Luhrs, George H. N. (George Henry Nicholas), 1847?-1929

George H. N. Luhrs, Phoenix businessman and real estate developer, was born at Neuhaus, Germany on March 31, 1847. He arrived in the Arizona Territory in 1869 and established a wagon making business at Wickenburg. He became a permanent Phoenix resident in 1878 and married Catharina Margarita Gretchen Dodenhof (1862-1942) on February 10, 1884.

In 1881 Luhrs established a partnership with Newell Herrick known as Luhrs and Herrick that financed the purchase of prime real estate parcels that would become the center of downtown Phoenix. This land is the site of a number of buildings that became landmarks in downtown Phoenix, including the Luhrs Hotel, the Luhrs Tower, and the Luhrs Building. The Luhrs Hotel was built in 1887 and was originally known as the Commercial Hotel.

The hotel operation was originally managed by George and Catharina Luhrs, who moved into the hotel after the dissolution of Herrick and Luhrs in 1890. Later the hotel was managed by their son Arthur. A significant portion of the hotel burned in a fire in June of 1916. George H. N. Luhrs continued to invest in real estate in downtown Phoenix, sometimes borrowing capital at high interest rates to effect timely and advantageous purchases.

George H. N. Luhrs was very active in fraternal organizations in the Phoenix area. He was Noble Grand of the Phoenix Lodge of Odd Fellows and became Grand High Priest of the Arizona Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. Luhrs was a charter member of the Phoenix Commandery, Knights Templar, Patron of Phoenix Chapter no. 5, Order of the Eastern Star, and was also a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason. He served as Treasurer for all Masonic organizations in Phoenix (other than the Eastern Star) from 1896 to 1924.

Luhrs also devoted considerable effort to civic affairs in Phoenix. He served on the Phoenix City Council from 1883-1884 and served as a member of the Board of Education for the Phoenix Union High School from 1899-1900. He was appointed to the citizens' committee assigned to draft the new Phoenix city charter in 1900.

George H. N. Luhrs and his wife Catharina had four children: Arthur Cleveland Luhrs (1884-1975), Ella Louise Henriette (Luhrs) Taylor (1886-1974), Emma Sophia Johanna (Luhrs) Stroud (1888-1968), and George Henry Nicholas Luhrs, Jr. (1895-1984). George H. N. Luhrs passed away in his suite at the Luhrs Hotel on May 3, 1929.

George H. N. Luhrs, Jr. was born on June 28, 1895 at the Luhrs Hotel. He attended Phoenix Union High School, graduating in 1914. He graduated from Stanford University with his Bachelor's degree in 1918 and immediately enlisted in the Army. World War I ended before he finished basic training and so Luhrs returned to Stanford and received his J.D. degree from the Law School in 1920. He was admitted to the Arizona Bar in 1921.

Luhrs practiced law in Phoenix for just over a year and then resigned to assist his father in fulfilling a lifetime dream, the construction of the Luhrs Building. It was completed in 1924 and was fully occupied upon completion through the promotional efforts of George Luhrs Jr.

Luhrs' efforts also resulted in the construction of the Luhrs Tower, the Luhrs Arcade, and the Luhrs Parking Center on real estate that had originally been purchased by his father. All of these buildings were remodeled regularly in keeping with a Luhrs family tradition.

Luhrs has been a director of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce and a member of the executive board of the Phoenix Downtown Association. He was a charter member of the Phoenix Lions Club, a life member of the Arizona Club, and a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Scottish Rite, and the Shrine.

George H. N. Luhrs Jr. never married. He died in Phoenix in 1984.

Sources regarding George H. N. Luhrs:

Luhrs, George H. N., Jr., The George H. N. Luhrs Family in Phoenix and Arizona, privately printed, undated.

Sources regarding George H. N. Luhrs Jr.

Pollock, Paul W., American Biographical Encyclopedia, Arizona Edition, Vol. IV, Phoenix, Arizona, Paul W. Pollock Publishers, 1977, p. 88.

From the guide to the Preliminary Inventory of the George H. N. Luhrs Papers, 1847-1997, (Arizona State University Libraries Arizona Collection)