A nearly $24-million historic preservation and renovation has transformed the 11-story Luhrs building into a fully operational hotel, featuring 164 guest rooms and a suite of amenities.

Built in the 1920s, the Luhrs building was the city’s first 10-story high-rise.

The team had to transform 82,000 sq ft of interiors while preserving the neoclassical facade, antique mail chute, existing elevator lobbies, artwork, windows and elevator cabs.

While renovations are naturally challenging, the Luhrs Moxy Hotel had the added factors of being a historical building, housing existing tenants and being located on an overall tight site that didn’t allow for additional spacing without impacting surrounding neighbors.

Photo by Michael Duerinckx

Crews also maintained the existing central plant—which services the entire block and is housed inside the Luhrs building—while adding new chillers, boilers, water heaters and other equipment.

With extensive vehicle and foot traffic around the project, barriers were installed to protect two existing tenants as well as the general public. To ensure the building services were uninterrupted, the team provided temporary power panels, rerouted domestic water services and reconfigured waste risers throughout construction.

Due to the historical nature and location of the building, the hotel is the first Qualified Opportunity Zone project that has taken place in Phoenix.

Photo by Michael Duerinckx

The project team used various tactics to preserve interior and exterior historical elements while also providing an upscale experience that is both eccentric and different.

The ultimate goal was to provide PEG Development with a fully operational hotel that could bring in revenue and fulfill the public’s expectations in terms of a unique experience while visiting downtown Phoenix.

The success of the project required that the construction team become fully immersed in the historical building’s overall design of the renovation in order to assist the design team with challenging elements such as the mechanical shafts, linen chute, life safety systems and the rerouting of utilities.

Photo by Michael Duerinckx

Additionally, the Okland Construction-led project team worked closely with FFKR Architects to fulfill the owner’s requests related to interior design details, last-minute changes to guest rooms and delegating the delivery and installation of all furniture, fixtures and equipment.

The extensive planning, coordination and communication between the contractor and design firm enabled the project’s on-time completion in December 2023.