Tucson Arizona

Downtown Heritage District

This District includes many buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. 

El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Depot, 1913 

The above was shown how it was as an railroad depot. In the late 1980's, it has been remodeled into a restaurant, with cars, plastic neon signs, large plants to take away from the look of the classical entrance. I understand the restaurant has good Spanish food. The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad ran from El Paso into Tucson in the fall of 1912. El Paso Railroad was sold to Southern Pacific in 1924. This depot is classical in design with a large rotunda and glass dome.  

Douglas Park in front of the depot. City Hall is in background. C.1985.              Same location 2003, with Federal Courthouse in background. Douglas Park is now replaced by tile, steps, and concrete. 

c. 1914

Fountain in center of picture is the locations of the above color pictures. To the left is the freight warehouse with the tracks running along it to the left of the building. In the foreground where the billboards are, is now the new Tucson Federal Courthouse. Douglas Park is down to a few bushes, around the fountain. On the right is Congress Street. Behind the Train Depot will be the freeway, and in the distance is the future "A Mountain." The old warehouse became the Carl Hyden Hospital, and it went out of business in the 1950"s.

 In the background is "A" mountain, the re-named hill on the left. It was called "Sentinel Peak", now Sentinel Peak is the hill on the right. At the base of "A Mountain" (named after the University of Arizona) was a spring called "Sluyk-son." From that is was changed to ""Tugson," then "Tueson," and by 1763  the spelling was "Tucson."