Historic designation probable for Phoenix nominees

[Source: Sadie Jo Smokey, Arizona Republic] -- This week, the Arizona Historic Sites Review Committee will consider two Phoenix nominees for National Registry of Historic Places recognition. The benefit is prestige and a rate cut on the owner's property taxes. La Hacienda Neighborhoods Historic District, with 45 homes near Seventh Street and Thomas Road, and Bragg's Pie Building, 1301 W. Grand Ave., are expected to be approved. A third property, the Lovinggood/Inskeep/Getman House in Sunnyslope, will likely be deemed ineligible for recognition. The home was moved to its present location in 1999, effectively cutting its ties to the history of its original location.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: State Historic Preservation Office.]

Historical Society now owns Wickenburg gravesites

Three years after resident Nicki Hamilton protested the condition of the Henry Wickenburg gravesite, some progress has been made. The town put the hillside cemetery up for auction on Oct. 16, and the Wickenburg Historical Preservation Society was the successful bidder. The deed requires the Society to apply for listing to both State and National Historical Registers, to install security fencing and signage, to restore what is now a dirt walkway, and to perform periodic maintenance. An APS power pole must first be moved from the property because it hinders legal access to the site. That alone will cost close to $8,000. With future support from the Vi Wellik foundation uncertain at this time, the project will need the assistance of many.

Plantings will be added, the walkway should be paved, and some of the graves are worn and need repair. Maintenance volunteers are sought, and an American flag from the period would be appropriate, if it can be located. (Henry Wickenburg died in 1905.) The hill where Wickenburg and some of his friends are buried is located off of Howard Court and Adams Street near Boetto Park. Anyone interested in preserving this important part of Wickenburg history is invited to send a tax-deductible contribution, which may be eligible for a matching grant, to the WHPS, P.O. Box 1341, Wickenburg, AZ 85358. Mark the check for the “Henry Wickenburg Cemetery Project”.

Glendale hosts Catlin Court Historic Home Tour Nov. 8

[Source: KKAT TV] -- Have you driven through the Catlin Court Historic District and wondered what the beautiful bungalow homes looked like inside? Now is your chance to find out! Homeowners will open their doors for the Catlin Court Historic Home Tour on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is only the second time Catlin Court homes have been opened to the public. The tour will feature eleven historic homes in the beautiful historic neighborhood.

History buffs will delight in hearing stories of the neighborhood’s rich and fascinating past, which dates back to 1915. Co-founded by Otto R. Hansen, the neighborhood was named “Catlin Court” for his wife’s maiden name, and was one of Glendale’s earliest residential developments. Additional activities planned during the tour hearken back to Glendale’s earlier days, such as free horse-drawn carriage rides and a vintage car show.

Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 the day of the event. Tickets are available for purchase at Glendale’s Visitor Center, 5800 W. Glenn Dr., Suite 140, or online at the Catlin Court Website. The Visitor Center will be open that day, welcoming visitors and residents to discover many shopping and dining options in downtown Glendale before or after the tour. For more information, call 623-930-4500.

Four individuals receive coveted Arizona Architect Medals

[Source: Jan Buchholz, Phoenix Business Journal] -- Architects from across Arizona celebrated the 50th anniversary of the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects at the Celebrate Architecture gala Sept. 27. The largest crowd in the group’s history, more than 500, turned out for the event at the Phoenix Arts Museum. “Since this was the 50th anniversary, we decided not to notify the winners ahead of time,” said Tina Litteral, executive vice president of AIA Arizona. “Since (no one) knew who was going to win, I think they were a little nervous.” AIA introduced a new tradition by commissioning artists Gary Beals and Mayme Kratz to create works of art to represent the awards. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Tearing Down the Arcadia/Camelback legacy (op-ed)

[Source: Rachel Simmons, Modern Design Diva] -- For many years the residents of Arcadia and Camelback preserved the look and feel of their neighborhood by renovating their homes appropriately and adhering to a compatible design. Recently investors have swooped in, razed and remodeled in speculation, and sold to area newcomers unfamiliar with the community's character. When we tear down one unique home we have we lost irreplaceable features of our city's visual appeal. Little by little Arcadia's modern ranches are being leveled and replaced by homes speaking a completely different language, thus altering the essential story of Phoenix lore the neighborhood of Arcadia has to offer future generations.

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

Catlin Court historic home tour Nov. 8

Saturday November 8th is the 2008 Catlin Court historic home tour in Glendale, Arizona. From Myrtle to Orangewood, 59th Avenue to 57th Avenue. Tour 10 homes from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. There will be carriage rides and vintage cars. Tickets are $10 each and may be purchased online at the Catlin Court homepage.

Another of Phoenix's Blaine Drakes bites the dust -- Scoville home

[Source: Modern Phoenix] -- Blaine Drake's Scoville Home in the Biltmore area was leveled to the ground this morning. This is the second Dake home in the neighborhood to be demolished, and only two more in that immediate area survive (that I know of). The original Drake family property nearby still stands. Drake was an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin in Wisconsin, and established his own Arizona practice in 1945. The property was recently acquired by a new owner this spring.

This home was made of Superlite block and one of the rare examples of a midcentury residential home that was intentionally left unpainted. Homes like this are one inspiration for the sandblasting-back-to-grey trend celebrating "expressed materials" that we see today. The home also features one of Drake's rare and custom round home layouts and a personalized integration of the Superlite and glass block streetscape markers that brand major points of entry into the Bartlett Estates subdivision. The home across the street from it was also recently leveled and now has a McMansion on it. The bitter irony is that writers at ModernPhoenix are currently working on stories about the livability of Drake Homes 50 years later, and also on the teardown trend. The two subjects collided today in yet another heartbreaking loss for Phoenix's history and culture. [Photo source: Modern Phoenix.]

Project gathers Scottsdale photos of past for exhibit

[Source: Julie Janovsky, Tribune] -- JoAnn Handley remembers a time when the area now known as Scottsdale Fashion Square was nothing more than dirt roads and rodeo shows. "I could not have imagined 50 years ago Scottsdale could look like this," said Handley, 77, a lifelong resident and manager of the Scottsdale Historical Museum. A new exhibit being planned for this spring at Scottsdale's Civic Center Library will soon give visitors and locals alike a chance to take a deeper glimpse into the city's past. The proposed exhibit will be one of the end results of a new historical archiving project sponsored by the Scottsdale Public Library system that will entail digitizing vintage photos from the collections of the Scottsdale Historical Museum, the Scottsdale Jaycees and the Scottsdale Charros. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Glendale receives accolades for parks programs, people, facilities

[Source: Yourwestvalley.com] -- Glendale's programs, people and facilities received awards at the annual Arizona Parks and Recreation Association awards banquet Aug. 27. Two programs, one facility and two people involved with the Glendale Parks and Recreation Department were awarded. The 2008 Community/Neighborhood Special Event Award for Populations Over 100,000 went to GlendOberfest (pictured), the city's annual fall festival. GlendOberfest on Oct. 31, 2007, at Sahuaro Ranch Park Historic Area, encouraged residents to journey back in time to the late 1800s to an atmosphere of Old Towne Glendale with dirt roads, dark and dense citrus groves and old farm houses backlit by the moon and filled with scary shadows moving across the landscape.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Mother Nature's Farm.]

Cave Creek officials await addition of 4,000 preserved acres

[Source: Curtis Riggs, Sonoran News] -- The possible addition of 4,000 acres of preserved State Trust Land has Town and Maricopa County officials brainstorming about the best ways to incorporate the land into Cave Creek’s other preserved properties and the best ways to manage them. Mayor Vincent Francia is paying close attention to Cave Creek’s attempt to annex 8-square miles of land to the west. He focuses on the 4,000 acres that will be preserved into perpetuity through the annexation. What pleases Francia most about the newest preservation effort is that much of the new 4,000 acres lies between the Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area and the Cave Creek Recreation Area. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Event Center could add life to downtown Phoenix

[Source: Eugene Scott, Arizona Republic] -- Pearle Marr's family owned Imperial Lithographics in downtown Phoenix for nearly 40 years. Now Marr and her husband, Malcolm, hope to make another imprint on the changing community. Malcolm and Pearle Marrs, 61 and 57 respectively, are working to make the Fifth Avenue and Madison Event Center (pictured) one of downtown Phoenix's premier spots. When a business decided last year to stop leasing the buildings on the block where Imperial was formerly located, between Jackson and Madison streets and Fourth and 5th avenues, the couple had to decide what they wanted to do with the location. "Two of (the buildings) are historically designated and it was important to us as a family that we do something that will enhance their designation," Malcolm said.

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

Officials recommend historic designation for Tempe Butte

[Source: William Hermann, Arizona Republic] -- The history of Tempe Butte is written in stone, and city officials want to keep it that way, which is why they're seeking a "historic" designation for the site. Tempe Butte is the big desert hill adorned with an "A" that towers over Sun Devil Stadium. It's from the top of that butte that Charles Trumbull Hayden, founder of Tempe, in 1869 looked out on the largely deserted Salt River Valley and decided it would be a good place to settle. The butte also is where the Hohokam Indians lived between about A.D. 500 and 1450. They considered the butte holy and left upon its rocks some 500 petroglyphs.

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

ASU professor's neglect irks Superior officials

[Source: Ryan Gabrielson, Tribune] -- Glenn A. Wilt Jr. has taught scores of Arizona State University students about finance and real estate investment during his 45 years as a business professor. But officials in Superior are puzzled at what guided Wilt to purchase many of the tiny mining town's abandoned theaters, shops and houses only to neglect the structures. The professor has amassed a vast real estate portfolio the past two decades, including most of downtown Superior. But dozens of his buildings are collapsing; a few have become unsalvageable ruins. "He seems to feel these falling-down structures are going to be beautiful someday and that there will magically be the money," said Todd Pryor, Superior's fire marshal.

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

Chandler historian gains statewide honor

[Source: Edythe Jensen, Arizona Republic] -- Noel Stowe, a Chandler resident and Arizona State University professor who has been preserving the region's history for more than four decades, has received statewide recognition. Stowe, 66, recently received the 2008 Governor's Heritage Preservation Honor Award for his years of service as founder of ASU's Public History Program. Although he is involved in numerous state preservation efforts, Stowe gives plenty of time and advice to his home city. A member and former chairman of the Chandler Museum Advisory Board, he helped initiate the city's history kiosk program and is working on design and programs for the new museum.

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

National Trust Conference site visit in Phoenix

[Source: Barbara Stocklin, City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office] -- The Historic Preservation Office collaborated with the Greater Phoenix Visitor and Convention Bureau and the Arizona Preservation Foundation to host representatives from the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP). Phoenix has been selected as a finalist to host the NTHP’s annual conference in 2012, Arizona’s centennial year. A reception with over 60 people in attendance was also held in association with the site visit.

Scottsdale Road makeover envisioned in plan

[Source: Brian Powell, Tribune] -- Scottsdale’s signature street should undergo a makeover through downtown with a greater emphasis on pedestrians and bikers, according to the vision of the long-awaited downtown plan released this week. The draft plan gives examples of a future Scottsdale Road with wider sidewalks, trees and landscaping, and then goes a step further with a vision of a strolling covered walkway with columns and cafes. The report states that the primary function of Scottsdale Road should be “downtown-serving” and that there was consensus to make it a more pedestrian-friendly street. But to what extent — and cost — is still to be determined. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Buckeye's Ware Building owners proud of restoration

[Source: Cynthia Benin, Arizona Republic] -- Construction on the historic Ware Building in downtown Buckeye is nearing conclusion, and the new exterior looks - well, old. Building owner Jean Faraj and his partner on the project, Buckeye Realtor Karla Walters, have been working since May to restore the structure to its former appearance. The $100,000-plus project is expected to be completed by the end of this week. The oldest portion of the building dates o the early 1910s, when it originated as Buckeye Valley Bank at Monroe and Fourth streets.

Several years later, a man named George Ware added the western section of the building along Monroe, and eventually the spaces were combined to become collectively known as the Ware Building. In its tenure, the space has served as a boot and saddle repair shop, bakery, grocery store, an office for the Buckeye Valley News and, most recently, Fernando's Barbershop. With every business change came more modifications to the original red-brick walls and full windows that had given the space its trademark open, welcoming feel. By the time Faraj took control of the building about six years ago, the brick had been completely covered by drywall and stucco and coated in paint that had long since begun to peel. No business has occupied the space since the barbershop closed four years ago after nearly 60 years.

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

Group seeks help touting trail to Grand Canyon

[Source: Erin Zlomek, Arizona Republic] -- The non-profit Western Trails Association made a pitch to the Surprise City Council last week for cross-promotional cooperation, donations and spots on a city-operated TV channel to make a scenic heritage trail reality. The group is in the process of filing for 501(c)(3) status with the goal of mapping out a scenic heritage trail from Surprise to Grand Canyon National Park. The group's goal is to generate state tourism grants, then market the trail in a similar fashion to historic Route 66 through Arizona.

Association leader Marianne Archibald said she envisions a backroads driving trail winding north from Surprise, with suggested stops at historic Arizona landmarks and museums before landing tourists at the famous gorge. Most tourists now take Interstate 17 north from the Phoenix metro area to the Grand Canyon, bypassing many of the state's off-the-beaten-path attractions and sometimes forcing them to make day trips of what could be overnight stays that are of more benefit to towns along the way.

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

Peoria's downtown revitalization plan gets approval for more focused update

[Source: Carolyn Dryer, Peoria Times] -- When Community Development Director Glen Van Nimwegen (pictured) brought another update contract to city council, there were questions about the continuous study of downtown Peoria. He referenced the 1999 Central Peoria Revitalization Plan, saying the city was approaching the plan's 10-year anniversary. Van Nimwegen said what was hoped for was a new look at the plan and a new study that would incorporate more private funding in the downtown revitalization process. He also pointed to the accomplishments downtown in the past 10 years.

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