During Tucson's rough-and-ready years, the downtown area flourished on the site of an old adobe fort. From 1867-1877 the city served as the capital of Arizona Territory, growing and prospering to the point where it soon opened its first university building in 1891. Pioneers seeking a place to fulfill their dreams flocked to Tucson in search of new opportunities.
In the heart of Old Pueblo they gathered along Calle de Alegria, the Street of Happiness—later know as Congress Street, for all the activity downtown. Here was the site of daytime and evening events, and the streets were thronged with pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages. Barber shops, pool halls and ice cream shops flourished alongside professional offices and entertainment venues like the Fox Theater, the Rialto, and the Tucson Opera House.
In 1897 a modern marvel rose at the southwest corner of Scott & Congress... a two story building with a cast-iron facade imported from back East. Later the building housed clothiers, grocers, a waiting room for Tucson's first bus line, the office of '70s TV character Petrocelli, and the Indian Village Trading Post.
Now the Trading Post building at 72 E. Congress is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. And, in 2006, it inspired the name for a new condominium loft residence next door... The Post.