Phoenix Celebrates

Phoenix celebrates 75 years of pampering and entertaining guests

PHOENIX, Oct. 8, 2003-- Having grown from a frontier town to the soon-to-be fifth-largest city in the U.S., Phoenix owes much of its development to a steady stream of visitors desiring the sunny weather and scenic wonders of the Southwest. The area's strong foundation in tourism dates back to 1926 when the Southern Pacific Railroad began providing service that connected Phoenix with California and Chicago, increasing accessibility to visitors.

Many resorts and hotels quickly began popping up across the desert -- now there are more than three dozen resorts, nearly 400 hotels and 55,000 total rooms. A handful of these properties, and other attractions, have been mainstays on the local tourism scene from the start and are about to celebrate their 75th anniversaries.

The year 1929 was a very constructive one, to say the least. That's when a cornerstone of international hospitality was established with the opening of the Arizona Biltmore Resort in the north section of town -- the only hotel now in existence to have benefited from architect Frank Lloyd Wright's creative genius. The Biltmore put Phoenix on the map as the site of a world-class resort hotel. Visited by every U.S. president from Herbert Hoover to George W. Bush, this "jewel of the desert" recently underwent $32 million in additions and renovations.

The same year, an important cultural development occurred in downtown Phoenix when the Orpheum Theatre was opened and dedicated to the wonderful "talkies" being filmed in Hollywood. A mind-boggling architectural mixture of Spanish medieval and baroque as well as Italian and Greek allegorical styles, this movie palace was reputed to be the grandest theater west of the Mississippi.

Later that eventful year of 1929, the residents of a charming two-story Spanish Colonial revival building in midtown Phoenix invited art lovers to come in and "take a look" at what is now the Heard Museum. Maie and Dwight Heard were extremely passionate about the art and history of Arizona's native peoples, and their collections are the basis of what is considered by many to be the nation's most important Native American institution, and a must-see for any visitor.

The Pueblo Grande Museum was also established in 1929 when it began to study Phoenix's earliest settlers, the Hohokam. The museum is located on 102 acres of park grounds at the ruins of a Hohokam village that dates back 1,500 years. For nearly 75 years, visitors have learned about an ancient culture that was once a thriving community, yet disappeared without apparent reason several hundred years ago.

In celebration of Greater Phoenix's rich history, Smithsonian magazine and Museum are bringing their CultureFest event to the local area on November 11-14, 2004. CultureFest will be a high-profile cultural program that will span several days and showcase the Smithsonian's best and brightest scholars in association with numerous cultural attractions in Greater Phoenix.

This family-oriented event will provide participants with the opportunity to hear Smithsonian experts speak on the history and culture of Greater Phoenix at locations such as the Heard or Pueblo Grande Museums. Scholars may also share details about architecture or premier art exhibits, and more, at other facilities. CultureFest will feature a cooperative local advertising partnership between the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Arizona Office of Tourism.

Although its history may be brief, Greater Phoenix has progressed from Old West to modern metropolis, all within 75 years. From the start, tourism has played a major role in the area's development and economic success. And now, without losing touch with its Western heritage, the area remains at the forefront of meeting and leisure destinations due to an increasing number of full-service spas, more than 200 picturesque golf courses, and much, much more. Greater Phoenix -- Amazing What You Can Do Here!

More than 13 million people visit Greater Phoenix each year, contributing more than $6 billion directly to the area's economy. Tourism in Greater Phoenix also accounts for approximately 225,000 jobs.