Photos: New Star/Citizen building and downtown Tucson in 1954

The Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen entered into a groundbreaking joint operating agreement in 1940 to ensure the viability of both newspapers. They left their separate locations downtown and moved into a new building at 208 N. Stone Ave. By the early 1950s, circulation was booming as Tucson swelled and families settled down after World War II. Newsprint usage was 931 tons in 1940. In 1953, it was 4,350 tons.

The company purchased land adjacent to the building for an expansion. Tucson icon M.M. Sundt construction was hired to complete the job. The building added 50,000 square feet of additional floor space, allowing for separate newsrooms and space for advertising and business offices. The addition doubled the size of the existing building.

To keep up with demand, a new 4-story Goss Headliner printing press was installed. Printing capacity was increased from a 48-page to a 64 page-edition at the rate of more than 24,000 copies per hour. Three large windows on Miltenberg Street gave people a view into the printing operation. Miltenberg became part of Council Street in 1960. It has since disappeared due to redevelopment.

The building, though extremely solid and useful, was demolished when TNI moved again to a huge campus on a rail spur at 4850 S. Park Ave. By 2019, printing was outsourced to the Arizona Republic in Phoenix. The Park Ave. building was sold in 2020.

Sources: Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen. Photos © Arizona Daily Star