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Sultana Bar in Williams, AZ
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Sultana Bar

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The Sultana Bar occupies a 1912 building in Williams, AZ, on the downtown main street that carried Route 66 through town. It began as an entertainment hall with a movie theater, a pool hall and a room for dances. Prohibition-era rumors of a basement speakeasy still cling to it, and today it bills itself as the holder of Arizona's longest-running liquor license.

What is Sultana Bar?

The Sultana is a plain one-story building of rusticated concrete block, decorated mainly with paint in a bright three-color scheme. The theater's marquee and vertical sign are gone, but the old screen and curtain remain inside. It stands in the Williams Historic Business District, listed on the National Register in 1984; the Sultana is not listed on its own.

History of Sultana Bar

Local merchant Ben Sweetwood built it from 1912, so it predates Route 66. The theater played silent films until 1930, when it showed northern Arizona's first talking pictures, and Will Rogers is said to have dropped in for shows. Offices in the building held the town hall for about forty years.

Prohibition brought rumors of a basement speakeasy and gambling, plus legends of tunnels below. One local history says the old pool hall reopened as a bar under the Sultana name after repeal in 1933.

Visiting Sultana Bar: tips

It sits right on the old highway, an easy stop on a downtown stroll. Its "World Famous Sultana" neon sign was restored with a 2025 Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona grant.

Updated · Written by Route 66 Trip Guide

Practical info

Address
301 W Route 66, Williams, AZ 86046
Phone
+1 928-635-2021
Hours
Mo-Fr 10:00-26:00, Sa,Su 07:30-26:00
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

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Williams Residential Historic District, Arizona

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Sixty-five acres of homes and churches built in Williams from 1890 to 1941, a short walk from Route 66.

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