A restored landmark in Show Low is now serving a new public purpose after a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 3, 2025, at Northland Pioneer College’s Show Low Campus. The Goldwater Student Services Center, located at 1001 W. Deuce of Clubs adjacent to Show Low City Park, replaces scattered administrative services with an accessible, centralized hub intended to help first-generation students, working families and rural residents navigate college entry and retention.

The renovation completed a major addition to a 1961 building originally opened as the Josephine Goldwater Hospital. The hospital, funded in the 1940s by a $25,000 donation from Josephine Williams Goldwater and opened as a 12-bed facility in 1961, provided births, medical care and end-of-life services for early homesteaders before closing in 1970. Northland Pioneer College acquired the building in the 1970s and used it for campus administration; the latest $2.5 million renovation restores historical elements while adapting interior space for modern student needs.

Campus planners say the new center consolidates student advising, enrollment services, financial aid counseling and career planning under one roof. Features highlighted in the renovation include an accessible welcome area, private counseling rooms and ADA-compliant updates intended to remove physical and procedural barriers to service. The project involved local design and construction partners, including architect Mark Davenport and construction lead Wayne Hatch, and was attended at the opening by more than 15 local leaders and representatives from the City of Show Low and Navajo County.

Community leaders who participated in the ceremony included NPC President Von Lawson, Show Low Mayor John Leech Jr., Navajo County Supervisor Daryl Seymore and representatives for U.S. Senator Mark Kelly and Governor Katie Hobbs. Organizers framed the project as a collaborative investment by NPC, the City of Show Low, Navajo County and the Show Low Chamber of Commerce that also highlights indigenous- and veteran-focused programming on campus.

Public health and workforce considerations are woven into the redevelopment. The building’s history as a community hospital resonates with residents of the White Mountains and underscores the intersection of healthcare, education and economic opportunity in a rural region facing shortages in healthcare and skilled trades. NPC trend data cited by the college suggest that streamlined services can reduce dropout rates and potentially raise local enrollment by an estimated 10–15 percent in the year following the center’s opening, an outcome that would support local workforce pipelines.

The renovation also carries symbolic weight: repurposing a site of historic caregiving into a launchpad for educational attainment speaks to community resilience and efforts to expand access in areas where approximately 25 percent of Navajo County adults lack postsecondary credentials. Organizers noted other moments of local history unearthed during work on the building, with a City of Show Low video hinting at a time capsule discovered during renovations; details and contents have not been fully reported.

Further verification is needed to track enrollment outcomes and long-term impacts on student success, and NPC has yet to release fall 2025 metrics. For a community balancing historic preservation with present-day needs, the Goldwater Center represents both a tangible link to the past and an investment in more equitable access to education and the economic mobility it can enable.