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Del E. Webb Construction Company

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The Del E. Webb Construction Company was a construction company that was founded in 1928 and developed by Del Webb. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, it became the Del E. Webb Corporation a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 1960. The same year, the corporation unveiled Sun City, outside Phoenix, as the first community designed for senior citizens. Many more Sun Cities were built by the corporation in the following decades. Along with construction, the corporation was also involved in real estate and owned several hotels and casinos which were built and/or expanded by the company. The company was purchased in 2001 by Pulte Homes.[1] Pulte Homes since merged with Centex Corp. and became PulteGroup.[2] Del Webb continues as a brand of PulteGroup.[3][4]

Del E. Webb Construction Company
Company type
  • Private company (1928-1960)
  • Public company (1960-2001)
NYSE: WBB
Founded1928
FounderDel Webb
Defunct2001
FateAcquired by Pulte Homes
SuccessorDel Webb, a brand of Pulte Group
HeadquartersPhoenix, Arizona, United States
Area served
  • United States
  • Honduras
  • El Salvador
  • East Asia
Key people
  • Del Webb
  • L. C. Jacobson
  • R. H. Johnson
Services
  • Construction
  • Development
  • Property Management
Number of employees
1,800
DivisionsDel Webb Hotels
Subsidiaries
  • Del E. Webb Development Co. (formed 1952)
  • Del E. Webb Realty & Management Co. (formed 1970)
  • Sahara-Nevada Corporation (acquired 1961)

History

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Founding

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After moving from Fresno to Phoenix in 1928, Del Webb began working for a small contractor who was building a grocery store. The contractor eventually left town without paying Webb or completing the grocery store, so Webb took over the business to complete the job. This became the foundation of his namesake construction company.[5] Among his earliest commissions were grocery store buildings for the Basha family.[6] Webb soon became known as a grocery store builder. However, Webb sought to expand his firm and eagerly sought out public sector jobs during the Great Depression of the 1930s. In 1937 the firm opened a small branch office in Los Angeles to oversee construction of a high school there. With the onset of World War II the firm constructed several airfields throughout Arizona, as well as an internment camp for Americans with Japanese lineage at Poston (Poston War Relocation Center).[7][8][9] In 1943, Webb made trusted employee L. C. Jacobson a 25 percent partner. Jacobson eventually became vice president. In 1946 Webb was contracted by mobster Bugsy Siegel to build the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas.[10] From 1947 to 1948 Webb built distribution centers and warehouses throughout the United States for the Kraft Foods Company. In the early 1950s Webb would be contracted to build facilities for Howard Hughes. The Webb firm would go on to build several plants for Hughes.

In 1952 the company founded its first subsidiary, the Del E. Webb Development Company, responsible for the design and construction of housing tracts and shopping centers. In 1953 the development company would begin construction on San Manuel, Arizona a mining town built out of nothing. In 1955 the Webb corporation began constructing hotels for the Flamingo Corporation, which Webb was part owner. The following year Webb constructed the first Hiway House Hotel, which was a company owned jointly by Webb and Flamingo. On March 1, 1958, Webb sold his share of the Flamingo hotels and Flamingo sold its share of Hiway House. Thus Webb became full owner of Hiway House, the hotel chain would be sold off in the early 1960s. As well as housing, during the 1950s, the construction company would build hospitals, hotels, and other large and small scale projects.[3][4]

Sun City

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Inspired by the construction of Youngtown, Arizona, Del E. Webb began planning the construction of a retirement community for senior citizens in 1959. The development was planned as an age-restricted community of modern ranch-style houses, with facilities such as a shopping center, golf course, motel, and swimming pool.[11] On January 1, 1960, the development company unveiled Sun City, Arizona as the first community designed for senior citizens. More than 100,000 senior citizens were present at the community's unveiling, which marked the first planned retirement community in the United States. Sun City was a success, with the company selling 237 homes within its first three days of opening.[12] It was followed by Sun City, California, the Kern City, Sun City Center, Florida, and similar developments in Nevada, Illinois, and Massachusetts.[13]

Public incorporation

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In December 1960, the Del E. Webb Construction Company went public on the New York Stock Exchange trading as WBB. The company also became known as the Del E. Webb Corporation at this time. In 1961, the Webb Corporation acquired the Sahara Nevada Corporation and its holdings of the Sahara and Mint hotels in Las Vegas. This made Webb the first publicly held corporation to be involved in Las Vegas gaming.[5] Webb would go on to purchase, build, and expand several properties throughout Nevada. In the 1960s Webb would develop a chain of high-end, multi-story hotels called Towne House. During this time, the corporation was also deeply involved in the development of Oak Brook, Illinois, Clear Lake City, Texas and Alamaden, California. In the late 1960s, the corporation entered a joint venture building infrastructure for several South American countries, which was the firm's first engagement outside the United States. Also at this time, the corporation formed an additional subsidiary, the Del E. Webb Building Management Company, which was responsible for building management and would eventually become the Del E. Webb Realty and Management Company when the subsidiary expanded to include holding leases on public buildings. In 1971, the corporation acquired Merlin Hotels, which had many properties throughout East Asia. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, the corporation continued to construct many large and small scale projects including housing, schools, hospitals, hotels, high rises, convention centers, athletic venues, and airports. The company would also continue to keep close ties to Las Vegas and its gaming industry, working on a major expansion of Caesars Palace in the mid-1970s.[5][3][4][14]

The company was involved in a number of construction projects commissioned by the United States government, including the construction of a rocket engine test stand at Edwards Air Force Base. The company also built military housing on Offutt Air Force Base, Whiteman Air Force Base and Vandenberg Air Force Base. The company's founder, Webb was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for Patriotic Civilian Service by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson as recognition for these projects.[5]

Reorganization and sale to Pulte Homes

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In 1987, the decision was made to divest the gaming, hotel, and realty management sections of the corporation, all of the Webb-owned properties were sold off, and the corporation was reorganized to focus solely on the concept of master-planned communities for senior citizens. New communities opened in Arizona, Nevada, California, and Texas. During the 1990s, Marco Rubio began holding speaking engagements at these retirement communities, for which the company tried to reward him by nicknaming a star after him in 1993.[15] In 2001 the corporation was purchased by Pulte Homes. The Del Webb name is used by Pulte as a brand name for its age-restricted communities.[14]

Works

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Works built by the Del E. Webb Construction Company, (1928-1960) later the Del E. Webb Corporation (1960-2001) are listed in the table.[4][16] Several works by the firm are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).[17]

Properties

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Properties owned, managed and/or operated by Del E. Webb Corporation.[4]

In the 1950s Webb began building shopping centers which were also owned or jointly owned by Webb through several wholly owned subsidiaries. The Del E. Webb Building Management Co. was created in 1968 as a subsidiary. It then became the Del E. Webb Realty & Management Co. in 1970.[18][4] Major properties that fall under this umbrella Include Uptown Plaza Shopping Center, Camelback Village Square, Christown Mall and the Rosenzweig Center all in Phoenix, Campbell Plaza and Wilmont Medical Center in Tucson, Executive and Commerce Plazas in Oak Brook and the Stardust Country Club (renamed Sahara-Nevada Country Club) in Las Vegas. The Webb Corp. also served as leasing agent to many large companies including Prudential Insurance, Travelers Insurance, Arizona-Colorado Land & Cattle Company, Valley National Bank, Feau Realty & Development and Hartford Insurance Company. The company's interest in commercial properties continued until 1987 at which time these properties were sold.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hoover's Handbook of American Business. Vol. 1–2. United States: Reference Press, Incorporated. 1998. p. 1178.
  2. ^ Paeprer, Stephanie (May 1, 2011). "Del E. Webb: A Pioneer In Arizona's Construction Industry". Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "History of Del Webb Corporation – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2018-05-22.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "NEWSLETTERS – "Webb Spinner" – Del Webb Sun Cities Museum". delwebbsuncitiesmuseum.org. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
  5. ^ a b c d Hyman, Harold (1974-07-05). "Builder Del E. Webb Dies - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  6. ^ "Pike Prepares Plans for Store in Coldwater". Newspapers.com. November 24, 1929. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  7. ^ Naylor, Roger. "Arizona's Japanese-American internment camp: Thousands of U.S. citizens were imprisoned at Poston Relocation Center". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  8. ^ Hiland, Andrea. "Thunderbird campus once training airfield for pilots". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  9. ^ "Luke Air Force Base - History". 944th Fighter Wing. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  10. ^ Hyman, Harold (1974-07-05). "Builder Del E. Webb Dies". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  11. ^ Williamson, June; Dunham-Jones, Ellen (2021-01-15). Case Studies in Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Strategies for Urgent Challenges. John Wiley & Sons. p. 32. ISBN 978-1-119-14918-7.
  12. ^ McKeand, Bret (2011). Sun City. Arcadia Publishing. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-7385-7951-1.
  13. ^ Goldfield, David (2007). Encyclopedia of American Urban History. SAGE. p. 682. ISBN 978-0-7619-2884-3.
  14. ^ a b c "Del Webb History" (PDF). Pulte.com. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
  15. ^ "The Rising Stars of Politics". The New Yorker. 2016-01-11. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
  16. ^ "Del E. Webb Corporation Photographs 1941-1987 Del E. Webb Corporation Photographs". www.azarchivesonline.org. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  17. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  18. ^ "History of Del Webb Corporation – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
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