Quote:
Originally Posted by pbenjamin
Not sure how a three story building with a rooftop bar is a "tower". I stayed in the hotel in the mid 70s a couple of times while in town on business. Looks like it will be a bit more upscale than it was.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by biggus diggus
This entire page is a lesson on how to be pedantic.
Going back a bit someone mentioned they stayed at that hotel in the 70s and it jogged my memory a bit. I was still a peanut but I think I remember before it was offices now that you mention it.
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pbenjamin must be remembering the now closed hotel immediately to the west of the new Arrive Hotel. It was a Days Inn for many years before changing hands and names a few times, lastly known as Hotel 502. It is due to begin demolition this month, to make way for a massive apartment complex.
The two buildings that compose Arrive Hotel were both office 'towers' at 444 and 400 W Camelback, built in the late 50's I believe. As part of the conversion into a hotel, both buildings were placed on the Phoenix historic property register, and a lot of work went into restoring original features of the buildings, while making careful modern additions on the back sides. What was once the parking lot of building 400 is now a resort pool with a bar and restaurant, along with a Cartel coffee shop at the corner of the property, right at the sidewalk on Camelback. Building 444 houses a rooftop bar with impressive views of north Phoenix and the mountain preserves. I was able to tour the property mid-construction just as the new structures were first going up and the buildings had been stripped down for restoration. They've spared no expense on this place, it's really great to see it all come together. Definitely a big win for Uptown Phoenix and the light rail line.