Del E. Webb Construction Company

The Del E. Webb Construction Company was a construction company, that was founded in 1928 and developed by Del Webb and headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, in the United States. It became the Del E. Webb Corporation in 1960. That same year, the corporation unveiled Sun City outside of Phoenix as the first sun city senior homes designed by Del E. Webb. Many more Sun Cities were built by the corporation in the following decades. Along with construction, the corporation was also involved in real estate and owned several properties mainly hotels and casinos, many of which were built and/or expanded by the company. The company was purchased in 2001 by Pulte Homes. Pulte Homes since merged with Centex Corp. and is now PulteGroup.[1] Del Webb continues as a brand of PulteGroup.[2][3]

Del E. Webb Construction Company
TypePublic company
NYSE: WBB
FateAcquired by Pulte Homes
SuccessorDel Webb a brand of Pulte Group
Founded1928
FounderDel Webb
Defunct2001
HeadquartersPhoenix, Arizona, United States
Area served
United States, Honduras, El Salvador, East Asia
Key people
Del Webb, L. C. Jacobson, R. H. Johnson
ServicesConstruction, Development, Property Management
Number of employees
1,800
DivisionsDel Webb Hotels
SubsidiariesDel E. Webb Development Co. formed 1952, Del E. Webb Realty & Management Co. formed 1970, Sahara-Nevada Corporation acquired 1961

The company also worked with many notable 20th century architects including Welton Becket, Flatow, Moore, Bryan, and Fairburn, Charles Luckman, William Pereira, Martin Stern Jr., Lescher & Mahoney, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Zick & Sharp, Edward L. Varney, Ralph Haver, Michael & Kemper Goodwin, Kivet & Myers, Adrian Wilson, A. C. Martin, and Ralph C. Harris[3]

Company History

After moving from Fresno to Phoenix, Del Webb founded his namesake construction company in 1928. Among his earliest commissions were grocery store buildings for the Basha family. Webb soon became known as a grocery store builder. However Webb sought to expand his firm and eagerly sought out public sector jobs during the Great Depression of the 1930s. In 1937 The Firm opened a small branch office in Los Angeles to oversee construction of a high school there. With the onset of World War II The Firm constructed several airfields throughout Arizona, as well as a Japanese internment camp at Poston. In 1943 Webb made trusted employee L. C. Jacobson a 25 percent partener. Jacobson eventually became vice president. In 1946 Webb was contracted by mobster Bugsy Siegel to build the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. In the early 1950s Webb would be contracted to build facilities for Howard Hughes. The Webb firm would go on to build several plants for Hughes. In 1952 the company founded its first subsidiary the Del E. Webb Development Company responsible for the design and construction of housing tracts and shopping centers. In 1953 the development company would begin construction on San Manuel, Arizona a mining town built out of nothing. In 1955 the Webb corporation began constructing Hotels for the Flamingo Corporation which Webb was part owner The following year Webb constructed the first Hiway House Hotel, which was a company separate from Flamingo and solely owned by Webb. As well as housing, during the 1950s the construction company would build hospitals hotels and other large and small scale projects.[2][3]

On January 1st 1960 the development company unveiled Sun City, Arizona as the First community designed for senior citizens. It was followed by Sun City, California, the Kern City and Stockdale developments in Bakersfield and Sun City Center, Florida. In December 1960 the Del E. Webb Construction Company went public on the New York Stock Exchange trading as WBB. The company also became known as the Del E. Webb Corporation at this time. In 1961 the Webb Corporation acquired the Sahara Nevada Corporation and its Holdings of the Sahara and Mint hotels in Las Vegas. This made Webb the first publicly held corporation to be involved in Las Vegas gaming. Webb would go on to purchase build and expand several properties throughout Nevada. In the 1960s Webb would develop a chain of high end multi story hotels called the Towne House. During this time the corporation was also deeply involved in the development of Oak Brook, Illinois, Clear Lake City, Texas and Alamaden, California. In the late 1960s the corporation entered a joint venture building infrastructure for several South American countries, this was the firm's first involvement outside the United States. Also at this time a corporation formed an additional subsidiary the Del E. Webb Building Management Company which was responsible for building management. it would eventually become the Del E. Webb Realty and Management Company. when the subsidiary expanded to Include holding leases on public buildings. In 1971 the corporation acquired Merlin Hotels which had many properties throughout East Asia. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s the corporation continued to construct many large and small scale projects including housing, schools, hospitals, hotels, high rises, convention centers, athletic venues and airports.[2][3][4]

In 1987 the decision was made to divest the gaming, hotel and realty management sections of the corporation all of the Webb owned properties were sold off, and the corporation reorganized to focus solely on the concept of master planned communities for senior citizens. New communities opened in Arizona, Nevada, California and Texas. In 2001 the corporation was purchased by Pulte Homes. The Del Webb name is used by Pulte as a brand name for its age-restricted communities.[4]

Works

NRHP works

A number of works by the firm are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).[5]Construction works on the Williams Air Force Base that are NRHP-listed include:

Other works listed on the National Register include:

Other works

Del E. Webb Construction Company, 1928-1960[3][6]

  • Pay'n Takit Store, Phoenix, AZ, 1929
  • Dorsett's Service Garage, Phoenix, AZ, 1930
  • Joe Geare Insurance Company, Phoenix, AZ, 1930
  • Lowry Grocery Co, Phoenix, AZ, 1930
  • Piggly Wiggly, Phoenix, AZ, 1931
  • Jacob Constanten Building, Phoenix, AZ, 1931
  • Arizona Fire Building, Phoenix, AZ, 1933
  • Arizona Grocery, Phoenix, AZ, 1935
  • Goodwin Stadium, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 1935-1936 (Demolished)
  • A. J. Matthews Library, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 1936[6]
  • West Hall, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 1936[6]
  • Newberry's Department Store, Phoenix, AZ, 1937-1938 (Demolished)
  • Thunderbird Field No. 1, built 1939, airfield used for flight training of World War II pilots, with construction by contractor Del Webb Construction of a hexagonal barracks, administrative building, mess hall and four hangars on the site, and more
  • Central Arizona Light and Power Company, Chandler, AZ, 1940
  • Mathew Henson Housing Development, Phoenix, AZ, 1940
  • F.W. Woolworth Co. Department Store, Phoenix, AZ, 1941 (Demolished)
  • Luke Air Force Base, buildings constructed by Del Webb Construction Co., with first building begun in March 1941.
  • Mountain View Officers Club, Fort Huachuca, AZ, 1942[7]
  • Kingman Army Airfield, Kingman, AZ, 1942
  • Poston War Relocation Center, Yuma County, AZ, 1942
  • Pinal Airpark, built in 1942 by the Sundt & Del Webb Construction Companies and opened in March, 1943, then known as Marana Army Air Field.
  • Arizona Grocery, Phoenix, AZ, 1942
  • Allison Steel Co. Phoenix, AZ, 1944
  • Diamond's Boston Store, Phoenix, AZ, 1945
  • Flamingo Las Vegas, opened at cost of $6 million on December 26, 1946; Del Webb Construction was the prime contractor and Richard Stadelman was the architect.
  • Allied Grain Elevator (Feeders Grain) Phoenix, AZ, 1946-1947
  • Kraft Foods distribution center, Kansas City, MO, 1947
  • Kraft Foods distribution center, Portland OR 1947
  • Kraft Foods warehouse, Wichita, KS, 1947
  • Kraft Foods distribution center, Amarillo TX 1947
  • Kraft Foods, Kentucky Headquarters, Louisville, 1947
  • Town Flair Shopping Center, Phoenix, AZ, 1947
  • Dr. L. D. Beck Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, 1947
  • Dr. Robert T. Phillips & E. Henry Running Pediatric Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, 1947
  • McKinley Street Clinic, Phoenix, AZ, 1947 (now The McKinley Club)
  • Arizona Republic Building, Phoenix, AZ, 1947
  • Expansion to the Security Building Phoenix, AZ, 1947
  • Hanny's Phoenix, AZ, 1947
  • Kraft Foods distribution center, Los Angeles, CA, 1948
  • Pueblo Gardens Neighborhood, Tucson, AZ, 1948
  • Verde River Water Treatment Plant, Fort McDowell, AZ, 1947-1949 (joint venture with Arizona Rock and Sand Co.), (Demolished)
  • Livermore Veterans Hospital, Livermore, CA, 1948-1949
  • Portland Veterans Hospital, Oregon, expansion, 1949-1950 (Demolished)
  • W & J Sloane Store, Beverly Hills, CA, 1949-1950
  • Pabco Mfg. Plant, Newark, NJ., 1951
  • Amarillo Air Force Base, TX, 1951
  • Denver Veterans Hospital, CO, 1949-1951
  • Phoenix Veterans Hospital, Arizona, 1950-1951
  • Hughes Missile Plant (now Raytheon Missile Systems), in Tucson, AZ,[8]1951
  • Hughes Aircraft Plant, Expansion, Los Angeles, CA, 1950-1952
  • Sunland Gardens Housing, Tucson, AZ, 1952
  • Sahara Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, NV, built 1952 with Del Webb as main contractor
  • JCPenny Department Store, Phoenix, AZ, 1952 (Demolished)
  • Kansas City Veterans Hospital, MO, 1950-1952
  • St Louis Veterans Hospital, MO, 1950-1952
  • Saint Joseph's Hospital Phoenix, AZ, 1950-1953
  • Fort Ord, CA, 1952-1954
  • San Manuel, Arizona was established in 1953. The entire town was built by Webb (along with M.O.W. Homes Inc.) for The Magma Copper Company to house San Manuel Copper Mine employees. [9][10][11]
  • Campus Homes, Tempe, AZ, 1953
  • Evergreen Housing, Casa Grande, AZ, 1953
  • Venza Housing, Eloy, AZ, 1953
  • Coolidge Housing, Coolidge, AZ, 1953
  • Florence Housing, Florence, AZ, 1953
  • Brawley Housing, Brawley, CA, 1953
  • Bagdad Inn, Las Vegas, NV, 1954
  • Beverly Hilton Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA, 1953-1955
  • Uptown Plaza Shopping Center, Phoenix, AZ, 1955
  • Flamingo Motel, San Antonio, TX, 1955
  • Flamingo Motel, El Paso, TX, 1955
  • Sahara Hotel, Phoenix, AZ, 1955 (Demolished)
  • Kansas City Municipal Stadium, remodeled in 1955 to meet major league specifications to accommodate the Kansas City Athletics[12](Demolished)
  • Many buildings of the Hiway House, a motor hotel chain founded in 1956 by Del Webb
  • Santa Anita Flamingo Motel, Arcadia, CA, 1956
  • Cedar Hills Housing, Cedar Rapids, IA, 1956
  • Texaco building Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA, 1957
  • Pacific Northwest pipeline Building Salt Lake City, UT, 1957
  • Continental Hotel, Denver, CO, 1957
  • Diamond Match Company Plant, Red Bluff, CA, 1956-1958
  • Vandenberg Air Force Base Housing, CA, Phase I, 1957-1958
  • Union Oil Center Los Angeles, CA, 1955-1958
  • Clairemont Estates Housing, San Diego, CA, 1956-1958
  • Hughes Ground Radar Plant, Fullerton, CA, 1958 (Demolished)
  • Hiway Inn, Phoenix, AZ, 1958
  • Mountain Shadows Resort, Paradise Valley, AZ, 1958 (Demolished)
  • Douglas and Pine Valley Air Force Academy Housing, Colorado Springs, CO, 1958-1959 (joint venture with Rubenstein Construction Co.)
  • Hughes Research Laboratory, Malibu, CA, 1959 (Now HRL Laboratories, LLC)
  • Hughes Missile Development Center, Tucson, AZ, 1959 (now Raytheon Missile Systems)
  • Rocket Engine Test Stand, Edwards Air Force Base, CA, 1959-1960
  • Campbell Plaza Shopping Center, Tucson, AZ, 1959-1960

Del E. Webb Corporation, 1960-2001[3]

Hotels

Hotels owned or jointly owned by Del E. Webb Corporation. Webb's involvement in hotel ownership began in the mid 1950s and lasted until 1987. The corporation sold its last hotel in 1988. (Hotels built by Webb are indicated with "Built" followed by the year of establishment.)[3]

Flamingo Hotels

The Flamingo Hotels were a chain of Motor Hotels jointly owned by Webb and Ramada Hotels (operating as Flamingo Corporation) starting in 1955. On March 1, 1958 Webb sold its ownership of the chain to Flamingo, in exchange for full ownership of the Hiway House Hotels.

  • Bagdad Inn Motel, Las Vegas, NV, Built 1954, Acquired 1955
  • Frontier Motel, McAllan, TX, Acquired 1955
  • El Rancho Motel, Flagstaff, AZ, Acquired 1955
  • Flamingo Motel, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1955
  • Flamingo Motel, Tucson, AZ, Acquired 1955
  • Flamingo Motel, Yuma, AZ, Acquired 1955
  • Sahara Hotel, Phoenix, AZ, Built 1955
  • Flamingo Motel, San Antonio, TX, Built 1955
  • Flamingo Motel, El Paso, TX, Built 1955
  • Santa Anita Flamingo Motel, Arcadia, CA, Built 1956
  • Flamingo Motel, Santa Rosa, CA, Established 1957 (Not built by Webb)
  • Flamingo Motel, LAX, Los Angeles, CA, Built 1957

Hiway House Hotels

The Hiway House Hotels were a chain of motor hotels built in a colonial design. The chain was founded in 1956 by Webb and Flamingo. On March 1 1958 Webb bought out Flamingo's share of Hiway House and sold its share of the Flamingo Hotels (mentioned above). Webb sold the hotel chain in the 1960s.

Sahara-Nevada Corporation

The Sahara-Nevada Corporation and its holdings (the Sahara and Mint Hotels in Las Vegas) was acquired by Webb in 1961. Webb would open and operate several more hotel/casinos throughout Nevada under the name.

King's Inn Hotels

Del Webb's Kings Inn Motor Hotels were established in 1960 and placed within Webb's master planned communities, with most within the Sun Cities. The hotels featured Old English decor.

  • Kings Inn, Sun City, AZ, Built 1960, Sold 1987
  • Kings Inn, Sun City, CA, Built 1962, Sold 1972
  • Kings Inn, Sun City, FL, Built 1962, Sold 1972
  • Kings Inn, Clear Lake, City, TX, Built 1963, Sold 1987

Towne House Hotels

Del Webb's Towne House was a small chain of upscale hotels situated in the upper stories of Webb owned high-rises.

  • Del Webb's Towne House (Trinity Plaza) San Francisco, CA, Built 1961, Sold 1987
  • Del Webb's Towne House, Phoenix AZ, Built 1964, Sold 1981
  • Del Webb's Towne House, Fresno CA, Built 1964, Sold 1987

Additional Hotels

  • Continental Hotel, Denver CO, Built 1957, Sold 1987
  • Del Webb's Mountain Shadows Resort, Paradise Valley AZ, Acquired 1961, Sold 1981
  • Del Webb's OceanHouse, San Diego, CA, Built 1962, Sold 1964
  • Del Webb's Newporter Inn, Newport Beach, CA, Acquired 1970, Sold 1981
  • Del Webb's Kuilima Resort Hotel, Kahuku Oahu, HI, Built 1972, Sold late 1970s
  • Claridge Hotel, Atlantic City, NJ, Acquired 1977, Sold 1983
  • La Posada Hotel, Scottsdale, AZ, Established 1978, Sold 1987
  • Nevada Club, Laughlin, NV, Acquired 1979, Sold 1988
  • Raintree Motel, Bullhead City, AZ, Acquired 1982, Sold 1987

Merlin Hotels

Merlin Hotels was a chain of high rise hotels located throughout East Asia, acquired in 1971.

  • Merlin Hotel Hong Kong, China, Acquired 1971, Sold 1987
  • Merlin Hotel Singapore, Acquired 1971, Sold 1987
  • Merlin Hotel Penang, Malaysia, Acquired 1971, Sold 1987
  • Merlin Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Acquired 1971, Sold 1987

Properties

Properties owned, managed and/or operated by Del E. Webb Corporation.[3]

In the 1950s Webb began building shopping centers which were also owned or jointly owned by Webb through several wholly owned subsidiaries. The Del E. Webb Building Management Co. was created in 1968 as a subsidiary. It then became the Del E. Webb Realty & Management Co. in 1970.[17][3] The company owned and/or was the leaseholder on the following buildildings. The company's interest in commercial properties continued until 1987 at which time these properties were sold.[4](Properties built by Webb are indicated with "Built" followed by the year of establishment.)


  • Uptown Plaza Shopping Center, Phoenix, AZ, Built 1955, Sold sometime prior to 1987
  • Camelback Village Square, Phoenix, AZ, Built 1959, Sold sometime later, Reacquired 1969, Sold 1987
  • Campbell Plaza Shopping Center, Tucson, AZ, Built 1960, Sold sometime prior to 1987
  • Wilmot Medical Center, Tucson, AZ, Built, 1961, Sold sometime prior to 1987
  • Christown Mall, Phoenix AZ, Built 1961, Sold 1965
  • Grossmont Center, La Mesa, CA, Built 1961, Sold sometime prior to 1987
  • Rosenzweig Center, Phoenix, AZ, Built 1962, Sold 1983
  • First Federal Building, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1968, Sold 1987 (leasing manager for Prudential Insurance Company)
  • Executive Plaza, Oak Brook, IL, Built 1968, Sold 1987
  • Stardust Country Club (renamed Sahara-Nevada Country Club) Las Vegas, NV, Acquired 1969, Sold 1982
  • Alameda Office Building, Tucson, AZ, Acquired 1969, Sold 1987 (leasing manager for Prudential Insurance Company)
  • Villa Riviera Apartments, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1969, Sold 1987 (leasing manager for Prudential Insurance Company)
  • Cherry Creek Medical Building, Denver, CO, acquired 1970, sold 1987 (leasing manager for Prudential Insurance Company)
  • Tucson Federal Savings Tower, Tucson, AZ, Acquired 1970, Sold 1987 (leasing manager for Prudential Insurance Company)
  • Traders National Bank Building, Kansas City MO, Acquired 1970, Sold 1987
  • Kroger Building, Cincinnati OH, Acquired 1970, Sold 1987
  • Commerce Plaza, Oak Brook, IL, Built 1971, Sold 1987
  • Canyon Tours at Lake Powell, AZ, Acquired 1975, Sold 1987
  • Park Glen Apartments, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1975, Sold 1987
  • Cordova Apartments, Mesa, AZ, Acquired 1975, Sold 1987
  • Los Colinas Apartments, Tucson, AZ, Acquired 1975, Sold 1987
  • Wahweap Marina, Lake Powell, AZ, Acquired 1976, Sold 1987
  • Bullfrog Marina, Lake Powell, UT, Acquired 1976, Sold 1987
  • Stockyards Restaurant Complex, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1976, Sold 1987 (leasing manager for Arizona-Colorado Land & Cattle Company)
  • The Arizona Bank Building, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1976, Sold 1987 (leasing and property manager for Travelers Insurance Company)
  • 35th Avenue & Cactus Road Shopping Center, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1976, Sold 1987
  • Santa Fe Development Co. Office, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1976, Sold 1987 (leasing manager fo Santa Fe)
  • Camelview Plaza, Scottsdale, AZ, Acquired 1978, Sold 1987 (leasing and property manager for Security National Bank)
  • Lincoln Building, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1979, Sold 1987
  • Valley Center, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1980, Sold 1984 (leasing and property manager for Valley National Bank)
  • El Dorado Square, Tucson, AZ, Acquired 1982, Sold 1987
  • Highland Executive Park, Phoenix, AZ, Acquired 1982, Sold 1987 (leasing and property manager for Feau Realty & Development)
  • Scottsdale Executive Park, Scottsdale, AZ, Acquired 1982, Sold 1987 (leasing and property manager for Feau Realty & Development)
  • Williams Center, Tucson, AZ, Acquired 1983, Sold 1987 (leasing manager for Hartford Insurance Company)

See also

References
  1. Stephanie Paeprer (May 1, 2011). "Del E. Webb: A Pioneer In Arizona's Construction Industry". Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  2. "History of Del Webb Corporation – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  3. "NEWSLETTERS – "Webb Spinner" – Del Webb Sun Cities Museum". delwebbsuncitiesmuseum.org. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
  4. "Del Webb History". Missing or empty |url= (help)
  5. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  6. "Del E. Webb Corporation Photographs 1941-1987 Del E. Webb Corporation Photographs". www.azarchivesonline.org. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  7. "Mountain View Officers' Club at Fort Huachuca | National Trust for Historic Preservation". savingplaces.org. Retrieved 2019-09-22.
  8. David Leighton, The History of the Hughes Missile Plant in Tucson, 1947-1960, Private Publication, 2015 [Page 5]
  9. "Del Webb Corporation History". Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  10. "Mine Tales: San Manuel was once world's largest underground copper mine". Apr 14, 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
  11. "History of the San Manuel-Kalamazoo Mine, Pinal County, Arizona" (PDF). Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  12. The Baseball Hall of Shame by Nash and Zullo (see Arnold Johnson)
  13. "1963-1964.pdf" (PDF).
  14. "Del E. Webb Corporation Photographs | ASU Digital Repository". repository.asu.edu. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
  15. "Del E. Webb Corporation Photographs 1941-1987 Del E. Webb Corporation Photographs". www.azarchivesonline.org. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  16. "Sun City Grand -". www.grandinfo.com. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  17. "History of Del Webb Corporation – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
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