[Source: Thelma Grimes, San Pedro Valley News-Sun] -- With permission from the State Historic Preservation Organization (SHPO), the new owner of Benson's historic Hotel Arnold on 3rd Street will proceed with remodeling plans. Dr. William Deutsch of Tucson, said he is always in the market for property, and was just visiting Benson with a friend several months ago when he found the vacated land known as the Hotel Arnold, which takes up an entire block along 3rd Street right behind the Benson Visitor's Center/Train Depot.
The Hotel Arnold property contains five small houses, a large house, and the hotel. According to Liz Brenner of the Benson Historic Preservation Commission, the old-time hotel has been on the state's historic register for a long time. The hotel was originally built in Benson in 1906 after the railroad came to town. The hotel primarily housed railroad workers, traveling cowboys and tourists, Brenner said. "Each room had beautiful old furniture, beautiful gas lights and the drawers were always completely full of fresh linens," she said. The original owner was Mrs. Lee, Brenner said not recalling her first name. However, after her death, her son Matt Lee closed the building and since the 1930s it has been used as a storage facility.
Deutsch said when he saw the property he thought the main house was beautiful and was even more intrigued when he found the property was on the historic register. "I fixed up some historic land in St. Louis and I can't even begin to tell you how rewarding a project like this is once it's complete," he said. [Note: To read the full article, click here. To read a follow-up letter to the editor concerning certain facts about the building, click here.]
