The Rollings Family
The Rollings family received the “Heart of Downtown Award” from Mayor Bob Walkup on Thursday, August 4. The ceremony was held at Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant, located at 198 West Cushing Street in Downtown’s historic Barrio Viejo. The business is housed in an historic 1860s adobe building that the family purchased and restored, along with several other nearby adobe structures.

“The Rollings family has played a major role in preserving what’s unique about our Downtown,” said Mayor Walkup. “Thanks to their passion for historic architecture, many irreplaceable structures in Barrio Viejo have been beautifully restored and preserved for future generations to learn from and enjoy. I’m honored to present them with the Mayor’s ‘Heart of Downtown Award.’”

The Rollings family has been purchasing and restoring adobe buildings in Downtown’s Barrio Viejo, located within the
national historic district Barrio Libre, for more than 30 years. Kelley Rollings was born in Downtown Tucson in 1927 in
a building located just six blocks north of his current office on Meyer Avenue. In 1949 he returned to Tucson after
earning a degree in history at Princeton University. He spent the next 30 years working in his family’s car dealership
before embarking on a new endeavor that combined his formal training in history with his passion for Tucson’s historic architecture.

In 1971, Kelley and his wife, Sally, began buying adobe buildings - most dating from the 1860s – that were threatened by development or neglect. Today, Rollings Corporation and Bacon Industries, Inc., own more than 30 buildings in Downtown’s Barrio Viejo neighborhood. Each was purchased and restored to its original appearance, in many cases using salvaged materials, to achieve the highest degree of authenticity. The properties are leased to commercial and residential tenants.

“The area south of the Convention Center was considered a very out-of-the-way part of Downtown at the time that we began buying properties,” Kelley said. “I found it interesting because it’s where most of the oldest adobe buildings
were located. In fact, Tucson has more remaining 19th century adobes than any other city in the United States. To
me, that’s as much of an attraction as our golf courses and other tourist spots.”

Today, Kelley runs his restoration businesses with the help of his four children, Donald, Brad, Betsy and Anne. While
Kelley oversees architectural designs and restoration planning, Donald manages the day-to-day operations of the
business, including leasing and maintenance. Betsy owns and manages Cushing Street Bar & Restaurant, one of the
family’s restored properties. Brad is involved with accounting and financial planning, and Anne handles marketing and public relations.

Donald Rollings said receiving the Heart of Downtown award is a proud achievement for his family. “The Rollings
family is honored to be recognized by the greater downtown community for its 30-plus years spent restoring historic
structures in this unique Downtown neighborhood,” Donald said. “It is encouraging to know that the Downtown
community values the preservation of the city's historical architecture and rich cultural heritage. The outcome of
present-day efforts to mix preservation and revitalization projects downtown will impact the quality of life in our larger community.”