Stretch of Oracle Road may return to Miracle Mile name
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An effort to revamp a long-neglected area on the near North Side could mean changing the name of part of Oracle Road to Miracle Mile - a name the stretch of road had until 1987.
The goal would be to recapture the glitz and glamour the area enjoyed before Interstate 10 diverted traffic and started the decline of Miracle Mile, where Hollywood stars vacationed in the pre-interstate days.
A sign code aimed at preserving historic signs such as the ones for hotels on Drachman Street, Miracle Mile and Oracle Road is also under consideration. That change could also apply to other parts of town where historic signs exist, said Ward VI City Councilwoman Nina Trasoff.
"We don't want to become the sort of modern homogeneous community where everything looks the same," Trasoff said.
Both changes are in early stages of discussion and no timeline has been set.
What's in a name?
With prostitution and other crime plaguing Miracle Mile in 1986, the now-defunct Gateway Merchants Association asked the city to change the name of the 1.5 mile stretch north of Drachman Street to Oracle Road.
The switch was lauded by business owners who hoped to escape the ill repute of Miracle Mile addresses.
The road was renamed in February 1987, although a stretch of east-west roadway north of Grant Road between Oracle Road and Interstate 10 retained the Miracle Mile name.
Now, a steering committee for the city's Oracle Area Revitalization Plan is discussing changing the stretch of Oracle running north-south from Drachman back to Miracle Mile.
Richard Edmond, owner of the Checkerboard Cafe, 2281 N. Oracle Road, isn't sure if he would sign a required property owners' petition to make the switch.
"Did they accomplish what they intended to by changing it to Oracle Road would be one of my first questions," Edmond said. "I don't think the name change has impacted what happens on this street one bit."
That might be a reason to switch back to Miracle Mile, said Steve Rendon, owner of La Siesta Motel, 1601 N. Oracle Road.
"I think now Oracle Road has a bad reputation," Rendon said.
Former Tucson Mayor Thomas Volgy was on the City Council in 1987. He voted against the change to Oracle because he never thought it would change the reputation, he said.
Volgy is leery of changing street names too often, but he might support the switch if it were an attempt to reclaim the pre-interstate image, he said.
"That, to me, makes an enormous amount of sense," he said.
Volgy said the 1987 change took away a small piece of Tucson's history.
A street name change could be costly for business owners who have multiple licenses and permits or who use a lot of forms.
Edmond called the potential cost "negligible" for him because his diner has little paperwork.
"I guess I would have to get with some of my fellow business owners and see what they would want to do," he said. "I wouldn't want to impact my neighbors negatively."
At least one of them is against it, though he is glad the city is trying to improve his area.
Carlos Portillo, owner of La Fuente restaurant, 1749 N. Oracle Road, thought it was a good idea to change the name to Oracle Road in 1987. He does not want a Miracle Mile address, he said.
"It got famous because of prostitution, and I don't think it would help us," he said.
Portillo also thinks the road, which changes from Oracle Road to Main Avenue to Granada Avenue as you head south, has enough names already. Returning to a fourth name would confuse drivers, he said.
Sign code
A historic sign code could also help the revitalization plan area, which is dotted with large hotel signs from the 1940s and 1950s, Councilwoman Karin Uhlich said. Rendon said he would love the sign code. The current law prevents him from removing his 1940s era neon sign for a full renovation.
"Right now the city ordinance doesn't allow us to put them back up," he said.
The new ordinance could allow that and could also allow re-creations of historic signs that are already gone, Trasoff said.
The law would not apply to the entire city. It would likely be focused on certain areas, such as South Sixth Avenue, downtown and the Oracle, Miracle Mile and Drachman area, she said.
- Read All Comments » 7 TOTAL COMMENTS
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Zor
Dec 13, 2008 @ 11:05amThe idea is just plain stupid! Who cares if it even has a name, nothing will change the culture. -
1368
Dec 8, 2008 @ 5:56pmI remember the days when the restaurants along the Miracle Mile, south of Grant Road, (the Saddle and Sirloin, the Pago Pago, Gus & Andy's and the Ye Olde Lantern) would have people standing in line to get in. They provided great service and great food. The Saddle and Sirloin would fill with people watching Las Vegas lounge acts. Tito Guizar and (I think her name was) Charro filled the Saddle and Sirloin whenever they could be booked. In the late 50s and early 60s there was a real "magic" or "miracle" about the area.
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12009
Dec 8, 2008 @ 4:39pmbtw, Miracle Mile is a rough place to be, day or night! STAY AWAY from ALL business's on MM and force the city to clean up the rat hole of hookers/dopers,etc! - Post a Comment »