TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — There is already fresh paint on the streets and the walls in the El Presidio Historic District in downtown Tucson.
The neighborhood is named after the Spanish military fort, the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson, built in the area. It established Tucson as a city back in 1775.
“Really the longest continuing business block in the whole city,” said Amy Hartmann-Gordon, director of the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum.
“This is really the center of where our modern day community started.”
Now, Rio Nuevo is investing $450,000 to beautify the historic stretch from the iconic El Charro restaurant to the Presidio Museum to the Pima County Courthouse.
“It’s important to the neighbors, it’s important to Tucsonans. And it’s a very popular place for tourists,” said Hartmann-Gordon.
The plan is to make the streets even more welcoming. New paint pops off the pavement thanks to the Living Streets Alliance.
“This is just a wonderful way to connect the businesses, to make it feel more pedestrian,” said Hartmann-Gordon.
A small children’s playground and new outdoor seating are coming to the pedestrian-only block of Washington Street between Jojo’s and Ceres Pasta.
“[The pandemic] was a little bit of an inspiration,” Hartmann-Gordon said of the outdoor seating. “‘Hey this is great. Let’s do this properly.’”
Bill Singleton is painting a new mural on Court Avenue that takes people back in time.
“They wanted a view of what it would look like before all these buildings were here,” he explained.
Joe Pagac will paint a giant saguaro on the Transamerica building that towers over the historic neighborhood, which could become even more of a modern-day destination.
The work is expected to be done by the end of this year, according to Hartmann-Gordon.
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Ryan Fish is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9 and comes to the Sonoran Desert from California’s Central Coast after working as a reporter, sports anchor and weather forecaster in Santa Barbara. Ryan grew up in the Chicago suburbs, frequently visiting family in Tucson. Share your story ideas and important issues with Ryan by emailing ryan.fish@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
