Webb, Del E.

Del E. Webb (1899–1974) was an Arizona contractor who gained national recognition for building government projects, large residential developments, and several Las Vegas casinos. He is best known for developing what is considered the classic model for retirement communities: Sun City. His name became a valuable brand for master-planned communities after his death in 1974, and his company continued to build large residential developments. Pulte Homes purchased his company and made it a division in 2001.

Born in Fresno, California in 1899, Webb developed carpentry skills and a love of baseball. He played semi-professional baseball for a time until typhoid fever ended his sports career. Webb moved to the dry desert of Phoenix in 1928 and turned his carpentry skills into the Del E. Webb Construction Company. A bit of luck made him the contractor for a large Phoenix grocery firm.

He expanded his company in the 1930s by taking advantage of federal spending on the construction of schools, hospitals, and homes. Webb developed political connections in the Democratic Party and continued to benefit from government spending in World [Page 871]War II. He worked on increasingly larger projects, such as the Luke Field (now an Air Force base) near Phoenix and the Poston Japanese Relocation Center on Arizona's border with California.

Following the war, Webb turned to the private sector, building everything from homes to factories. His previous experience guided Webb toward developing master-planned communities. His first large housing project was the 600-home Pueblo Gardens in Tucson in 1948. He built residential developments throughout the West. Webb also developed a friendship with Howard Hughes and built manufacturing plants for Hughes Aircraft.

Webb became a major player in the development of Las Vegas. Organized-crime figure Bugsy Siegel hired Webb to build the Flamingo Hotel in 1946. Webb's publicly traded company continued to build and eventually own other casinos, including the Sahara and the Mint.

Webb never lost his love of baseball. With a partner, he purchased the New York Yankees in 1945. After 10 world championships, they sold the team in 1964.

Webb is best known for his Sun City developments, which enticed seniors to move from all over to live an “active retirement” with others their age. Ignoring experts who dismissed the concept, Webb's company conducted its own research. Built in the desert northwest of Phoenix in 1960, the project attracted more than 100,000 visitors its first weekend. Sun City's success hurled Webb to national fame and the cover of Time magazine in 1962. Webb's company expanded this Sun City and built several more nationally.