A grand opening for The Stewart -- a 19-story, 312-unit luxury apartment and mixed-use building in downtown Phoenix -- was held on May 22.

Scottsdale-based Aspirant Development representatives, a host of local dignitaries, including Phoenix Director of Community and Economic Development Christine Mackay, the family of the building namesake, the Stewarts, new residents, community members and project executives attended, according to a press release.

“I am humbled by the fact that you’ve decided to make The Stewart your home,” said partner of Aspirant development Geoffrey Jacobs, in a prepared statement.

He addressed two dozen new residents who moved in to The Stewart prior to the grand opening.

“Delivering a project like this to downtown Phoenix is something I’ve been working on for over four years. I appreciate my partners’ belief and support in the idea and vision for The Stewart. This type of project, which was unprecedented when we broke ground, is not easy to build, but it came together and worked out better than I envisioned. I couldn’t be prouder of what this team has accomplished,” he said.

The Stewart is the first high-rise apartment building constructed in the city of Phoenix, according to the release. Built on a site that formerly housed the Circles Records & Tapes building, it was originally occupied by The Stewart Motor Company, a Studebaker dealership, in 1947.

Described as a blend of historic and modern touches, and claim to fame as the tallest residential building on Roosevelt Row, the building incorporates many architectural details from its former purposes such as the showroom turntable, where Studebaker cars were displayed and rotated in the semi-circular window.

The Stewart’s general contractor is UEB Builders and it was designed by CCBG Architects. Samantha Spidell of Avenue5 Residential, a Seattle-based multifamily property management firm with a local operations office in Phoenix, is leading the management team at The Stewart.

“Our residents love the unique urban high-rise lifestyle they can get at The Stewart,” Ms. Spidell said in a prepared statement.

“They have an exciting opportunity to play a role in the evolving identity of the growing, vibrant downtown Phoenix they now call home.”