Hotel Congress at 107: How a 1919 Railroad-Travelers Hotel, a 1934 Fire That Outed the Dillinger Gang, and a $1 Billion Streetcar-Era Renaissance Made One Address the Anchor of Downtown Tucson

On a typical weekday at lunchtime, the Cup Cafe patio along East Congress Street fills up; a Sun Link streetcar curves quietly past on the rails out front; and a tour group pauses on the sidewalk to read the plaque about the January 1934 fire that, three days later, put John Dillinger's entire gang in federal custody. Per Hotel Congress's own published history, the National Register of Historic Places nomination, the Tucson Fire Foundation's account of the 1934 fire, the Downtown Tucson Partnership, the City of Tucson's Sun Link program records, and the federal Sun Link/Rio Nuevo investment summaries, the building at 311 East Congress Street was designed by the Los Angeles firm William and Alexander Curlett, opened in 1919 as a hotel for arriving rail passengers, was added to the National Register in 2003, and has been continuously owned by Richard and Shana Oseran since 1985. The hotel's 39 second-floor guest rooms, the 1990-founded Cup Cafe, the 1919 Tap Room — described by ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons as his favorite bar — and the Club Congress live-music venue all still operate inside the same structure. Here is a fully sourced May 17, 2026 Local Business Spotlight for Tucson residents, downtown buyers and sellers, and relocation and second-home shoppers comparing Tucson against other Sun Belt downtowns.