In the heart of Tucson’s vibrant entertainment district, Hotel Congress stands like a well-worn leather suitcase—scuffed, storied, and full of character. Nearly every inch of the century-old hotel on Congress Street evokes a different era, from the rotary dial phones in guest rooms to the original 1930s switchboard that still greets visitors in the lobby.
Richard Oseran, a longtime criminal defense attorney who bought the hotel in 1985, calls it a “working museum.” What started as a preservation project has become one of the Southwest’s most iconic historic properties and a touchstone for Tucson’s cultural scene.
“The structure was here,” said Oseran, recalling the hotel’s condition when he first walked through its doors in the mid-1980s. “There was a console TV and five old people in front of it. They were living here.”
Oseran was drawn not just to the bones of the building, but to its deep historical roots. Built in 1919, the hotel is best known for its role in the 1934 capture of gangster John Dillinger. A fire on the third floor—now reconstructed—forced his gang into the open, leading to their arrest. Each January, Hotel Congress commemorates the event with “Dillinger Days,” a weekend of re-enactments, vintage cars, and guests dressed as mobsters and molls.
The legendary “Shootout at the OK Corral” also took place right over there by the nearby train station.
“It’s history you can touch,” Oseran said.
But history isn’t the only thing on tap at Hotel Congress. The hotel doubles as a cultural hub, hosting everything from jazz concerts to mezcal tastings. Its music venue—once the oldest alternative venue west of the Mississippi—has seen performances from legends like Bo Diddley, Wanda Jackson, and Dick Dale. In recent years, it’s also hosted more than 25 Grammy-winning artists.
On the weekend of our visit, we lucked out and saw the Old 97s deliver a fun and blistering set of smart, Americana-based rock and roll, out on the patio stage.
Tucked inside the property is the Century Room, a state-of-the-art jazz lounge that glows under the silhouette of an agave plant—an homage to the region’s mezcal heritage. “We have a jazz festival every January,” Oseran noted, “and this has become a go-to spot for musicians across the country.”
Downstairs, the Tap Room, renamed “Tiger’s Tap Room” in honor of longtime bartender Tom “Tiger” Ziegler, serves up drinks under a mural of Pete Martinez’s cowboy artwork. Ziegler, who started working at the hotel in 1959, was a fixture behind the bar until his passing in 2023.
Hotel Congress doesn’t try to be modern. Guests won’t find TVs in their rooms, but they will find old radios, iron bed frames, and original tilework.
I thought, “Okay, this could still be 1939—except for the Wi-Fi.”
Outside, the hotel’s street-level tenant, community radio station KXCI 91.3 FM, broadcasts live from a small corner studio. Oseran struck what he calls a “sweetheart deal”: for $1,500 a month, the station gets power, promotion, and a priceless street presence. “They announce every hour they’re broadcasting from the historic Hotel Congress,” he said. “It’s a win-win.”
Over the decades, Oseran has watched Tucson’s downtown evolve from near-abandonment in the late 1960s to a thriving corridor of creativity. “When I first came here, if you needed a pair of shoes or a haircut, you came downtown,” he said. “Then the malls came. Now it’s back.”
What began as an experiment in cultural preservation has become a testament to staying power.
Hotel Congress is not just a place to stay—it’s a place to feel history breathing through the floorboards.
“I know the history,” Oseran said with a smile. “This place still has some of that spirit. It’s the real deal.”
