The Westward Ho Hotel opened in downtown Phoenix on the corner of Fillmore and Central Ave. in 1929 and quickly became the chic place to be in the 1930s, '40s and '50s. Politicians, movie stars, and mobsters checked into the plush rooms including Presidents Kennedy and Nixon and actors Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, and Myrna Loy. The Westward Ho is featured in the Alfred Hitchcock movie thriller "Psycho" and President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech on its doorstep.

The 15-story Spanish Colonial Revival building was a skyscraper of its time, towering over the other buildings in downtown Phoenix. With the exception of one building in Long Beach, Calif., the Westward Ho was originally the tallest reinforced-concrete structure west of the Mississippi. It was the first multiple-story building in Phoenix to cool its guests with refrigeration rather than evaporative cooling. It added a 268-foot tower to its roof in 1949 to accommodate KPHO-TV, Phoenix's first television station.

In 2003, the building was remodeled at a cost of over 9 million dollars to create a total of 289 apartments on completion in 2004. Westward Ho is now home to qualified low-income senior citizens and disabled adults.

Visitors of the Westward Ho are treated to special tours of the hotel by the building’s residents. Residents give guided tours in flapper and gangster costumes show off the Historic Ho’s ornate floors and ceilings; the breathtaking, top-floor views; and the lush courtyard—complete with narrative accounts of the Westward Ho’s legends and mysteries.

Tours require reservations. Visit www.westwardho-phoenix.org for more information.