The History of JTH Tucson: Before & After

Serendipitous Beginnings

After leaving our full time jobs to pursue freelance work in 2013, we set off on a roadtrip from San Francisco to New York that changed our lives. One of our first stops on that trip was Joshua Tree, CA—a place that stuck with us as we continued to travel, and ultimately became a place we call home. One of the next stops on that same road trip was Tucson, AZ to visit Saguaro National Park. With a similar energy to JT, and what feels like a cactus jungle of wise Saguaros and Prickly Pears, we fell in love.

Fast forward to 2018… This is the year that we found and fell in love with an abandoned inn (now JTH Tucson). Serendipitously, pulling down the dirt road to our new (old) inn, we realized we had been to that exact corner of the road before… pulled over and lost, looking for directions to a trail in Saguaro National Park on that 2014 road trip. Little did we know at the time that our future inn was waiting just a little further down the road, and that even in that moment it sat abandoned. Like a magnet, we kept getting drawn back to this place.

History of the Property

JTH Tucson was originally built in 1979-80 by Merv Larson, a previous director of the Arizona – Sonora Desert Museum (which is located right nearby). The structure was originally a mind blowing passion project by Merv before it became a bed & breakfast called Rancho Quieto in 1991. Rancho Quieto closed its doors in 2005, and the inn was sold. Just before the recession in 2008 began, the inn was undergoing renovation. Due to the financial crisis however, renovations halted and the property sat abandoned for the next decade. It feels as though this inn waited those long ten years for us to find it—we’re grateful it did.

Here are some of the spaces shown pre-renovation, to what they look like now (first up, the communal areas that all of our guests enjoy access to):

 

Front Garden

These gardens by the front entrance of the grounds had beautiful mature plants, but many were overgrown or dead and had to be removed. There’s a lot of care and love that goes into our gardens (with the help of our landscapers) and we are so proud of how lush they are now.

Canyon Swimming Pool

Perhaps every guest’s favorite spot, our Canyon Pool. This pool was made of concrete molded from natural rock in Tucson at Ventana Canyon!

Hot Springs Hot Tub

This hot springs style hot tub is tucked away in our front garden. It had been buried but the previous caretaker of the inn told us about its history, so we knew we’d be digging it out and bringing it back to life.

Sunken Living Room

This grand living room greets guests as they enter the main building, and there’s a hidden secret here—a projector screen can be unfurled over the mantle to enjoy a movie night!

Kitchen, Dining Room & Pantry

This space, now our chef’s style kitchen with custom cabinetry, went from being a blank slate (with great bones- those reclaimed power pole & saguaro rib ceilings! that light!) to becoming the perfect spot to enjoy a meal with friends.

Now onto our private rooms. We wanted each room to have its own unique personality. Each one is so special, it’s impossible to choose a favorite!

 

Cholla Room

Cholla is a ground level room with one king bed, and its own private patio with views of our natural cholla cactus garden.

Book Cholla

Yucca Room

Yucca is a ground level room with a king bed and its own private patio overlooking a wash—a great place to spot wildlife.

Book Yucca

Agave Suite

Agave is an upstairs suite with a full kitchen, queen sized bedroom, and private balcony with sunset views.

Book Agave

Ocotillo Suite

Ocotillo is our family suite. It’s a two-story suite with a queen sized bed downstairs, and a king sized bed upstairs. Pictured below is the space that became the Ocotillo kitchenette!

Book Ocotillo

Saguaro Suite

Saguaro is our most romantic suite! It’s a two-story suite with a king sized bed and jungle bathroom downstairs, and a kitchenette and living space upstairs.

Book Saguaro

Restoration Efforts

While the building had incredible bones, it was in desperate need of some love. Every inch of the inn was repainted, the roof was repaired, and we upgraded the heat and a/c. Some rooms lacked flooring or were missing sheetrock, so we worked to restore them to how we imagined they may have been. For nearly a year we worked with local contractors to renovate the space.

There were many long days and sleepless nights due to the sheer size of the project and financial risk involved. As we worked, we dreamt of the day we could host our guests here which at times was the only thing that kept us going. We designed the space to feel like a shared dream home, both a cozy and inspirational space to escape to. It was important to us to retain some of the building’s original charm so we kept remaining elements (like tiles and light fixtures) where we could, and carefully blended the old with the new.

Restoring JTH Tucson was a once in a lifetime passion project for us, and all those long days and sleepless nights were so worth it!

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Interested in interior design, renovation, and before and after photos? Check out our Joshua Tree Hacienda Living Room renovation here, and our design of the Assembly in San Fransisco here!

 

(Room after photos by Margaret Austin Photography)