[Source: Editorial Page, Scottsdale Republic] -- Scottsdale has long had some strange ideas about historic preservation. The fast-growing, still relatively young city somehow got the reputation as a place with no history, just that fabricated "West's Most Western Town" motto. This is partly because for years city officials and developers had no respect for many of the cool landmarks that defined the Scottsdale lifestyle.The classic downtown Kachina "Cinerama" movie theater? Go ahead and raze it. The legendary Safari Hotel? Just knock it down.
Sometimes it's surprising that the feverish development of the 1980s and 1990s - and some crazy downtown redevelopment ideas such as the Galleria mall - left anything standing from the old days. Scottsdale formally incorporated as a city in 1951.
The other reason for Scottsdale's ambivalence toward history is that so many new people are moving in who just don't care about Scottsdale's past. Over the past year or so, Scottsdale has started to understand the value of historic preservation.
The restored 1950s-era Hotel Valley Ho, which reopened last month to public acclaim, is a great success story. The city also has taken steps to give a historic designation to two 1950s neighborhoods: Town and Country Scottsdale and Village Grove 1-6. The City Council last year also recognized the historic downtown businesses the Pink Pony steakhouse and the Sugar Bowl ice cream parlor.
Up next for city historic recognition is Taliesin West, the longtime winter compound that architect Frank Lloyd Wright built. The Scottsdale Historic Preservation Commission is scheduled to host a public hearing on the historic zoning idea Jan. 12.
Taliesin West, near Cactus Road and Frank Lloyd Wright Boulevard, is a reliable tourist attraction for Scottsdale and is steeped in tradition. It has long been a national historic landmark, but it is great that Scottsdale is finally getting around to granting it local historic status, too. As we said, Scottsdale has long had a problem recognizing the history in its own back yard.
Taliesin West definitely is worth preserving. The first step to protecting important buildings is formally acknowledging their significance. Communities can't take landmarks for granted. Witness the heartache and frustration many people have experienced over last year's demolition of the Madison Square Garden arena and the pending debauchery of the Sun Mercantile Building in downtown Phoenix.
While it is easy to criticize Scottsdale's past failures in historic preservation, the city's attitude has improved dramatically and its record is on the upswing. Scottsdale shouldn't hesitate to support Taliesin West and other key properties. After all, history can be here today and gone tomorrow. [Photo source of Hotel Valley Ho rendering: Scottsdale Visitors & Convention Bureau.]
