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Phoenix is home to many historical buildings, each with their own unique story. Check out some of the cool, historic buildings in Phoenix.
6th Avenue Hotel/Windsor Hotel (1893) | 546 W. Adams St. | The Windsor Hotel, originally known as the Sixth Avenue Hotel, was completed in 1893 as a two-story building. Its Victorian architecture was modernized around 1935 when a third story and neon signage were added Few hotels from the 19th century remain in Phoenix. Today the building serves as low-income housing.
Steinegger Lodging House (1900) | 27 E. Monroe | Also known as Alamo Hotel, St. Francis Hotel and Golden West Hotel. Like other Victorian-era commercial buildings in Phoenix, its brick facade was modernized in the 1930s. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Phoenix Seed and Feed Warehouse (1905) | 411 S. Second St. | This building predates the railroad in Phoenix, when in 1926 the first tracks were laid down. It is the oldest remaining warehouse in the original Phoenix townsite. Phoenix Feed and Seed of the early 1900s became, in the 1940s, Arizona Paperbox Company, where workers manufactured the lightweight paper boxes that bakeries used for packing doughnuts, turnovers and other pastries.
Del Monte Market (1908) | 2659 W. Dobbins Road | The market, registered in 1908 when Arizona was still a territory, is said to be the oldest continuously-operated market in the state.
Adams School/Grace Court School (1911) | 800 W. Adams St. The historic Grace Court School property, built in 1911, was redeveloped into an office building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 29, 1979.
Phoenix Union High School Science Building (1911) | 425 N. Fifth St. | The historic campus includes two 1911 classroom buildings and a 1929 auditorium, which were rehabilitated and returned to their original character through a reuse project by the University of Arizona Medical School. Phoenix Union was the first established high school in Phoenix and was the only high school in the city from 1898 to 1939. The buildings are rare, local examples of Beaux Arts architecture.
Phoenix Union High Domestic Arts Building (1911) | 425 N. Fifth St. | The high school closed in 1982, along with West High School and East High School, because of declining enrollment in the district. In 2007, the University of Arizona College of Medicine renovated and expanded the buildings to accommodate its new Phoenix medical school campus.
Phoenix Union High School Auditorium (1929) | 512 E. Van Buren St. | Now a part of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, the auditorium was the first home to the Phoenix Symphony and the most important entertainment venue in the Valley. It was originally built in 1911 and rebuilt and expanded in 1929. Together, the three buildings form the campus of the University of Arizona Medical College-Phoenix.
Swindall Tourist Inn (1913) | 1021 E. Washington St. | The Swindall Tourist Inn is a significant example of public accommodations for African-Americans in Phoenix during the era of segregation. The Swindall House, as it was called then, is the only known surviving African-American boarding house in Phoenix, according to the Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission. It was originally built as a private residence for the Steyaert family, who supplemented their income by taking in boarders.
Jefferson Hotel (1915) | 101 S. Central Ave. | The former Jefferson Hotel is now called the Barrister Place Building. The building is owned by the City of Phoenix.
Luis Lugo Bakery/La Pantellara (1917) | 415 W. Sherman St. | Luis Lugo owned a grocery store, Lugo’s Market, at Third Avenue and Tonto Street, and this bakery, originally called La Pantallera, at 415 W. Sherman Street. The Luis Lugo Bakery is a rare example of an early Hispanic commercial property in downtown Phoenix. Luis came to Arizona in 1913 with his parents who initially started a store in Glendale. The bakery building in Phoenix was constructed in 1917. This bakery’s brick ovens were built by Julian Gastelum, the father of auto repair shop owner Fabian Gastelum. It later was owned by Italian bakers, eventually becoming Blunda’s Bakery, operated by Ignazio Blunda. Luis Lugo died in 1977 at the age of 79.
Kenilworth Elementary School (1919) | 1210 N. Fifth Ave. | The front of Kenilworth Elementary School in central Phoenix is shown. In 1920, Kenilworth School opened, and the first big push for new schools in Phoenix began. That year the Phoenix School District passed a school bond issue for $300,000. With these funds, the Jackson School, the Emerson School, and the Longfellow School were built in 1921.
Rehbein Grocery (circa 1920-1927) | 1227-1231 Grand Ave. | The Rehbein Grocery is one of the best examples of a two-story brick commercial building remaining in Phoenix, according to the Historic Preservation Commission and Office.
El Zaribah Shrine Temple (1921) | 1502 W. Washington St. | Designed by the prominent architectural firm of Lescher and Mahoney, it was used beginning in 1921 as a meeting place of the Shriners and its auxiliary groups. The architecture carried out the Oriental theme of the fraternal order and is a unique example of Exotic Revival architecture not often found in Arizona. Note the distinctive Moorish entrances. El Zaribah Temple was established in Phoenix in 1896. Early members included territorial Governors L.C. Hughes, M.H. McCord and Nathan Oakes Murphy. Business leaders George Luhrs and E.J. Bennett also were members. The order concentrated on philanthropic service to the community and is best known for its support of orthopedic care and burn institutes. The 18,000-square-foot building used to house the Arizona Mining and MIneral Museum.
Memorial Hall at Steele Indian School Park (1922) | 300 E. Indian School Road | Memorial Hall is one of the three buildings that remain at Steele Indian School Park from the former Phoenix Indian School. This two story Mission Revival-style building, built of red brick, incorporates the Romanesque Revival style as seen in the extensive use of the Roman arch windows. Recent renovations have brought Memorial Hall back to its original state. (Information provided by the City of Phoenix) Steele Indian School Park previously was a boarding school for American Indian children whose nations did not have high schools to accommodate them. Its original mission, dating to 1891, was to assimilate Indian children into American society by removing them from their communities and educating them in faraway cities. The building is now used for theatrical and musical performances and public meetings.
Phoenix Union Station (1923) | 401 W. Harrison St. The Union Station train station, built in 1923, is one of the best examples of Mission Revival architecture in Phoenix. The Mission Revival style, a popular building style between 1890 and the 1920s, was typified by such Union Station features as stucco wall finishes, arcades, red tiled roofs, curvilinear gables, massive piers and impost moldings. The Phoenix Union Station was the former station of the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe Railroads. It was designed by Peter Kiewit and built in 1923.
Hotel St. James (1923) | 21 E. Madison St. All but the facade remains of the St. James, one of only a handful of hotels in the Phoenix area that date to around the time of statehood. Its early 20th century architecture and neon signage hint at a more significant past, before it became known as a flophouse and, now, a partially-preserved building with an unknown future use. The National Register of Historic Places has listed the St. James since 1985.
Cartwright School (1924) | 5833 W. Thomas Road | Built in the Victorian Renaissance style, it is still in use as a school today.
Luhrs Building (1924) | 11 W. Jefferson St. | Second Renaissance Revival. The Luhrs Building, an L-shape brick structure at the southwestern corner of Central and Jefferson, was the first major commercial office building in Phoenix and, at 10 stories, was the tallest building in Arizona at that time.
702 S. Ninth Ave. / 707 W. Grant St. Paul Laurence Dunbar was a poet, novelist and playwright. Born in 1872, he was one of the first African-Americans to gain national attention as a poet. The Dunbar School was built by the Phoenix Union Elementary School District in 1925 to accommodate African-American students. In Phoenix, student segregation continued until 1953. The architectural firm Fitzhugh & Byron built the one-story brick building in a Second Renaissance Revival style. It is still in use as a school today, and is one of three local, historically significant African-American properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hurley Building (1925) | 536, 544-548 W. McDowell & 1601 N. 7th Ave. | Its architectural style is labeled Art Deco by the National Register of Historic Places.
Valley Plumbing and Sheet Metal (1925) | 530 W. Adams St. | Art-Deco style of commercial construction made of stucco and asphalt. Added to National Register of Historic Places October 1985.
Garfield Methodist Church (1926) | 1302 E. Roosevelt St. | Architect Vere Wallingford designed the church in the Mission Revival style. Exterior features include a two-story corner entry vestibule simulating a bell tower. The two story arched focal window at the gable wall facade once contained a stained glass window, but is now infilled with stucco. Variations from the true Mission Revival Style include unstuccoed brick and a simple gabled roof.
A.E. England Motors Inc. (1926) | 424 N. Central Ave. The building is located in the Downtown Civic Space Park, a new 2.8-acre park in downtown Phoenix. Originally built in 1926 as an automobile dealership, it also housed a variety of retail businesses over the years including a stationery store and an art gallery. Information provided by City of Phoenix.
George Washington Carver High School (1926) | 415 E. Grant St. | Currently the home of the George Washington Carver Musuem and Cultural Center, the school was built for African-American students to attend when schools were segregated. It is now a museum and cultural center highlighting the history of African Americans in the Phoenix area.
Franklin School (1926) | 1645 W. McDowell Road | Franklin School, designed by Jake Knapp, formerly belonged to the Phoenix Elementary School District. The school sat empty for decades until Phoenix Union bought it in 2005 and gave it a $5.4 million makeover. Franklin School reopened in 2007 as the Franklin Police and Fire High School. The 21,807-square-foot red-brick building cost $31,815 to build and formerly housed kindergartners through sixth-graders.
Barbara Jean Apartments (1927) | 212-214 E. Portland St. | The Barbara Jean Apartments are an excellent example of an apartment building designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival-style. The two-story, four-unit structure is symmetrical in design, with a large U-shaped mass set behind a pair of projecting full-height porches. The porches each have a gabled roof sheathed with clay tile, with ornamental detailing on the gable ends. The entire building, which is constructed of concrete block, is sheathed with stucco and painted white, characteristic of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Information provided by the City of Phoenix.
First Presbyterian Church (1927) | 402 W. Monroe St. | Historic First Presbyterian Church is listed on the national and city registers of historic buildings. The building – over 60,000 square feet – cost approximately $400,000 to build and furnish. One of its unusual features is a full gymnasium on the third floor. The building itself is Spanish Renaissance style. The sanctuary contains its original furnishings - a hand-carved wood chancel screen, pulpit furniture and wooden pews along with some of the original stained glass windows. Air conditioning was installed in 1951. Information provided by historicfirst.org
Blake, Moffitt, Towne Janitorial Co. Warehouse (1927) | 101 E Buchanan St.
Brophy Chapel (1928) | 4701 N. Central Ave. | The chapel was designed for the students of Brophy College Preparatory. Along with the classroom building and faculty residence, the Chapel was donated by Mrs. William Henry Brophy in memory of her husband. The interior of this church combines much of the Catholic spirit of Andalusia in southern Spain and the 18th century church architecture found in different parts of Mexico. The Spanish Colonial architecture is more restrained than the flamboyant baroque of the numerous period churches of Mexico, but is more sophisticated than that of the mission churches of southern Arizona, New Mexico and California.
Hotel Westward Ho (1928) | 618 N. Central Ave. Built in the Mission/Spanish Revival style, the hotel was originally named the Roosevelt Hotel. It is 16 stories high and was the tallest building in Arizona until 1960. In its heyday, it counted the rich and famous among its guests. The hotel was converted into housing for the elderly and disabled in the early 1980s and remains a Phoenix landmark.
Maricopa County Courthouse (1928) | 125 W. Washington St. The old Maricopa County Courthouse entrance on the North side features floral rosettes, and the City Hall entrance features flying birds as ornament, along with scroll work. The exterior is terra cotta. The Art Deco-style structure is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Phoenix Historic Property Register. The historical Miranda rights was established in this courthouse after the arrest of Ernesto Miranda. The building currently houses some Maricopa County court offices.
Historic City Hall (1928) | 17 S. Second Ave. | Architects note its balance, color and Masonic origins. It was designed by architect Edward Neild.
Hotel San Carlos (1928) | 202 N. Central Ave. | Built in the Second Renaissance style. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the San Carlos Hotel, added in 1983. The hotel was state of the art for the day and was the first air-conditioned building in Phoenix. It continues to operate as a hotel today. It has been associated with ghost sightings and can be seen in the opening shot of the 1960 film "Psycho."
Knights of Pythias Building (1928) | 829 N. First Avenue | The building was the home for fraternal organizations and social gatherings, including the Knights of Pythias. It currently is an office building.
J.B. Bayless Store No. 7 (1928) | 825 N. Seventh St. | Grocer J.B. Bayless opened his first Phoenix grocery store in 1917. His son, A.J. Bayless, grew up in Phoenix, attended Phoenix Union High School and opened his own first grocery store in 1930. A.J. Bayless markets operated in Arizona until 1987.
Grace Lutheran Church (1928) | 1124 N. Third St. | The building is constructed in the Gothic Revival architectural style and represents the European Traditional property type. Important decorative elements include crenulated parapets, a dominant rose window, buttressed pilasters, stained glass and lancet windows at the rear, and scored plaster simulating stone ashlar construction.
Central Arizona Light & Power Co. Warehouse (1928) | 501 S. Third Ave.
Anchor Manufacturing Company (1928) | 525 S. Central Ave. | 14,000 square-foot brick building listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Heard Museum (1929) | 2301 N. Central Ave./22 E. Monte Vista Road | Architect Herbert Green, known for his Spanish Colonial-style residences around Phoenix, designed the building. According to Heard Museum publications, the museum was established by Dwight and Maie Bartlett Heard in 1929 to educate people about the arts, heritage and life ways of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, with an emphasis on American Indian tribes of the Southwest.
Sun Mercantile Building (1929) | 232 S. Third St. | The Sun Mercantile warehouse is the last remaining building of a once-thriving Chinatown in downtown Phoenix. It was, in its day, the largest merchandising and wholesale grocery distribution center in Arizona. Today it is owned by the Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix LDS Second Ward Church (1929) | 302 W. Latham St. | The church, built in 1929, sits on the edge of the Roosevelt Historic District, its patio and small courtyard facing Hance Park. The two-story, Spanish Colonial Revival-style church is striking, with its red tile roof, decorative windows and arched doorways and windows. Inside, hand-painted designs decorate high ceilings. Hardwood floors run throughout the building. A sliding wooden door - which stretches from the floor to the ceiling and features unique cutouts - separates the social hall and chapel. Designed by prominent Mormon architect Harold W. Burton, the church was important in the historical development of the LDS community in Phoenix. In 1972, the state bought the church for $344,000 for an Interstate 10 right of way. The church was slated for demolition but later was designated as a historic site and saved. It was leased out, sold to the city, then sold again. The building now houses the Great Arizona Puppet Theater.
Tovrea Castle (1929) | 5041 E. Van Buren St. | The "wedding cake" castle was built by Italian immigrant Alessio Carraro, who later sold it to cattle baron E.A. Tovrea. It sits above 44 acres. Phoenix worked to purchase the land and preserve the castle as a public park. More than $15 million went to restore the building and surrounding cactus garden. Tour information: tovreacastletours.com.
Orpheum Theatre (1929) | 209 W. Adams St. | This historic theater, originally built for plays, movies and vaudeville shows, is the only Phoenix theater on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been artfully restored to its original splendor. The theater currently is a live performance venue in downtown Phoenix.
First Baptist Church (1929) | 302 W. Monroe St. | No services are held in this church, which was gutted by fire in 1980. It was added to National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was built in an Italian Gothic style.
Greystone Apartments (1930) | 645-649 N. Fourth Ave. | Mission/Spanish Revival. Currently in use as an office building.
State Office Building (1930) | 1688 W. Adams St. | Lescher and Mahoney designed this building, the first state office building to be separate from the nearby State Capitol. This Italian Renaissance Revival design features decoratively cast stone elements, terra cotta detailing and a large wooden cornice. The building is now home to the Arizona Department of Agriculture, and is part of the Capitol Mall Overlay District.
Ong Yut Geong Market Warehouse (1930) | 502 S. Second St.
Professional Building (1931) | 137 N. Central Ave./15 E. Monroe St. | Art Deco high-rise that originally was home to Valley National Bank and and medical offices. Also known as Hotel Monroe. Renovation plans included turning the building into a 150-room boutique hotel. That project is on hold.
Lois Grunow Memorial Clinic (1931) | 926 E. McDowell Road | Chicago businessman William Grunow built the clinic in 1931 to honor the memory of his daughter, Lois, who died during an operation that proved to be unnecessary . The clinic soon became the place to get medicine in Phoenix. As many as 100 doctors practiced in the building, which covers most of a city block. The Grunow center was designed by Lester A. Byron of the Phoenix architectural firm of Fitzhugh and Byron. Its style is Spanish Colonial Revival with Renaissance and Plateresque ornamentation.
Phoenix Title and Trust (1931) | 114 W. Adams St. | Now called the Orpheum Lofts, the U-shaped building is an example of 1930s Art Deco design.
First Southern Baptist Church (1931) | 1202 N. 3rd Street | Originally built by the First Southern Baptist Church, the congregation worshipped in the building until 1972 when ADOT purchased the property. Phoenix Center Arts Association (PCAA) was established in 1992, and in 1999 a non-profit was formed to offer support to the center. In July of 2011 the city turned over operation of the programs to PCAA, which is now managing the Center under an agreement with the city. (Information provided by azfoundation.org) The building now serves as an arts center which offers classes and arts and theater events.
Cobb Bros. Market Warehouse (1932) | 430 S. Second Ave. | Now home to ECOtality Inc.
Encanto Park Clubhouse (1936) | 2605 N. 15th Ave. | Spanish Colonial Revival design.
Merryman Funeral Home (1937) | 817 N. First St. | Mission Revival-style building that today serves as an art studio and gallery. The Merryman Funeral Home represents the expansion of funeral homes out of the downtown commercial district and into neighborhoods.
Mystery Castle (1930-45) | 800 E. Mineral Road | Boyce Luther Gulley built this home over 15 years for his daughter, who lived in it until her death in 2010. The 18-room creation is a composite of desert boulders and misshapen brick, telegraph poles and refrigerator glass, a bar made from half of a covered wagon and a wall studded with the wheels of a Stutz Bearcat. The home is open to the public as part of the Mystery Castle Historical Foundation.
Phoenix Street Railway (1947) | 1242 N. Central Ave. | Located on the grounds of the Ellis-Shackelford House, bordering the north side of Hance (“Deck”) Park. Formerly the Shackelford Dental Office Building, it currently houses a small exhibit of the The Arizona Street Railway Museum.
El Portal restaurant (1947) | 701 S. Second Ave./117 W. Grant St. | The restaurant was built for Mercedes Zapien in 1947 by her six sons. Zapien was born in Mexico, came to Arizona in 1918, and became a U.S. citizen in 1958, according to a city report. She opened the restaurant next door to American Legion Post 41 with the help of her sons, who were World War II veterans. New owners bought El Portal in 2000, renovated it and reopened it a year later, hosting Democratic fundraisers and catering for political and Latino events.
The William H. Patterson Elks Lodge No. 477, 1007 S. Seventh Ave., was built in 1946.
Faith Lutheran Church (1946) | 801 E. Camelback Rd.
Lucy Phillips Memorial C.M.E. Church (1947) | 1401 E. Adams St. | According to a 2004 Phoenix historic property survey, African-American churches bloomed on what was then the east side of Phoenix from 1910 through the 1940s. The Colored Methodist Church, organized in 1909, was a small congregation that worshiped in a White church until members built their own church in 1911 at 647 E. Jefferson St. The Rev. Z.Z. Johnson was the pastor at the time. Around 1925, it was renamed the Lucy Phillips Memorial C.M.E. Church in honor of the wife of the first presiding bishop, the Rev. Charles Henry Phillips. In 1947, the church constructed a new building, shown here, at 1401 E. Adams St.
American Legion Post 41 (1948) | 715 S. Second Ave. | For nearly six decades, American Legion Post 41 on Second Avenue in Phoenix has served as the home for hundreds of Mexican-American veterans bound together by their wartime military service and Hispanic heritage. Besides serving as a gathering place for veterans, the post has a long history of serving the surrounding community, dating to the 1950s, when the post opened a child nursery to assist working parents from the neighborhood. The building was added to the Phoenix Historic Property Register in 2007.
Progressive Builders Association (1953) | 2019 E. Broadway Rd. | The seemingly non-descript building has an important back story. The Progressive Builders Association built homes in downtown Phoenix, giving many African-Americans their first opportunity to buy a brand-new home. The PBA purchased 160 acres from Kemper Marley in an area that had formerly been his cattle ranch. The acreage was located between 20th and 24th streets and from Roeser to Broadway roads.
Park Central Mall was the first shopping mall to open in Phoenix in 1957.
Phoenix is home to many historical buildings, each with their own unique story. Check out some of the cool, historic buildings in Phoenix.
6th Avenue Hotel/Windsor Hotel (1893) | 546 W. Adams St. | The Windsor Hotel, originally known as the Sixth Avenue Hotel, was completed in 1893 as a two-story building. Its Victorian architecture was modernized around 1935 when a third story and neon signage were added Few hotels from the 19th century remain in Phoenix. Today the building serves as low-income housing.
Steinegger Lodging House (1900) | 27 E. Monroe | Also known as Alamo Hotel, St. Francis Hotel and Golden West Hotel. Like other Victorian-era commercial buildings in Phoenix, its brick facade was modernized in the 1930s. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Phoenix Seed and Feed Warehouse (1905) | 411 S. Second St. | This building predates the railroad in Phoenix, when in 1926 the first tracks were laid down. It is the oldest remaining warehouse in the original Phoenix townsite. Phoenix Feed and Seed of the early 1900s became, in the 1940s, Arizona Paperbox Company, where workers manufactured the lightweight paper boxes that bakeries used for packing doughnuts, turnovers and other pastries.
Del Monte Market (1908) | 2659 W. Dobbins Road | The market, registered in 1908 when Arizona was still a territory, is said to be the oldest continuously-operated market in the state.
Adams School/Grace Court School (1911) | 800 W. Adams St. The historic Grace Court School property, built in 1911, was redeveloped into an office building. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 29, 1979.
Phoenix Union High School Science Building (1911) | 425 N. Fifth St. | The historic campus includes two 1911 classroom buildings and a 1929 auditorium, which were rehabilitated and returned to their original character through a reuse project by the University of Arizona Medical School. Phoenix Union was the first established high school in Phoenix and was the only high school in the city from 1898 to 1939. The buildings are rare, local examples of Beaux Arts architecture.
Phoenix Union High Domestic Arts Building (1911) | 425 N. Fifth St. | The high school closed in 1982, along with West High School and East High School, because of declining enrollment in the district. In 2007, the University of Arizona College of Medicine renovated and expanded the buildings to accommodate its new Phoenix medical school campus.
Phoenix Union High School Auditorium (1929) | 512 E. Van Buren St. | Now a part of the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, the auditorium was the first home to the Phoenix Symphony and the most important entertainment venue in the Valley. It was originally built in 1911 and rebuilt and expanded in 1929. Together, the three buildings form the campus of the University of Arizona Medical College-Phoenix.
Swindall Tourist Inn (1913) | 1021 E. Washington St. | The Swindall Tourist Inn is a significant example of public accommodations for African-Americans in Phoenix during the era of segregation. The Swindall House, as it was called then, is the only known surviving African-American boarding house in Phoenix, according to the Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission. It was originally built as a private residence for the Steyaert family, who supplemented their income by taking in boarders.
Jefferson Hotel (1915) | 101 S. Central Ave. | The former Jefferson Hotel is now called the Barrister Place Building. The building is owned by the City of Phoenix.
Luis Lugo Bakery/La Pantellara (1917) | 415 W. Sherman St. | Luis Lugo owned a grocery store, Lugo’s Market, at Third Avenue and Tonto Street, and this bakery, originally called La Pantallera, at 415 W. Sherman Street. The Luis Lugo Bakery is a rare example of an early Hispanic commercial property in downtown Phoenix. Luis came to Arizona in 1913 with his parents who initially started a store in Glendale. The bakery building in Phoenix was constructed in 1917. This bakery’s brick ovens were built by Julian Gastelum, the father of auto repair shop owner Fabian Gastelum. It later was owned by Italian bakers, eventually becoming Blunda’s Bakery, operated by Ignazio Blunda. Luis Lugo died in 1977 at the age of 79.
Kenilworth Elementary School (1919) | 1210 N. Fifth Ave. | The front of Kenilworth Elementary School in central Phoenix is shown. In 1920, Kenilworth School opened, and the first big push for new schools in Phoenix began. That year the Phoenix School District passed a school bond issue for $300,000. With these funds, the Jackson School, the Emerson School, and the Longfellow School were built in 1921.
Rehbein Grocery (circa 1920-1927) | 1227-1231 Grand Ave. | The Rehbein Grocery is one of the best examples of a two-story brick commercial building remaining in Phoenix, according to the Historic Preservation Commission and Office.
El Zaribah Shrine Temple (1921) | 1502 W. Washington St. | Designed by the prominent architectural firm of Lescher and Mahoney, it was used beginning in 1921 as a meeting place of the Shriners and its auxiliary groups. The architecture carried out the Oriental theme of the fraternal order and is a unique example of Exotic Revival architecture not often found in Arizona. Note the distinctive Moorish entrances. El Zaribah Temple was established in Phoenix in 1896. Early members included territorial Governors L.C. Hughes, M.H. McCord and Nathan Oakes Murphy. Business leaders George Luhrs and E.J. Bennett also were members. The order concentrated on philanthropic service to the community and is best known for its support of orthopedic care and burn institutes. The 18,000-square-foot building used to house the Arizona Mining and MIneral Museum.
Memorial Hall at Steele Indian School Park (1922) | 300 E. Indian School Road | Memorial Hall is one of the three buildings that remain at Steele Indian School Park from the former Phoenix Indian School. This two story Mission Revival-style building, built of red brick, incorporates the Romanesque Revival style as seen in the extensive use of the Roman arch windows. Recent renovations have brought Memorial Hall back to its original state. (Information provided by the City of Phoenix) Steele Indian School Park previously was a boarding school for American Indian children whose nations did not have high schools to accommodate them. Its original mission, dating to 1891, was to assimilate Indian children into American society by removing them from their communities and educating them in faraway cities. The building is now used for theatrical and musical performances and public meetings.
Phoenix Union Station (1923) | 401 W. Harrison St. The Union Station train station, built in 1923, is one of the best examples of Mission Revival architecture in Phoenix. The Mission Revival style, a popular building style between 1890 and the 1920s, was typified by such Union Station features as stucco wall finishes, arcades, red tiled roofs, curvilinear gables, massive piers and impost moldings. The Phoenix Union Station was the former station of the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe Railroads. It was designed by Peter Kiewit and built in 1923.
Hotel St. James (1923) | 21 E. Madison St. All but the facade remains of the St. James, one of only a handful of hotels in the Phoenix area that date to around the time of statehood. Its early 20th century architecture and neon signage hint at a more significant past, before it became known as a flophouse and, now, a partially-preserved building with an unknown future use. The National Register of Historic Places has listed the St. James since 1985.
Cartwright School (1924) | 5833 W. Thomas Road | Built in the Victorian Renaissance style, it is still in use as a school today.
Luhrs Building (1924) | 11 W. Jefferson St. | Second Renaissance Revival. The Luhrs Building, an L-shape brick structure at the southwestern corner of Central and Jefferson, was the first major commercial office building in Phoenix and, at 10 stories, was the tallest building in Arizona at that time.
702 S. Ninth Ave. / 707 W. Grant St. Paul Laurence Dunbar was a poet, novelist and playwright. Born in 1872, he was one of the first African-Americans to gain national attention as a poet. The Dunbar School was built by the Phoenix Union Elementary School District in 1925 to accommodate African-American students. In Phoenix, student segregation continued until 1953. The architectural firm Fitzhugh & Byron built the one-story brick building in a Second Renaissance Revival style. It is still in use as a school today, and is one of three local, historically significant African-American properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hurley Building (1925) | 536, 544-548 W. McDowell & 1601 N. 7th Ave. | Its architectural style is labeled Art Deco by the National Register of Historic Places.
Valley Plumbing and Sheet Metal (1925) | 530 W. Adams St. | Art-Deco style of commercial construction made of stucco and asphalt. Added to National Register of Historic Places October 1985.
Garfield Methodist Church (1926) | 1302 E. Roosevelt St. | Architect Vere Wallingford designed the church in the Mission Revival style. Exterior features include a two-story corner entry vestibule simulating a bell tower. The two story arched focal window at the gable wall facade once contained a stained glass window, but is now infilled with stucco. Variations from the true Mission Revival Style include unstuccoed brick and a simple gabled roof.
A.E. England Motors Inc. (1926) | 424 N. Central Ave. The building is located in the Downtown Civic Space Park, a new 2.8-acre park in downtown Phoenix. Originally built in 1926 as an automobile dealership, it also housed a variety of retail businesses over the years including a stationery store and an art gallery. Information provided by City of Phoenix.
George Washington Carver High School (1926) | 415 E. Grant St. | Currently the home of the George Washington Carver Musuem and Cultural Center, the school was built for African-American students to attend when schools were segregated. It is now a museum and cultural center highlighting the history of African Americans in the Phoenix area.
Franklin School (1926) | 1645 W. McDowell Road | Franklin School, designed by Jake Knapp, formerly belonged to the Phoenix Elementary School District. The school sat empty for decades until Phoenix Union bought it in 2005 and gave it a $5.4 million makeover. Franklin School reopened in 2007 as the Franklin Police and Fire High School. The 21,807-square-foot red-brick building cost $31,815 to build and formerly housed kindergartners through sixth-graders.
Barbara Jean Apartments (1927) | 212-214 E. Portland St. | The Barbara Jean Apartments are an excellent example of an apartment building designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival-style. The two-story, four-unit structure is symmetrical in design, with a large U-shaped mass set behind a pair of projecting full-height porches. The porches each have a gabled roof sheathed with clay tile, with ornamental detailing on the gable ends. The entire building, which is constructed of concrete block, is sheathed with stucco and painted white, characteristic of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Information provided by the City of Phoenix.
First Presbyterian Church (1927) | 402 W. Monroe St. | Historic First Presbyterian Church is listed on the national and city registers of historic buildings. The building – over 60,000 square feet – cost approximately $400,000 to build and furnish. One of its unusual features is a full gymnasium on the third floor. The building itself is Spanish Renaissance style. The sanctuary contains its original furnishings - a hand-carved wood chancel screen, pulpit furniture and wooden pews along with some of the original stained glass windows. Air conditioning was installed in 1951. Information provided by historicfirst.org
Blake, Moffitt, Towne Janitorial Co. Warehouse (1927) | 101 E Buchanan St.
Brophy Chapel (1928) | 4701 N. Central Ave. | The chapel was designed for the students of Brophy College Preparatory. Along with the classroom building and faculty residence, the Chapel was donated by Mrs. William Henry Brophy in memory of her husband. The interior of this church combines much of the Catholic spirit of Andalusia in southern Spain and the 18th century church architecture found in different parts of Mexico. The Spanish Colonial architecture is more restrained than the flamboyant baroque of the numerous period churches of Mexico, but is more sophisticated than that of the mission churches of southern Arizona, New Mexico and California.
Hotel Westward Ho (1928) | 618 N. Central Ave. Built in the Mission/Spanish Revival style, the hotel was originally named the Roosevelt Hotel. It is 16 stories high and was the tallest building in Arizona until 1960. In its heyday, it counted the rich and famous among its guests. The hotel was converted into housing for the elderly and disabled in the early 1980s and remains a Phoenix landmark.
Maricopa County Courthouse (1928) | 125 W. Washington St. The old Maricopa County Courthouse entrance on the North side features floral rosettes, and the City Hall entrance features flying birds as ornament, along with scroll work. The exterior is terra cotta. The Art Deco-style structure is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Phoenix Historic Property Register. The historical Miranda rights was established in this courthouse after the arrest of Ernesto Miranda. The building currently houses some Maricopa County court offices.
Historic City Hall (1928) | 17 S. Second Ave. | Architects note its balance, color and Masonic origins. It was designed by architect Edward Neild.
Hotel San Carlos (1928) | 202 N. Central Ave. | Built in the Second Renaissance style. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the San Carlos Hotel, added in 1983. The hotel was state of the art for the day and was the first air-conditioned building in Phoenix. It continues to operate as a hotel today. It has been associated with ghost sightings and can be seen in the opening shot of the 1960 film "Psycho."
Knights of Pythias Building (1928) | 829 N. First Avenue | The building was the home for fraternal organizations and social gatherings, including the Knights of Pythias. It currently is an office building.
J.B. Bayless Store No. 7 (1928) | 825 N. Seventh St. | Grocer J.B. Bayless opened his first Phoenix grocery store in 1917. His son, A.J. Bayless, grew up in Phoenix, attended Phoenix Union High School and opened his own first grocery store in 1930. A.J. Bayless markets operated in Arizona until 1987.
Grace Lutheran Church (1928) | 1124 N. Third St. | The building is constructed in the Gothic Revival architectural style and represents the European Traditional property type. Important decorative elements include crenulated parapets, a dominant rose window, buttressed pilasters, stained glass and lancet windows at the rear, and scored plaster simulating stone ashlar construction.
Central Arizona Light & Power Co. Warehouse (1928) | 501 S. Third Ave.
Anchor Manufacturing Company (1928) | 525 S. Central Ave. | 14,000 square-foot brick building listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
Heard Museum (1929) | 2301 N. Central Ave./22 E. Monte Vista Road | Architect Herbert Green, known for his Spanish Colonial-style residences around Phoenix, designed the building. According to Heard Museum publications, the museum was established by Dwight and Maie Bartlett Heard in 1929 to educate people about the arts, heritage and life ways of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, with an emphasis on American Indian tribes of the Southwest.
Sun Mercantile Building (1929) | 232 S. Third St. | The Sun Mercantile warehouse is the last remaining building of a once-thriving Chinatown in downtown Phoenix. It was, in its day, the largest merchandising and wholesale grocery distribution center in Arizona. Today it is owned by the Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix LDS Second Ward Church (1929) | 302 W. Latham St. | The church, built in 1929, sits on the edge of the Roosevelt Historic District, its patio and small courtyard facing Hance Park. The two-story, Spanish Colonial Revival-style church is striking, with its red tile roof, decorative windows and arched doorways and windows. Inside, hand-painted designs decorate high ceilings. Hardwood floors run throughout the building. A sliding wooden door - which stretches from the floor to the ceiling and features unique cutouts - separates the social hall and chapel. Designed by prominent Mormon architect Harold W. Burton, the church was important in the historical development of the LDS community in Phoenix. In 1972, the state bought the church for $344,000 for an Interstate 10 right of way. The church was slated for demolition but later was designated as a historic site and saved. It was leased out, sold to the city, then sold again. The building now houses the Great Arizona Puppet Theater.
Tovrea Castle (1929) | 5041 E. Van Buren St. | The "wedding cake" castle was built by Italian immigrant Alessio Carraro, who later sold it to cattle baron E.A. Tovrea. It sits above 44 acres. Phoenix worked to purchase the land and preserve the castle as a public park. More than $15 million went to restore the building and surrounding cactus garden. Tour information: tovreacastletours.com.
Orpheum Theatre (1929) | 209 W. Adams St. | This historic theater, originally built for plays, movies and vaudeville shows, is the only Phoenix theater on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been artfully restored to its original splendor. The theater currently is a live performance venue in downtown Phoenix.
First Baptist Church (1929) | 302 W. Monroe St. | No services are held in this church, which was gutted by fire in 1980. It was added to National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was built in an Italian Gothic style.
Greystone Apartments (1930) | 645-649 N. Fourth Ave. | Mission/Spanish Revival. Currently in use as an office building.
State Office Building (1930) | 1688 W. Adams St. | Lescher and Mahoney designed this building, the first state office building to be separate from the nearby State Capitol. This Italian Renaissance Revival design features decoratively cast stone elements, terra cotta detailing and a large wooden cornice. The building is now home to the Arizona Department of Agriculture, and is part of the Capitol Mall Overlay District.
Ong Yut Geong Market Warehouse (1930) | 502 S. Second St.
Professional Building (1931) | 137 N. Central Ave./15 E. Monroe St. | Art Deco high-rise that originally was home to Valley National Bank and and medical offices. Also known as Hotel Monroe. Renovation plans included turning the building into a 150-room boutique hotel. That project is on hold.
Lois Grunow Memorial Clinic (1931) | 926 E. McDowell Road | Chicago businessman William Grunow built the clinic in 1931 to honor the memory of his daughter, Lois, who died during an operation that proved to be unnecessary . The clinic soon became the place to get medicine in Phoenix. As many as 100 doctors practiced in the building, which covers most of a city block. The Grunow center was designed by Lester A. Byron of the Phoenix architectural firm of Fitzhugh and Byron. Its style is Spanish Colonial Revival with Renaissance and Plateresque ornamentation.
Phoenix Title and Trust (1931) | 114 W. Adams St. | Now called the Orpheum Lofts, the U-shaped building is an example of 1930s Art Deco design.
First Southern Baptist Church (1931) | 1202 N. 3rd Street | Originally built by the First Southern Baptist Church, the congregation worshipped in the building until 1972 when ADOT purchased the property. Phoenix Center Arts Association (PCAA) was established in 1992, and in 1999 a non-profit was formed to offer support to the center. In July of 2011 the city turned over operation of the programs to PCAA, which is now managing the Center under an agreement with the city. (Information provided by azfoundation.org) The building now serves as an arts center which offers classes and arts and theater events.
Cobb Bros. Market Warehouse (1932) | 430 S. Second Ave. | Now home to ECOtality Inc.
Encanto Park Clubhouse (1936) | 2605 N. 15th Ave. | Spanish Colonial Revival design.
Merryman Funeral Home (1937) | 817 N. First St. | Mission Revival-style building that today serves as an art studio and gallery. The Merryman Funeral Home represents the expansion of funeral homes out of the downtown commercial district and into neighborhoods.
Mystery Castle (1930-45) | 800 E. Mineral Road | Boyce Luther Gulley built this home over 15 years for his daughter, who lived in it until her death in 2010. The 18-room creation is a composite of desert boulders and misshapen brick, telegraph poles and refrigerator glass, a bar made from half of a covered wagon and a wall studded with the wheels of a Stutz Bearcat. The home is open to the public as part of the Mystery Castle Historical Foundation.
Phoenix Street Railway (1947) | 1242 N. Central Ave. | Located on the grounds of the Ellis-Shackelford House, bordering the north side of Hance (“Deck”) Park. Formerly the Shackelford Dental Office Building, it currently houses a small exhibit of the The Arizona Street Railway Museum.
El Portal restaurant (1947) | 701 S. Second Ave./117 W. Grant St. | The restaurant was built for Mercedes Zapien in 1947 by her six sons. Zapien was born in Mexico, came to Arizona in 1918, and became a U.S. citizen in 1958, according to a city report. She opened the restaurant next door to American Legion Post 41 with the help of her sons, who were World War II veterans. New owners bought El Portal in 2000, renovated it and reopened it a year later, hosting Democratic fundraisers and catering for political and Latino events.
The William H. Patterson Elks Lodge No. 477, 1007 S. Seventh Ave., was built in 1946.
Faith Lutheran Church (1946) | 801 E. Camelback Rd.
Lucy Phillips Memorial C.M.E. Church (1947) | 1401 E. Adams St. | According to a 2004 Phoenix historic property survey, African-American churches bloomed on what was then the east side of Phoenix from 1910 through the 1940s. The Colored Methodist Church, organized in 1909, was a small congregation that worshiped in a White church until members built their own church in 1911 at 647 E. Jefferson St. The Rev. Z.Z. Johnson was the pastor at the time. Around 1925, it was renamed the Lucy Phillips Memorial C.M.E. Church in honor of the wife of the first presiding bishop, the Rev. Charles Henry Phillips. In 1947, the church constructed a new building, shown here, at 1401 E. Adams St.
American Legion Post 41 (1948) | 715 S. Second Ave. | For nearly six decades, American Legion Post 41 on Second Avenue in Phoenix has served as the home for hundreds of Mexican-American veterans bound together by their wartime military service and Hispanic heritage. Besides serving as a gathering place for veterans, the post has a long history of serving the surrounding community, dating to the 1950s, when the post opened a child nursery to assist working parents from the neighborhood. The building was added to the Phoenix Historic Property Register in 2007.
Progressive Builders Association (1953) | 2019 E. Broadway Rd. | The seemingly non-descript building has an important back story. The Progressive Builders Association built homes in downtown Phoenix, giving many African-Americans their first opportunity to buy a brand-new home. The PBA purchased 160 acres from Kemper Marley in an area that had formerly been his cattle ranch. The acreage was located between 20th and 24th streets and from Roeser to Broadway roads.
A rendering of the planned hotel and office space at Central Avenue and Adams Street.
Downtown Phoenix is getting another trendy, high-rise hotel and office building.
The Phoenix City Council has agreed to sell a small piece of property at Central Avenue and Adams Street for $2.8 million to Berger Holdings. The development group plans to build a 20-story "lifestyle hotel" with a "creative office component."
"We are excited about the project, and we are bullish on downtown," Berger Holdings founder Darryl Berger Jr. said.
The land is currently a 30-space parking lot tucked behind Hanny's restaurant and the One North Central tower. It's one of the few remaining vacant swaths of land in the heart of downtown.
The lot was once home to Switzer's Style Shop, the first Phoenix retailer to specialize in women's clothing.
Walter Switzer launched the department store in 1917 and it expanded to 20 locations in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Nevada. Most of the stores were sold to a national clothing company in 1994, according to a 1995 article in The Arizona Republic. The downtown building was later razed.
Berger Holdings is responsible for multiple hotel projects in New Orleans and Nashville, as well as several other hospitality, residential and parking projects across the country.
The development group is partnering with Sunbelt Holdings on the project — a leader in real estate development in the Phoenix metro area.
President and CEO of Sunbelt Holdings John Graham is well connected in Phoenix. The development giant is responsible for dozens of residential and commercial projects in the Valley, including Marina Heights, the 20-acre mixed-use development project along Tempe Town Lake.
The downtown Phoenix project proposal calls for an "iconic" 205,000-square-foot building that includes 220 hotel rooms, two floors of office space, a two-floor parking deck and 6,100 square feet of ground-floor retail.
The project will also bring an enhanced pedestrian experience on Adams Street to encourage walkability in the downtown core, according to the developers.
"The city views Adams Street as important corridor. We are excited to play a part to help activate the ground floor of Adams Street," Berger Jr. said.
The city had the land appraised for $2.73 million last August.
Both Berger Holdings and another developer, M.A. Mortenson, submitted proposals for the property.
Berger Holdings offered $2.8 million. M.A. Mortenson offered $700,000 more.
The M.A. Mortenson proposal called for a 12-story, 240 hotel-room project with no office space.
Berger Holdings estimated its project's value at $61.5 million with 500 construction jobs and 230 permanent jobs. M.A. Mortenson estimated its project value at $54 million with 125 construction jobs and 45 permanent jobs.
After city staff announced an outside evaluation panel made up of local development experts recommend the council accept Berger Holdings' offer, M.A. Mortenson filed a protest with staff, suggesting that Berger would be unable to fulfill its job and design promises.
"Mortenson is reminded of several similar, unfortunate situations, where the city was misled into accepting a developer's extravagant concept and/or offer to purchase, only to later learn that the developer/purchase could not actually deliver," according to the protest.
The city responded that the evaluation panel reviewed both proposals fairly and decided the Mortenson proposal was inferior to the Berger proposal.
According to the panel's scorecard, "Although the Mortenson proposal offered a greater purchase price for the site, the Berger proposal offered more permanent employment opportunities through its mixed-use concept, which could potentially create greater economic impact beyond hotel and restaurant taxes, and the economic impact of adding an iconic building to downtown Phoenix."
At the meeting on June 20 when the council voted to move forward with the sale of the land, members of the Unite Here hotel workers union protested the sale.
They encouraged the city to choose the M.A. Mortenson proposal, which not only had a higher offer price, but more hotel rooms.
"More hotel rooms means tens of thousands of hotel occupancy taxes going to our city. With more hotel rooms, more hotel guests will have an opportunity to come to our city. More hotel guests means more tourist dollars contributing to our growing economy," Sheraton Grand Phoenix employee Sandy Villatoro said.
Maggie Acosta questioned the city's decision to turn away additional up-front revenue.
"Why is the city going with the lower price? Imagine what the city could do with an extra $700,000," Acosta said.
Phoenix Community and Economic Development Director Chris Mackay said the city ran an economic impact analysis on both projects and found the Berger Holding project is estimated to bring in $2.8 million in additional direct sales tax over 10 years.
"We look at the long-term value for the city and what the direct tax benefit for the city will be, not in one cash transaction, but over a 10 year period," Mackay said.
Mark Stapp, executive director of the Master of Real Estate Development program at Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of Business, reviewed the city's appraisal and said he thought it was a fair assessment of the value of the land.
He said Berger's proposal is "the kind of development the city of Phoenix needs."
Stapp agreed with Mackay that it's important to look at the quality of the project and not just the up-front offer price.
"Good design that addresses pedestrians in that streetscape is probably the most important thing the city can do at this point," Stapp said.
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