historic modernistic downtown tucson building may be redeveloped

A downtown Tucson building that once housed Post 549 of the Tucson Veterans of Foreign Wars is now in line for a substantial redevelopment.

The two-story structure, located at 124 E. Broadway Boulevard, was built at a cost of $500,000 in 1948 and for decades included not only offices and lounge space for the VFW post, but also a large dance hall featuring big band shows.
The City of Tucson purchased the property in 1991 after the VFW moved to another location, eventually renting the space out to a community television channel called Access Tucson.

The building has been vacant since Access Tucson went out of operations three years ago.

Now Tucson developer Russ Rulney has purchased the property. Although specific plans for the structure have not been revealed, it was earlier reported that the building might be redeveloped for a combination of office, residential, and retail purposes.

Rulney, who has spearheaded a series of prominent building and upgrading projects in Tucson, including the redevelopment of the historic downtown Benedictine Monastery site, has agreed to keep intact the iconic modern tile façade of the former VFW building.

By Garry Boulard

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