Jess Knudson

Silver King Hotel in Florence begins rehab

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[Source: Casa Grande Valley Newspapers] – – Town officials, historic preservation advocates and officials of W.E. O’Neil Construction Company gathered Monday morning to celebrate the beginning of the second phase rehabilitation of the Silver King Hotel at Main and Ruggles streets in Florence. Mayor Vicki Kilvinger and other speakers expressed appreciation for the FPF and IDA for their work over the years to save historic buildings. “Thanks to the IDA, who first made this a historic town, and one of the premier historic towns in the state,” Kilvinger said. As for the Silver King, “We will work as hard as we can to make this a success,” she added.

Historian, John A. Swearengin, recalled what a welcome sight the Silver King was to his sunburned family when they arrived here in July of 1936. He became a regular visitor to the hotel; the family that ran it included two young ladies with whom he went to high school. Swearengin also recalled attending a birthday party “in this room in 1938.” He further expressed thanks to the town of Florence for buying the building last year from the FPF and taking an active role in its future. “I’m delighted and pleased to see the town join with us to make the completion of this job possible.” [Note: to read the full article click here.]

Historic hotel in Florence Arizona to get overhaul

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[Source: Lynh Bui, The Arizona Republic] — What was once one of the most important rest stops for miners and travelers in the Southwest sits empty today, with scraps of faded floral wallpaper and crumbling mortar as a few reminders of life at the Silver King Hotel.  Since the late 1800s, the social and economic heart of Florence has pulsed through this brick, Victorian building.  The bar was a prominent stagecoach stop and operated “the finest dining room in town,” according to state archives.  When the once-bustling hotel closed in 1977, the two-story building fell into disrepair, sitting abandoned on the corner of Main Street and Ruggles Avenue for three decades and damaged by a fire in the mid-1990s.

Over the years, there have been several rumors of overhauling the structure but nothing came to life until now.  The historic building will get a complete makeover by the end of the year, say officials with the town of Florence, which owns the building and is paying for most of the renovations with more than $500,000 in grants.  The building won’t turn into another hotel but will instead be revamped into retail and office space, Florence Public Information Officer Jess Knudson said during a recent tour of the structure.  [Note: To read the full article, click here.]