A 16-story hotel development coming to downtown Tucson will tower over the Rialto Theatre, temporarily displacing the nearly 100-year-old performance and concert venue.
Element Hotel and Moxy Hotel, which are both Marriott brands, will share a new building on the south lot of the Rialto Theatre block on the corner of South Fifth Avenue and East Broadway.
The Dabdoub and Stiteler families, who built the AC Marriott, which opened last year across the street, are again teaming up on this $88 million project.
The 16-story building will house both hotels, with 109 rooms in the Moxy, a millennial-focused brand, and 140 rooms in Element, an extended-stay hotel for business travelers.
During construction, which is expected to begin next year and last about two years, the Rialto Theatre will move to the historic Corbett Building on South Sixth Avenue and East Seventh Street.
Developer Scott Stiteler, who bought the Corbett Building in 1999, said Rialto at the Corbett will “retain the soul of a Tucson story.”
“Anywhere we could have been and still continue to work would have been satisfactory, but wow, that’s perfect location-wise,” said Curtis McCray, executive director of the Rialto Theatre. “It’s definitely going to be a big adjustment and we’re going to be displaced and that’s never easy.”
Improvements to the existing theatre will include increased seating and viewing capacity; new concessions, dressing and green rooms; and bus parking.
In a letter to donors of the Rialto’s capital campaign, McCray stressed that the Rialto Theatre Foundation will continue to operate autonomously when the upgrades are completed.
“In important respects, the combined project will function as a partnership that will integrate certain functions of both properties in interesting ways,” the letter reads. “Performers will want to stay at the hotel. Event planners and organizations will want to rent newly reconfigured spaces in the theatre. Visitors will want to dine, enjoy libations, maybe play some basketball. Everyone will want to share in the fun, and that is our collective aim.”
Source: tucson.com
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