Meeting with Owner of Phoenix's White Gates / Al Beadle House

[Source: Barbara Stocklin, City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office] -- Historic Preservation staff met with Lynda Maze, owner of the house at 4918 E. White Gates Drive, which was designed and occupied by noted modern architect Alfred Newman Beadle. The property was listed on the Arizona Preservation Foundation's list of most endangered places in Arizona, due to the fact that the house is vacant and has been gutted and the lot has been cleared of vegetation. The property has also been cited by the Neighborhood Services Department for property maintenance violations. Ms. Maze recently purchased the house to try to rehabilitate it, and has requested assistance from the Historic Preservation Office. Rich Fairbourn of Build Inc., a former colleague of Beadle, and Peter Wolf, a writer familiar with Beadle's work, also attended the meeting. Mr. Fairbourn will prepare plans for the rehabilitation and provide cost estimates for the work. Ms. Maze will likely submit a grant application and request city historic designation.

Seligman's Harvey House is history

[Source: Mark Boardman, True West] -- In January, we wrote about ongoing efforts to save the historic Havasu Harvey House in Seligman, Arizona. Today, the circa 1905 building is gone, demolished by its owner, the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad. For years, the BNSF has wanted to tear down the empty hotel, which closed in the mid-1950s. Local group Friends of Havasu looked for ways to buy it. The railroad offered to donate it to anybody who would move it. Nothing came of the offer, and the Havasu came down in May 2008. The salvaged historic items were given to Seligman Historical Society. Our thanks to Dan Lutzick for the info and picture. Dan is project supervisor for the renovation of the El Garces Harvey Hotel in Needles, California. The $10-million effort includes a restaurant, visitors center, museum and hotel. He hopes to have it finished by the end of this year, just in time to celebrate the building’s 100th anniversary.

City of Tucson urged anew to take over, repair old Marist adobe

[Source: Rob O'Dell, Daily Star] -- Racing against a ticking clock, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson is again trying to give the crumbling adobe Marist College building to the city, in hopes it will save the 93-year-old Downtown building from collapse. The diocese and the city have for years had informal negotiations over the three-story building on the northwest corner of the St. Augustine Cathedral square, but neither party wants to pay the $1 million minimum cost to stabilize the building.


Now the diocese has offered to raise about $250,000 toward making the building structurally sound, although the city still hasn't jumped on the deal because of the price tag and the uncertainty of what the building would be used for once it is stabilized. The diocese is also offering to include a portion of the St. Augustine parking lot across from the Tucson Convention Center, according to an e-mail from City Historic Preservation Officer Jonathan Mabry John Shaheen, diocese property and insurance director, said the church does not have the money to stabilize the Marist building, which housed a Catholic school from 1915 to 1968.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Benjie Sanders, Daily Star.]

Scottsdale's Kerr Center gains historic status

[Source: Julie Janovsky, Tribune] -- The Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale will finally take its place on Scottsdale’s historic register. After months of negotiations between Arizona State University and the city, the Scottsdale City Council Tuesday night unanimously approved to accept a historic conservation easement that will protect the exterior of the center's two adobe buildings and less than one-third of the property's 1.65 acres, for the next 50 years.

Advocates for the nearly 50-year-old cultural center at 6110 N. Scottsdale Road - which philanthropist Louise Lincoln Kerr willed to ASU upon her death in 1977 - said the easement was a step in the right direction, but could be stronger. Submitting a petition bearing nearly 1,000 signatures supporting the conservation easement to the council, Patricia Myers, co-chairwoman of the Concerned Citizens for the Kerr Cultural Center group, told council members she feels ASU could do more. "We support the City Council's vote in favor of the conservation easement. But we would like to see future discussions that would add the entire acreage willed to ASU and its specific usage as a cultural center," said Myers.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Tribune.]

Scottsdale's Kerr Center easement urged

[Source: Lesley Wright, Arizona Republic] -- The Scottsdale Historical Preservation Commission plans to tell the City Council that a conservation easement is the best preservation the Kerr Cultural Center can expect to get. Commission Chairman George Hartz said he wants to describe the hundreds of letters and hours of emotional testimony that led the commission unanimously to recommend the city accept the easement from Arizona State University.

The Kerr Cultural Center at 6110 N. Scottsdale Road consists of the home and studio-performance hall of composer and philanthropist Louise Lincoln Kerr, who donated the site to ASU in 1977. Scottsdale had discussed putting historic zoning over the site, but ASU said the city has no authority to zone state-owned land. The university suggested that the conservation easement would reach the same goals. Hundreds of musicians and residents have pleaded with the commission and the university to protect the adjacent parking lot so the center can continue to be viable as a performance hall.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Ralph Freso, Tribune.]

Help APF save local historic buildings

[Source: Aaron Royster, Kingman Daily Miner] -- The Arizona Preservation Foundation is looking to find Arizona's most endangered historic locations, and they need your help. Last year, the J. B. Wright House, the historic St. Mary's Church (pictured) and the former Mohave County Hospital were placed on the list. All three Kingman locations were added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1986. There are 54 locations in Kingman on the register. Several buildings are now in danger of being destroyed. With the efforts of preservation professionals and historians, the list identifies critically endangered properties of major historical or archaeological significance to the state. Once on the list, the locations receive assistance from the foundation in developing support to remove the threat. "By calling attention to our most threatened historic and archaeological sites, we increase public awareness of preservation issues and focus critical attention on selected sites to assist in their preservation," Board member Jim McPherson said in a news release.

The former Mohave County Hospital, 301 W. Beale St., was built in 1922. It has also been used as an annex for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office. "Both the county and the city now want to tear down the building, though the city would like to salvage the façade," the release stated. "Neither is acceptable." The Mohave County Public Works Department has put out a call for bids for the structural demolition of the building. A pre-bid hearing was held on Friday at the Mohave County Administration Building. Bids will be accepted in a sealed envelope at the Mohave County Procurement Department, 700 W. Beale St., until 2 p.m. on May 30. Once a bid is accepted, the contractor will have 90 days to complete the work. On Sept. 19, Doug Ohleman, chairman for Kingman's Historic Preservation Commission, wrote a letter to the Mohave County Board of Supervisors concerning the former Mohave County Hospital building. "As a property owner downtown, Mohave County has an opportunity and a responsibility to contribute to the preservation of Kingman's past by making a concerted effort to be included," Ohleman wrote. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Scottsdale's Kerr center moves closer to historic status

[Source: Julie Janovsky, East Valley Tribune] -- After months of negotiations between representatives of Arizona State University and the city, Scottsdale’s Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously Thursday evening to accept a historic conservation easement that would protect the exterior of the center’s two adobe buildings and less than one-third of the property’s 1.65 acres, for the next 50 years.

Advocates for Kerr Cultural Center and several members of Louise Lincoln Kerr’s family reluctantly accepted the proposed easement and expressed disappointment, saying they felt ASU, the property owner, didn’t go far enough in ensuring protection of the cultural facility because it did not include the center’s interior structures and parking lot as protected areas. Patricia Myers, co-chairwoman of the Concerned Citizens for the Kerr Cultural Center advocacy group, said she’s worried the omission of those items could mean the center at 6110 N. Scottsdale Road could one day be in jeopardy. The center, which Kerr willed to ASU upon her death in 1977, has been hosting concerts and cultural events for nearly 50 years.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Ralph Freso, East Valley Tribune.]

Easement suggested to protect Scottsdale's Kerr Center

[Source: Lesley Wright, Arizona Republic] -- After hours of debate, Scottsdale Historical Preservation Commissioners said that an Arizona State University conservation easement was the best protection they could get for the Kerr Cultural Center. Commissioners agreed 6-0 Thursday to recommend that the City Council accept the easement so the 50-year-old performance center can receive some protection and be nominated for state and federal historic registers.

The center at 6110 N. Scottsdale Road consists of the home and studio-performance hall of composer and philanthropist Louise Lincoln Kerr, who donated the site to ASU in 1977. Scottsdale discussed historic zoning for the site, but ASU said the city has no authority to zone state-owned land. The university proposed the conservation easement to reach the same goals. Hundreds of musicians and residents have pleaded with the commission and the university to protect the adjacent parking lot so the center can continue with performances.

ASU officials said the parking lot is not a historic site, but that the terms of the will govern the continued use of the center. Commissioner Nancy Dallett said the city had done its best. "We've done everything in our power to get the best conservation easement we can," Dallett said. "I think this easement is very strong." Commissioner Ed Wimmer said residents would have to keep the university's feet to the fire. "The community here this evening needs to be vigilant because this commission has very limited scope," he said. "You as voters have bigger scope. The state Legislature is your leverage." The City Council is expected to approve the recommended conservation easement at an upcoming meeting.

APF accepts nominations for 2008 Most Endangered Historic Places List

The Arizona Preservation Foundation invites nominations for the 2008 Arizona Most Endangered Historic Places List. By calling attention to our most threatened historic and archaeological sites, we increase public awareness of preservation issues and focus critical attention on selected sites to assist in their preservation. The new list will be announced at the 2008 Arizona Statewide Historic Preservation Conference, June 12-14, 2008. To nominate a site or category of sites, please provide the information requested by June 5, 2008. Click here to learn more and to download a nomination form.

Our panel of judges use the following basic criteria for initial consideration: (1) architectural integrity and historical significance, (2) identifiable threat, and (3) likelihood that inclusion on the list will positively impact preservation efforts. Judges also consider geographic and thematic diversity. The selection of sites for the annual list is difficult because the number of treasured resources in jeopardy is so extensive (as evidenced by the high volume of nominations we've received in the past). For every listed site, there are many worthy and significant candidates in similar circumstances. If a site is not selected for Arizona's Most Endangered Historic Places List, it will be placed on the Foundation's internal Properties to Watch List. Any mailed materials (e.g., photos, videos, newspaper clippings) will be kept for our files and reference.

To view the 2007 list, click here. To view the 2006 list, click here. [Photo of Havasu Hotel in Seligman, DEMOLISHED by BSNF Railroad; photo source Dan Lutzick.]

HP Staff tour Phoenix's White Gates House

[Source: Barbara Stocklin, Phoenix Historic Preservation Office] -- Kevin Weight of the city's historic preservation office and Jim McPherson of the Arizona Preservation Foundation (APF) met with the owner of the property known as the White Gates House on May 2. The house, which is located at 4918 E. White Gates Drive, near Camelback Mountain, was built during the 1950s and was designed and occupied by Phoenix architect Alfred Newman Beadle. The house is currently vacant and in need of repair; it was listed on APF's list of most endangered properties in Arizona last year. The owner, Lynda Maze, purchased the property with the intention of rehabilitating it and sought advice and assistance from the City and APF. Ms. Maze may request historic designation and a grant to assist with rehabilitation.

Phoenix Beadle House saved

[Source: Margaret Foster, National Trust for Historic Preservation] -- Until now, it looked like the Arizona desert would swallow a mid-century modern house designed by Phoenix architect Alfred Beadle. Last month, Lynda Maze, owner of the 1958 White Gates House, convinced a Phoenix court to give her time to renovate her blighted property, which she had considered razing two years ago. The city retracted two blight citations that neighbors had filed against the house. "I didn't realize it would take possession of my body," Maze says of the White Gates House. "I'm not a historian, but I just got the house, spent some time up there and decided, 'I've got to do something.'"

Maze has asked local "Beadlemaniacs" to help her with the restoration, and several architects have submitted pro bono designs for an addition to the house. "Things are moving forward," says Alison King, founder of Modern Phoenix, a Web-based group that has been trying to save the White Gates House since 2001, when a magazine article revealed that its land was worth more than the ailing building. "She was really seeking some input, so we gave it to her. We all care about Alfred Beadle's legacy." In the meantime, however, another Beadle work, the Modern Bell Building in downtown Phoenix, is scheduled to be demolished later this year. Its owner, San Diego-based developer Joe Pinsonneault, has allowed the glass-and-steel office building to deteriorate since he bought it in 2003. Located on nine acres, the building, now known as the Qwest Building, will be torn down for an upscale condominium complex.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Nancy Beadle.]

Bad news for Seligman's historic Harvey hotel

[Source: Jeremy Thomas, Cronkite News Service] -- Looking through a chain-link fence at the abandoned Havasu Hotel, once the economic and social center of this community, Angel Delgadillo found it hard to acknowledge that it won't be here soon. "Progress," he said, shaking his head. Residents who have fought for years to save the former Harvey hotel learned recently that Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway will tear it down. "We're losing so much," said Delgadillo, a lifelong Seligman resident who runs a gift shop. "All we have are the memories. It was the elite of hotels not just in Seligman, but in the entire state. It was a time of dignity. It was so special. These are the things you don't forget."

Lena Kent, a spokeswoman for the railroad, which owns the property, said demolition would begin this week. She declined to elaborate on what might replace the building. "It's really sad that it wasn't able to find a new home," Kent said. "After a decade we had to make the decision to go forward." The railroad was willing to let someone move some or all of the hotel to another site, but a deal didn't materialize. Instead, some items from the hotel will be salvaged and donated to the Seligman Historical Society, Kent said.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. For details on the remaining Harvey Hotels in Arizona, click here. Photo source: Sonu Munshi, Cronkite News Service.]

Historic Seligman hotel will be demolished

[Source: Nathan Ryder, Channel 2 News] -- Efforts to save an historic railroad hotel in northwestern Arizona have come the end of the line. The 100 year old Havasu Harvey House was built alongside the old Santa Fe Railroad mainline in Seligman. Many living in the tiny town of less than 1,000 people are upset they weren’t able to preserve this piece of history. The Havasu Harvey House was built by Fred Harvey around 1905, a glorious stopping point for tourists looking to enjoy the rough and tumble of the old west. During the golden age of railroads, passengers would stop at the Havasu Harvey House for a bite to eat and a place to sleep for the night. It was also called Prescott Junction because another rail line met up with the Santa Fe line and ran south into Prescott. Cattle and mail were often picked up in Seligman to be transported to points in the Midwest and east. During World War II, trains carrying soldiers to the west coast for trips overseas would stop at the Havasu Harvey House. Soldiers were allowed off the train to stretch their legs and grab a boxed lunch from the Harvey lunch counter.

That history will soon turn to nothing but memories when the building is demolished beginning next week. “The town was created around the building and that’s part of our heritage here,” said Frank Kocevar. He has lived in Seligman for the last 7 years and restored his early 1900’s home and historic Route-66 storefront. Kocevar was also working hard to try and preserve the historic hotel and move it around the corner to an empty lot he owns right on Route-66. “My proposal was to save at least part of it, something that would fit into the town. We weren’t asking for a handout. We went in with a business proposal that we thought would work for both parties.” The Havasu Harvey House now sits behind a chain link fence topped with barbed wire. Officials with BNSF say they had to fence off the historic building after years of vandalism and theft. Last used as an office for the railroad in the late 1980’s, thieves quickly moved in stealing the original woodwork and fixtures and even tore up walls to take electrical wiring and the building’s plumbing. Spokeswoman Lena Kent says teens would also use the building as a place to party.

Between the two different groups she says the building has been destroyed inside. Kent says BNSF has been working with community members in Seligman for the last 10 years on trying to find a way to save the hotel. She says they’ve agreed to delay demolition in the past but now they need to take action. “We’ve decided to move forward because we do feel that it’s a safety issue and that building needs to come down,” said Kent. She added that local fire officials have indicated they wouldn’t enter the building to fight a fire if it ever broke out because of the dangerous conditions. Standing in his historic shop complete with the original soda fountain, Frank Kocevar says there is one good thing that is coming out of this situation. He thinks more attention has been brought to the need to preserve pieces of our past. Kocevar hopes more people will stand up in their own communities and keep things original in the modern world. As demolition crews move in on Monday, he says it will be hard to watch but feels he tried to do everything he could to save a part of Arizona’s history. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Panel delays vote on future of Scottsdale's Kerr Cultural Center

[Source: Lesley Wright, Arizona Republic] -- Scottsdale's Historic Preservation Commission has postponed a key vote on the future of the Kerr Cultural Center. Hundreds of advocates were expected to converge on the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Thursday for a meeting on a proposed "conservation easement." Arizona State University, which was deeded the historic performance hall in 1977, had proposed the easement in place of historic zoning. The commission delayed the vote last month, saying the easement did not protect enough of the property. Scottsdale officials said the city and ASU still are negotiating terms. The next meeting of the commission is May 8 at an as-yet undetermined time and place.

A tribute to Buffalo Soldiers

[Source: Sam Lowe, Arizona Republic] -- The monument is an 8-foot-tall bronze sculpture of a Buffalo Soldier in period dress, holding a rifle in one hand and a saddle in the other. The work traces its origins to the early 1970s, when Spec. 4 Clarence E. Wilson Jr. embarked on a personal mission to honor African-American soldiers who had been stationed at Fort Huachuca. Wilson, a social worker in the fort's drug- and alcohol-abuse center, worked tirelessly in his off-duty hours to establish a course on Black history, acquire Black heritage literature for the post libraries and start the campaign to erect the statue. But Wilson left the post before accomplishing the mission, so Col. Arthur Corley, then the garrison commander, assigned the project to the Fort Huachuca Historical Museum.

Staff artist Rose Murray was given the task of designing the sculpture, and she attended advanced sculpture courses at the University of Arizona while creating several wax models of the soldier. Once the final model was ready, the garrison ran into funding problems. There wasn't enough money to cast the bronze, but a firm in Tucson accepted the work at a bargain price. Further cost reductions were achieved by scaling down the statue's size and by melting down brass scrap from Army stocks. When the work was completed, there was the problem of finding a vehicle capable of transporting it from Tucson to the fort. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Fight to protect Scottsdale's Kerr Cultural Center continues

[Source: Kathy Howard, Concerned Citizens for the Kerr Cultural Center] -- The next important meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, April 10, when the Scottsdale Historic Preservation Commission meets. The location will likely be One Civic Center, 7447 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale (the site of previous meetings). Please plan to attend, fill out a comment card, and speak if you'd like.

Last Thursday's Historic Preservation Commission meeting focused on the "final draft conservation easement" agreement proposed between the city of Scottsdale and Kerr's owner, ASU. The draft would protect only the two historic buildings and immediate grounds. More than 70 supporters attended the 90-minute discussion; more than 20 spoke fervently in favor, including musicians, Kerr and Lincoln family members, community leaders, and preservation advocates. The speakers repeatedly asked that three provisions be added to the agreement: the adjacent parking lot, KCC's continued use as a performance venue, and preservation of the interior. Many speakers echoed the powerful mantra that "ASU should do the right thing." Because citizens rarely attend these meetings, the Commission saw vividly that Kerr supporters are serious about preserving the Kerr Cultural Center under the terms and conditions Louise Lincoln Kerr spelled out in her will.

The Commissioners discussed and agreed not to vote approval of the “final draft." Instead, the Commission instructed city staff to further negotiate the easement to add usage, parking lot, and interior protection. (Concerned Citizens for the Kerr Cultural Center asked for these elements in February, but city staff added only the Rose Lane/private drive access and 50-year coverage.)

The morning after the meeting, major reportage was printed in the Arizona Republic (daily Valley section, not just Scottsdale zone) and East Valley Tribune. You may view the articles at http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/0314sr-kerr0315-ON.html and http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/111308

Historical panel says Scottsdale's Kerr easement plan needs more work

[Source: Lesley Wright, Arizona Republic] -- Scottsdale's Historic Preservation Commission said this week that Arizona State University would have to do a better job on a conservation easement for the Kerr Cultural Center. After listening to artists and residents blast the reputation of ASU for historical conservation, the commissioners delayed a vote for the easement Thursday and sent it back to the negotiating table. "The more we can get into this document the better," said Commissioner Rob Viergutz.

The commission began talks with ASU in January, after the university said the city couldn't legally impose historic zoning on state property. But a score of artists and residents from around the Valley argued that ASU could not be trusted to allow the 50-year-old center to continue its role as an arts venue. That was the intent of composer and arts patron Louise Lincoln Kerr, who bequeathed the site to ASU in 1977, her descendents argued. "It was her wish that this continue in perpetuity," said Dorothy Lincoln Smith, who spoke to her sister-in-law just before her death.

Arizona State Historian Marshall Trimble said that ASU has been making it difficult for artists to perform there. "I think it's very clear that ASU is trying to terminate what Louise Lincoln Kerr intended when she donated it," Trimble said. "It's not the ASU I used to know." Paul Berumen, ASU's director of local government affairs, said the proposed easement would guarantee the buildings and that the university has no plans to alter the site at 6110 N. Scottsdale Road. "This easement gets us to the point where we are able to work as partners to protect the site," Berumen said.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Arizona Republic.]

A hands on effort to help preserve historic Camp Naco

Saturday March 29th, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. there will be a Naco Planning Charette to discuss an update of Naco Brownfields project, the creation of a park next to the school with walking/running/biking trail, and the preservation and future of Camp Naco (pictured). Anyone interested in Naco's future should attend. The Charette will take place at Naco Elementary School in Naco. A continental breakfast and lunch will be served. For further information or to join efforts to preserve Camp Naco, contact CNAPC, c/o Professor J.C. Mutchler, University of Arizona South, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635. You can also send an email to mutchler@email.arizona.edu or contact Rebecca Orozco, Director - Center for Lifelong Learning at 520-515-5382 or email orozcor@cochise.edu

Next step in helping to preserve Scottsdale's Kerr Cultural Center

The next important meeting to put on your calendars will be 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at One Civic Center, 7447 E. Indian School Road, when the Scottsdale Historic Preservation Commission is scheduled to vote on a conservation easement. Patricia Myers, Chair, and Kathy Howard, Co-chair, of the Concerned Citizens for the Kerr Cultural Center (CCKCC) hope that a large number of Kerr supporters attend to sign comment cards and speak in favor. The proposal will then go to City Council, date to be determined.

Positive progress is being made to preserve the two historic adobe buildings of the Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale. Although the one-year-old grassroots organization, CCKCC has aggressively pursued Historic Preservation Overlay Zoning from the City of Scottsdale, another designation was proposed and appears to be stronger for protection. It is called a Conservation Easement. In contrast, historic overlay zoning would have had no strength because a state entity has sovereignty that a city cannot usurp.

Meetings to discuss the conservation easement provisions have been held between the city and representatives of Arizona State University, which owns and operates the cultural center. At the Feb. 14 meeting of the Scottsdale Historic Preservation Commission, 11 specific provisions were discussed. The key point has the easement running with the property and will apply to future owners. That means if the Kerr were sold by ASU, the buildings could not be destroyed. However, the easement does not cover the function of the Kerr as a cultural center.

At the February 14 meeting, we asked for more precise provisions: include the usage, include the parking lot, designate length of time of easement coverage and provide for roadway accessibility. These are being presented in a future meeting between the city and ASU.

FYI, a rezoning sign on the property immediately adjacent to the Kerr last year prompted the organizing of CCKCC. The organization now has 500+ signatures in support of the Kerr remaining as a functioning arts center. That rezoning issue (immediately north for condos and an enlarged conference center) is in limbo because the city of Scottsdale asked for changes to the plans, which have not been made. But the rezoning request has not been withdrawn.

Also, ASU restored the adobe exterior and the doors last fall, but no funds were available for interior improvements, hence a benefit event at 2 p.m. Sunday, February 24, with musicians and staff working without pay. Funds from the performance and a silent auction will go toward interior enhancements. There will be complimentary hors d’oeuvres and dessert, coffee and tea, with wine and beer for purchase. Tickets are $65 reserved, $50 general admission. If you are interested in attending this concert of classical, Renaissance, and jazz (Gershwin), call the Kerr at 480-596-2660.

History takes a nap; Casa Grande makes little progress on its preservation plans

[Source: Harold Kitching, Casa Grande Dispatch] -- Little is new on historic building preservation, the preservation ordinance, and the railroad depot project that the Central City Redevelopment District Subcommittee has been discussing. The residential historic properties discussed are the old Casa Grande funeral home at Eighth Street and Olive Avenue and the Meehan-Gaar house on First Street east of Sacaton Street (pictured above). Housing Director Rosa Bruce had told the subcommittee at its December meeting that her office might be able to help with assessments and restoration of the homes.

During Tuesday's meeting, Planning and Development Director Rick Miller told the group that Bruce had gone to both properties but neither owner was there. "She left her card, a little note asking them to call, didn't hear a response," Miller said. "She phoned them, left messages, hasn't had a return response, so then she wrote a letter to those property owners and is awaiting a response to the letter."

Miller said the letter basically tells the owners that the subcommittee "is very interested in conducting assessments of the property, building conditions and there's an opportunity to do those, really, at no cost to them. She talks about her program and how it provides perhaps some funding opportunities to them, provided they're qualified, to help them with the stabilization of their homes. "She also places an emphasis on that she'd like to treat this first and foremost as a residential property that they own and live in and secondly as a historic structure and balance those two needs. She wants to provide assistance because they own the property, they're living there, that's what her program's here for. Secondly, how can we balance the historic value of those homes with those needs and make them work together, and she says that she's been able to do that successfully for more than 30 years in this area, so hopefully we'll hear something soon."

The old train depot on Main Street has also been a topic for the subcommittee, hearing reports each month on the status of negotiations with Union Pacific Railroad to acquire the building. The negotiations are part of talks between the city and Union Pacific over what the railroad must do to gain city support before the Arizona Corporation Commission for its double-tracking plan. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]