INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY and INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY

Tucson, AZ (April 11, 2025) –Tucson will celebrate two special days on April 30 on the plaza at Hotel Congress: INTERNATIONAL DANCE DAY  (designated April 29 as International Dance Day by the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute ITI, the main partner for the performing arts of UNESCO) and INTERNATIONAL JAZZ DAY (In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe)

The Big Band Dance Era event is sponsored by the Tucson Jazz Music Foundation (TJMF) in partnership with The Century Room, with organization by its artistic director Arthur Vint (also a TJMF director and 2024 JAZZ HERO/Jazz Journalists Assn).

The celebration will feature the nationally recognized, award-winning Tucson Jazz Institute Ellington Big Band directed by Brice Winston playing dance music – a first for this band that usually plays in venues for a seated audience at various venues including FOX Tucson Theatre (Tucson Jazz Festival), Desert View Performing Arts Center (Saddle Brooke), The Highlands at Dove Mountain, The Century Room, The Sands (UofA), Tohono Chul, and the Community Performance & Arts Center (CPAC in Green Valley).

Connecting ‘swing dance’ with ‘jazz’ – two arts forms created in the U.S.A. the audience will be invited to participate in a beginner East Coast Swing/Lindy Hop dance lesson at 6 pm taught by special guest artist from Minneapolis Naomi Uyama. She’s a Lindy Hop superstar who has won many dance competitions around the country as well as a vocalist and band leader of Her Handsome Devils who will be performing after the Ellington Band. Dance music will continue until 10 pm. The dance floor will be provided by the Arizona Swing Cats, a University of Arizona dance club whose members will be on hand to assist in the dance lesson and to motivate attendees to dance!

Naomi will also teachi Lindy Hop lessons on Thursday at the Center of Creative Dance at 3131 N Cherry. Registration will be through the Arizona Swing Cats and open to the community. On Friday Naomi and Her Handsome Devils will perform two shows at The Century Room (6:30 & 9:30 pm).

Tickets for this ‘family friendly’ event are available through DICE / Hotel Congress PLAZA: FREE for those 18 and under, $10 students with valid ID, $20 adults, $30 preferred seating. All can be purchased here: Tickets

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE TJI ELLINGTON BIG BAND

The TJI Ellington Big Band is preparing for a trip to NYC to attend the prestigious Essentially Ellington high school big band competition May 7-11, 2025 – an honor they have experienced 8 other times, always placing in the top three spots with five of them being 1^st place. They will be one of thirty bands competing with three of them from Spain, Australia and Japan. This competition is often described as the Super Bowl equivalent for high school big bands and it is organized and produced by Jazz Academy, a division of Jazz at Lincoln Center directed by Wynton Marsalis.  https://jazz.org/education/school-programs/essentially-ellington/

TJI Ellington Big Band consists of 16 high school students and 2 eight graders from 9 schools in Southern Arizona: 1 private school (The Gregory School), 2 middle/intermediate schools (Cross Middle School, Gallego Intermediate), and 6 high schools (Catalina Foothills HS, Tucson HS, University HS, Desert View HS, Marana HS, Nogales HS). [Cast list at the end.]

TJI Ellington Big Band’s first invitation to Essentially Ellington in 2010 resulted in a 1^st place win in the Community Band category where Wynton Marsalis said “TUCSON?” when he announced the winner. That moment put Tucson on the global jazz map and began the buzz identifying Tucson as having the best jazz music education in Arizona and the Southwest region. TJI’s wins (DownBeat, Monterey Jazz Festival, Fullerton, in addition to Essentially Ellington) also helped create a successful Tucson Jazz Festival, and more recently The Century Room – our first and only jazz club in Southern Arizona where many TJI alums perform and even headline their own bands. It’s a second home for them and reunion space during school breaks.

SPONSORS / PRESENTERS

This celebration is sponsored by the Tucson Jazz Music Foundation in partnership with The Century Room and Hotel Congress. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to making jazz music education accessible for Arizona’s youth and the community since 2012. For additional information visit: https://tjmfdn.org/international-jazz-day-international-dance-day-celebration/

The Century Room is Tucson’s jazz club in Hotel Congress since 2023. It is the downtown hotspot for featuring some of the finest and legendary jazz artists from around the country as well as local professionals. It’s partnership with the Foundation established the Century Room Jazz Education Program where national guest artists (and some locals) present master classes, workshops, and presentations for students and the community. https://hotelcongress.com/venues/centuryroom/

Naomi Uyama and Her Handsome Devils

 Naomi Uyama, vocalist, band leader, and dance instructor, from Minneapolis https://www.naomisdevils.com/about  Her Handsome Devils (locals): Scott Black/bass, Arthur Vint/drums, Sly Slipetsky/piano, Matt Mitchell/guitar, Rob Boone /trombone, Anthony Gibes/trumpet, Kevin Ravelette/reeds

Upcoming Performance: TJI Ellington Big Band performs at Tohono Chul on Sunday, April 13, 2025, 1-3 pm.

PHOTO: CAST TJI Ellington Big Band directed by Brice Winston (sorted by last name, school/district, instrument): Itzayana Alvarez, Tucson HS / TUSD, saxophone; Theo Balzer-Partain, Tucson HS / TUSD, saxophone; Ryan Burns, Catalina Foothills HS/Catalina Foothills, saxophone; Milo Fox, University HS / TUSD, trumpet; Jaxon Hirsh, Tucson HS / TUSD, saxophone (senior going to The New School in NYC – scholarship student); Zeke Hirsh, Tucson HS / TUSD, bass; Elia Johnson, Desert View HS / Sunnyside, trombone; Jayce Johnson, Desert View HS / Sunnyside, trombone (senior going to NAU); Hallie Larriva, Marana HS / Marana, trombone(senior going to NAU); Alex Meuillet, Cross MS 8th grade / Amphitheater, trumpet; David Nguyen, University HS / TUSD, tenor sax/ trumpet/ clarinet (senior going to University of Nevada Las Vegas on scholarship); Jacob Nguyen, Gallego Int 8th grade / Sunnyside, piano; Joshua Parker, The Gregory School / private, trombone; Ryan Robles, Nogales HS / Nogales, drums; Keenan Sammani, Catalina Foothills HS/Catalina Foothills, saxophone; Eli Trujillo, Desert View HS / Sunnyside, trumpet; Diego Valencia, University HS / TUSD, guitar; and Daniel Valenzuela, Desert View HS / Sunnyside, lead trumpet.

TUCSON, AZ (April 10, 2025) — Pima Community College has begun to demolish three historic hotels on the Miracle Mile corridor near downtown Tucson after a panel of judges denied efforts to block the project.

In an opinion released April 4, the state court of appeals upheld a Pima County Superior Court judge’s ruling and allowed the college to proceed with the demolition.

The college bought the three historic hotels on Drachman Street between 2018 and 2019 for $3.5 million. Tucson Inn, the Frontier Motel, and Copper Cactus Inn, formerly the El Rancho Motor Hotel, are adjacent to the college’s downtown campus.

The school began searching mid-2024 for potential developers to turn the buildings into student housing. The college authorized one developer to submit a proposal that included restoring the hotels. However, the college changed course in November 2024 when its governing board voted to demolish the hotels.

After hearing oral arguments on Dec.19, 2024, the superior court denied the request for a preliminary injunction but issued a temporary restraining order to allow the historic preservation groups to appeal. The restraining order prevented the demolition, but allowed the buildings to be abated, a process that removes hazardous or contaminated materials.

The court of appeals upheld that decision, ruling that the state laws governing preservation of historic properties controlled by state agencies do not apply to the college.

“We further conclude that Petitioners cannot establish either a strong likelihood of success on the merits or that irreparable harm will result if a stay is not granted,” Judge Peter Eckerstrom said in the appeals court opinion.

“The superior court did not abuse its discretion in denying Petitioners’ request for a stay pending appeal or the underlying request for a preliminary injunction, the denial of which is the subject of that appeal.”

The college said it is pleased with the Court of Appeals decision, which allows it to address “long-standing safety and security concerns at the site and continue to focus our efforts on serving students and the broader community.”

The college said preliminary work for demolition has begun, and the college will begin considering how to use the property.

Pima Community College faced backlash for demolition

The Tucson Preservation Foundation argued that saving the buildings from demolition would help preserve Tucson’s heritage and support revitalizing the historic neighborhood. The group said the buildings “hold significant cultural and architectural value” and “represent different eras in Tucson’s history and contribute to the city’s identity.”

Members of the public on the other side of the debate argued the college was not in the business of historic preservation.

The neighborhood’s history goes back to its heyday in the 1960s, when it was a popular stop for travelers driving across the country. The Miracle Mile strip was the perfect spot to pass through, connecting the city to Routes 80 and 89 and Arizona State Route 84.

Motels for fatigued travelers flourished in the area, as did hundreds of other businesses. The location was known for its billboards and story-high neon signs.

The decline of Miracle Mile started after Interstate 10 was added as the main entry into the city. With many off-ramps, drivers began to circumvent Miracle Mile, leading to the decline of the neighborhood’s economy. Eventually, many businesses and motels were demolished, while other buildings in the area were modified.

Reach the reporter at sarah.lapidus@gannett.com . The Republic’s coverage of southern Arizona is funded, in part, with a grant from Report for America.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tucson college to demolish 3 historic Miracle Mile hotels after legal challenge blocked

Top photo: 4892 N. Stone Ave. in Tucson, and bottom photo: Green Valley Medical Mall at 1055 N. La Canada Dr. in Green Valley, AZ

TUCSON, AZ (April 9, 2025) — A private investment group, MLL Capital,  has acquired a 42,722-square-foot medical investment portfolio, comprising multiple properties, from a Canadian investment REIT for a total purchase price of $6,150,000 ($145.49 PSF).

The portfolio includes several leased medical office buildings, including 4892 N. Stone Ave. in Tucson and the Green Valley Medical Mall at 1055 N. La Canada Dr. in Green Valley.

Both sales took place concurrently on April 1, 2025.

MLL Capital pursues core-plus, value-add, and opportunistic real estate investments. The company creates value through strategic capital investment, detailed repositioning and redevelopment plans with a strong focus on targeted leasing.

MLL Capital has commercial real estate investment and operating experience nationwide through its senior team members. The firm’s principals have over 40 years of combined experience, during which time they invested over $4 billion across a broad range of property types, markets, and risk strategies.

Thomas J. Nieman, Principal and Office Specialist, and Bryce Horner, Capital Markets Specialist at Cushman & Wakefield | PICOR, represented the seller, Northwest Healthcare Properties, in the transaction.

For more information, Nieman can be reached at 520.546.2728, and Horner is at 520.546.2737.

To learn more, see RED Comp #11831 and #11832.

PHOTO: Top photo: 4892 N. Stone Ave. in Tucson and bottom photo: Green Valley Medical Mall at 1055 N. La Canada Dr. in Green Valley, AZ