Pima County Historic Courthouse Renovated & Reborn

93-Year-Old Pima County Historic Courthouse Gets New Look Renovated & Reborn

By Christy Krueger

January 8th Memorial

After several years of planning and renovations, the Pima County Historic Courthouse in downtown Tucson has a fresh face and a new, more comprehensive purpose.

According to Pima County Facilities Director Lisa Josker, all public officials housed in the 93-year-old courthouse were moved to the nearby public services building in 2015. By early 2016, construction began on the historic building with a goal to convert it into a destination for both locals and visitors.

“It was empty, public and historic, and we wanted to use it for the public,” said Josker. “We renovated, did structural enhancements and gutted it.” That process revealed some pleasant surprises. For one, the original exterior paint color was discovered and matched. “We now have an exact replica of the original paint,” said Josker. She described it as an adobe, peach-like color, replacing the pink exterior that covered the structure for years.

Also exposed in the rehabilitation process and retained were original concrete floors and original wood hiding behind the walls.

In January 2020, Visit Tucson, the city’s visitors bureau, became the first of the new tenants to occupy the renovated building, but after six weeks it was shut down because of COVID-19. Other tenants moved into their restored spaces in phases, and by last summer, all attractions and entities were settled in and welcoming the public.

That includes the Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center, University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum, Pima County Attractions & Tourism and the Dillinger courtroom. American gangster John Dillinger was notoriously captured in Tucson in 1934.

“We changed the courtroom back to its original look and took the story of

Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum

Southern Arizona Heritage and Visitor Center

the (John) Dillinger gang capture and made it a radio program,” Josker said. “When you come in, a motion sensor triggers the audio with talks about the capture and the Hotel Congress fire. Lights shine on a Dillinger hat, a newspaper and the court reporter’s chair. It’s like a theater.”

The Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum moved from its Flandrau Planetarium location at UArizona to the courthouse in July 2021. It encompasses 21,000 square feet and is not only a tourist attraction, but also an educational and research center for UArizona students and scientists. Dillinger Courtroom

Attractions & Tourism is a nonprofit division of Pima County. Its event planners work with the city, county and other municipalities in the region to attract tourists, Josker said.

Tucson’s new, larger visitor center includes a gift shop, mini-theater and interactive displays with information about this region’s natural and manmade sightseeing opportunities.

Financing for the courthouse restoration project came from a multi-general fund. Visit Tucson and Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum paid for their tenant improvements.

Josker is passionate about the enhancements to the historic courthouse, saying the project has been rewarding, and she’s excited about all that is now offered to the community. “I think it’s fabulous. There’s not enough to describe the blood and sweat that went into the project. Construction workers were so pleased to be in the building and to be a part of it. They are honored to help bring life back. Our part is to maintain it with respect and honor. It’s our iconic building downtown and we treat it that way.”

Felipe Garcia Named Visit Tucson President & CEO

After a national search, Visit Tucson announced that Felipe Garcia, who had been interim president and CEO of Visit Tucson, will lead the region’s destination marketing organization into its next chapter of driving tourism revenue for this community.

Garcia replaces Brent DeRaad, who had served as president and CEO since 2012 and resigned in October to head the Arlington Convention & Visitors Bureau in Texas.

“It was abundantly clear that Felipe has both the skills and experience for this new challenge,” said John Denker, Visit Tucson’s board chair. “Beyond just already knowing the business and staff of Visit Tucson, his passion for his work and the future of this community shine through in all that he does.”

“I am honored to continue to serve this community in this new role,” said Garcia. “Visit Tucson is a leader in both this industry and in driving economic impact for the people of metro Tucson. Along with Visit Tucson’s incredible team, I’m looking forward to finding new opportunities and continuing to be a catalyst towards attracting attention for this region.”

Garcia led the Vamos a Tucson Mexico marketing efforts throughout his tenure, along with partnering with area economic development and community organizations. Recently, he was elected VP of the Delice Network, which includes some of the world’s top cities that collaborate on developing strategies to use food and gastronomy as a tourism and economic development platform.

His role with Delice fits well with Garcia’s leveraging of Tucson’s designation as the U.S.’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy. He worked with community leaders for the past six years to maximize the potential of this designation. Attracting the Food Network to Tucson for multiple shows and bringing in Pati Jinich to film two episodes of her award-winning cooking show “Pati’s Mexican Table” are examples of his accomplishments.

Prior to Visit Tucson, Garcia worked for the City of Tucson as an economic development specialist focused on trade opportunities between Mexico and Southern Arizona. An attorney, he started his career working on international trade and investment throughout Latin America. Biz

UArizona Eller College of Management Honors Humberto S. Lopez with Alumnus of the Year Award

As a teen, Humberto S. Lopez worked to help support his widowed mother and five younger siblings. Realizing that education was the key to his future success, he made his way to the University of Arizona, where he earned an accounting degree in 1969.

While practicing as a CPA in Los Angeles in 1971, he borrowed $1,000 after reading the book, “How to Turn $1,000 into a One Million Dollars,” parlaying it into a multi-million dollar empire. In 1975, he founded HSL Properties, one of the largest owners of apartments and hotels in Arizona.

Humberto’s professional success is matched only by his generosity. He has supported various community organizations with time, expertise and donations, and has numerous awards recognizing his philanthropy. The H.S. Lopez Family Foundation founded the Center of Opportunity, a homeless shelter that he envisions as a model for the country.

Together with his wife Czarina, he is a long-time supporter of the university and the Eller College of Management. Most recently, they have established endowed chairs in Accountancy and Cardiovascular Research. Humberto has supported the university with his time by serving on the boards of the UA Foundation, the Sarver Heart Center, and the Lute Olson fund for Arizona Athletics. He also participates through the National Leadership Council, and the advisory boards for the College of Medicine, the Eller College of Management, The McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship, and the School of Accountancy.

For his remarkable success and his unwavering dedication to the college, the university and the community, the Arizona Alumni Association is honored to name Humberto S. Lopez the 20202021 Alumnus of the Year for the Eller College of Management. Biz

Megan Powe

Megan Powe joined Carondelet Health Network as market chief strategy officer. She comes to Carondelet from The Hospitals of Providence in El Paso, Tex., where she served in multiple leadership roles within business development and strategy. At The Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus, she led the strategic development of key service lines resulting in expanded services, certifications and performance in cardiology, orthopedics and neurosciences.

Jill Casey Pintor

Vantage West, Southern Arizona’s largest credit union, announced that Jill Casey Pintor has been promoted to VP of corporate communications and training. In her new role, Casey Pintor will oversee internal communications, training, knowledge management and public relations efforts. Casey Pintor has more than 25 years of experience in marketing and communications and has been with Vantage West since 2002, serving in various capacities within the marketing and communications department.