Michael Keith
Downtown developer Michael Keith will receive the Mayor's "Heart of Downtown" Award on Thursday, January 18 at 10:00 a.m. The ceremony will be held at Franklin Court, a 7-home residential community Keith built on the northeast corner of Franklin Street and Court Avenue near El Charro Café.

The Mayor's "Heart of Downtown" Award was established to honor an individual, group, organization or business that provides exceptional contributions to the improvement of Downtown Tucson. The award is given quarterly and is an element of the Río Nuevo project that is revitalizing our Downtown - the "Heart of the City."

Keith is a Downtown resident and developer/builder who specializes in historic restoration and sustainable architecture. He has worked collaboratively with the City of Tucson and private owners on a number of renovation projects, including the historic Cheyney House near the Tucson Museum of Art. Since the mid-1980s Keith has worked with the City of Tucson's Rental Rehab Program to restore deteriorating adobes and turn them into affordable rental units. Keith has also served on dozens of boards and commissions dedicated to historic renovation/restoration and affordable housing.

"Michael Keith has demonstrated tenacity, passion and the highest design principles and standards in his work Downtown. The homes he builds are always in character with the historic neighborhoods," said Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup. "Michael is also a tremendous asset for Downtown redevelopment because of the personal commitment he has made to make this area what it should be: a showcase for the best of Tucson's past, present and future. I am both proud and pleased to present the 'Heart of Downtown' Award to Michael Keith."

One of Keith's most notable projects is Franklin Court, a Downtown residential development completed in 2005 that emphasizes 'green' building materials and energy efficient design. The homes were built in three different local architectural styles: 1880s Territorial, 1860s Sonoran adobe row house, and 1920 modified craftsman. Each of the homes is built around its own private courtyard and features fir flooring salvaged from old wine barrels, ceiling insulation made from recycled blue jeans, and ground-up newspaper for insulation in the vertical walls. A locally produced foam block building material gives the homes some of the lowest numbers ever recorded by Tucson Electric Power's TEP Guarantee Program.

Previous winners of the Mayor's "Heart of Downtown" Award include neighborhood activist Lillian Lopez-Grant; Suzana Dávila, chef and owner of Café Poca Cosa; the Rollings Family, which has restored several historic buildings in Barrio Viejo; Mary Lou Focht, co-owner of Old Town Artisans; Albert Elias, owner of Old Pueblo Printers; ceramic artist David Aguirre; UA English professor and Downtown resident Chris Carroll; Johnny Gibson, Downtown business entrepreneur; Carlotta Flores, Chief Operating Officer of El Charro Café; Herb Stratford, Executive Director of the Fox Tucson Theatre Foundation; and Richard Oseran, owner of Hotel Congress.

Río Nuevo is the comprehensive Downtown revitalization project funded by the State of Arizona, the City of Tucson, and private enterprise. Its goals are to create a vibrant experience in Downtown Tucson for citizens and visitors through the development of new attractions, shops, restaurants, office space and housing and to ultimately make Downtown Tucson into the "Heart of the City."

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