel - completed Dec. 12, 1929 - at a cost of about $1 million.

Thirty-three firefighters, among 203 battling the blaze, suffered injuries.

In 2002, a coalition of groups and individuals petitioned to have authorities reopen the Louis Taylor case, claiming the evidence against him was flimsy and that inadequate investigation was made of the three previously reported fires.

Despite those efforts, however, Taylor remains in prison.

Pioneer Hotel Fire Victims Listed TUCSON (AP) - Here is a list of names of those who died in the Pioneer International Hotel fire, as reported by police. The fire claimed 28 lives. 1.HAROLD STEINFELD, 82, Tucson. 2.MRS. HAROLD (PEGGY) STEINFELD. 3.ABE SIMON, Tucson. 4.JOSEPH REBBE, Chicago. 5.MRS. JOSEPH REBBE. 6.HARVEY MALLERY, Tucson. 7.PAUL D'HEDOUVILLE, Washington, D.C. 8.D. P. SMELSER, Tucson. 9.MRS. ELLA GORDON, Tucson. 10.MRS. ELLI BELL GLOVER, Tucson. 11.MRS. ESTELLE KAUFMAN, Chicago. 12.MRS. VELMA DALE, Englewood, Colo. 13.MRS. BERNICE BOND - sister of MRS. DALE. 14.ROBERTO SOTO, 14, Hermosillo, Mex., grandson of former Sonora, Mex., Gov. Ignacio Soto. 15.IGNACIO SOTO, 10, brother of ROBERTO. 16.DR. JOSE DE JESUS ANTILLON, Hermosillo. 17.MRS. IGNACIA (NACHITA) VALENZUELA DE ANTILLON, wife of doctor. 18.JAVIER ANTILLON, 13, son. 19.MARTIN ANTILLON, 16, son. 20.CATALINA ANTILLON, 12, daughter. 21.MISS CARMALETA LUKEN, 19, Hermosillo. 22.MRS. FRANCISCO (ROSALIA) LUKEN, mother. 23.ROSA LUKEN. 24.FRANCISCO LUKEN. 25.ANTONIO LUKEN. 26.JESUS LUKEN. 27.JEROME T. WRIGHT, Tucson. 28.MRS. BETTY ROGERS, Springfield, Ill.

The Yuma Daily Sun Arizona 1970-12-21

Internal links
Structural Fires