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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. |
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