1962, a comment by Tucson’s mayor makes Speedway infamous
Before a city council meeting, Mayor Lew Davis, who had been a developer in Pittsburgh before coming to Tucson, calls East Speedway “the ugliest street in the U.S.” For the next several years, the label sticks (though sometimes elevated in the local and national media to “the ugliest street in the world.”). Later zoning and development improves matters.