The Westward Ho - Phoenix, Arizona

There were no photographs of the inside of this beautiful building taken due to the owners policy
of no photographs being strictly enforced. A current resident gave us an extensive tour of the
building and its grounds out of the goodness of his heart and I thank him for that. The inside has
been altered extensively but you can still see touches of its elegance still shining through.

Construction of the hotel was announced in spring 1927 under the originally planned name, Roosevelt Hotel.
The project was financed by Sutherlin-Barry & Company of New Orleans, Louisiana, for owner G. L.
Johnson of Chicago, Illinois. The architectural team who designed the hotel were Fisher, Lake, and Traver,
who had also designed the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California a few years before. The hotel was to
be operated by Johnson's Pacific Hotel Company. Work came to a halt in early 1928 with only 6-stories
completed. In April, J. B. McNeil Company of Los Angeles, California, were awarded a
contract to complete the hotel.
In September 1928, Charles V. Bob of New York City purchased all issued and outstanding shares of the
Pacific Hotel Company from G. L. Johnson, complete financing of the hotel was transferred to Bob,
including construction, furnishings, and equipment. August Heckscher loaned $275,000 to Bob prior to
the purchase, in return for the loan, Bob pledged 10,000 shares of Pacific Hotel Company to Heckscher.
Following the transfer of ownership, the hotels future name was changed from Roosevelt to Westward Ho.
On September 20, Southwestern Supply Company of Phoenix was awarded a $100,000 contract for the
heating and air-conditioning of Western Ho. The hotel officially opened its doors on December 15, 1928.
The 240 ft steel tower and 40 ft antenna on top of the building were erected in 1949 to broadcast Phoenix's
first television station, KPHO-TV.
In 1960, KPHO moved to its new transmitter on South Mountain, the antenna on Westward Ho
now functions as a cell tower.