Rolling Along with Spoke

Two Tucson locations
One welcoming community

What's next

Community updates, seasonal creativity, and shared space changes

Hello ,

A refreshed newsletter brings community updates, a Tucson history story, and seasonal ways to share your creativity. You’ll also find location-specific notes about space access and upcoming activities.

Featured Update

SAME NEWSLETTER; NEW LOOK 👀

You might notice things look a little different around here.

We moved to a new newsletter platform — and with that came an awkward reality: we couldn't bring our opt-out list with us. If you've unsubscribed from us before, we're sorry for the interruption. Please feel free to opt out again using the link below. No hard feelings.

For everyone staying: you'll notice a fresh look. Same weekly updates, same Spoke community — just a cleaner format and a layout we're actually excited about. We're also using this as a reset to get back to what made this newsletter worth opening a few years ago: more community stories, more Tucson, less blast email.

And one more thing — we looked at our subscriber count and it stopped us cold: over 1,000 of you. That's a lot of people who said yes to hearing from us, and we don't take that lightly. Thank you.

We'll make it worth your inbox.

— The Spoke Team

Not feeling it? Unsubscribe below — we'll make it easy.

Announcements

News for everyone

What is new across Spoke Coworking.

👩‍💼👨‍💼STAFFING NEWS

Haunted Tucson, Part 2 of 5: The Pioneer Hotel

When the Pioneer Hotel opened in 1929, it was Tucson's first skyscraper. Its promoters called it fireproof, and for four decades it was the place downtown for weddings, banquets, and holiday parties.

On the night of December 19, 1970, that included a Christmas party for hundreds of Hughes Aircraft employees and guests. More than 700 people were in the building. Shortly after midnight, a fire started on the fourth floor.

The hotel had no sprinklers and no fire doors on its stairwells. The open stairwells acted like chimneys, pulling smoke and flames upward through the 11 floors. Firefighters arrived to find guests at windows, and their ladders couldn't reach the highest floors. Most people made it out, but 29 did not, including longtime Tucson department store owner Harold Steinfeld and his wife, who lived on the ninth floor. It remains the deadliest fire in Arizona's history.

One detail from news coverage that night stuck with people. Even as the building burned, the electricity stayed on, and the hotel's lights and signs kept glowing.

The tragedy changed things. Tucson soon required sprinklers and smoke detectors in tall buildings, and fire codes elsewhere were reexamined too. Investigators ruled the fire arson, and a teenager was convicted, though the case drew controversy for decades. Downtown also took a long time to recover as major businesses moved out to the suburbs.

As with many places that have known great sorrow, local legend says some of the hotel's guests never quite checked out. Ghost tours in Tucson tell stories of the Pioneer's lingering history, and some people say you can still feel it when you walk past the building on Stone Avenue.

Whatever you believe, it's worth remembering the people behind the legend, and a city that learned a hard lesson and made its buildings safer for everyone.

Next Friday: a weeping woman by the riverbank.

East Tucson

News from Lounge & Suites

What is new at 6700 E Speedway Blvd.

New Event Coming to Lounge & Suites

Pumpkin Carving Contest

It’s time to get creative! We’re hosting a Pumpkin Decorating Contest at 6700 E Speedway, and we’d love for our member to join in!

Pumpkin pick-up days: Thursday, October 22 & Friday, October 23

You can pick up a pumpkin from Spoke to decorate, or bring your own pumpkin if you already have the perfect one in mind!

Once your pumpkin is decorated, please return it to the lobby by the morning of Tuesday, October 27 so we can get all of our pumpkin masterpieces on display and voting can begin.

Pumpkins will remain on display through Thursday, October 29th, and everyone is invited to vote for their favorite!

The winner will be announced on October 29th, along with a fun prize!

Whether you go spooky, silly, festive, or totally outside the box, we want to see what you come up with.

Grab a pumpkin, get creative, and help us fill the Spoke lobby with some Halloween spirit!

Central Tucson

News from Tower Suites

What is new at 5151 E Broadway, Ste 1700.

Upcoming 5151 Lounge and Cafe Closure

Hi Spoke members,
Spoke will be hosting the Girl Scouts' Over the Edge event right here at our space!

Please note: The Lounge, Café, and Lobby will be closed to members and guests on Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31, while the Girl Scouts get everything ready for the big day.

We're proud to support a program that works to make Girl Scouting accessible to every girl, including girls in foster care, those impacted by incarceration, and those experiencing poverty.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we help make this event possible. If you're around, we'd love for you to stop by and cheer on the participants as they go Over the Edge for a great cause! 💚

The Spoke Coworking Team

Pumpkin Carving Contest

It’s time to get creative! The 5151 annual Pumpkin Decorating Contest and Costume Contest are coming up, and we’d love for everyone to join in on the fun.

Pumpkin Decorating Contest
Pumpkin pick-up days: Monday, October 26 & Tuesday, October 27

Once your masterpiece is complete, please return your pumpkin to the 5151 lobby by the morning of Wednesday, October 28 so voting can begin!

All pumpkins will be on display through Friday, October 30, and tenants and visitors are invited to vote for their favorite in the “5151 Favorite” contest. Ballots and a drop box will be available in the lobby.

Winners will be announced Friday, October 30, before the costume contest, with some wonderful prizes awarded to the winners!

👻 Costume Contest
Think you have the best costume in the building? Show it off!
All members are encouraged to participate in the 5151 Friday, October 30th Costume Contest. Whether you go spooky, silly, creative, or completely over-the-top, we want to see it!

5151 October Food Truck Schedule

H V A C 💨 Repairs underway 🛠

Important Parking Notice – Saturday, October 10

A helicopter will be delivering rooftop mechanical equipment on Saturday, October 10, from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. As required by the FAA, all parking entrances and exits must be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic during the delivery.

Please note the following deadlines:
All vehicles must be removed from the entire upper parking deck by Friday, October 9 at 6:00 p.m.

If your vehicle is parked outside of the staging area during the delivery window—for example, in covered parking or along the surface driveway—you may leave it there. However, you will not be able to access your vehicle between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on Saturday.

During the helicopter delivery window:
Pedestrian traffic in the parking areas will not be permitted.

No vehicles will be allowed to enter or exit the parking areas.

The entry driveways on both Rosemont and Broadway will be barricaded and monitored.

Please let us know if you have any questions or need clarification about where your vehicle should be parked.

Member Events

Bites and Gatherings

What is coming up for Spoke members.

Big Bite

Spoke-Y Charcuterie