Commentary: Our State Parks are in trouble

[Source: Don Farmer, Arizona Heritage Alliance Board] -- Our Arizona State Parks are in trouble. It seems the current down economy and resulting state budget meltdown has led our elected legislature to strip out most of the State Parks funding and redirect it to more “important” needs. The direct result of this action is the drastic reduction of the services and programs our State Parks provide us. You do not have to be a State Park visitor to be impacted by this loss. The Arizona State Parks Agency manages 27 parks and natural areas located around the state. They also oversee our State Trails system; manage the Outdoor-Related Grants Program, the State Historic Preservation Office, and the Off-Highway Vehicle Program. The folks at Arizona State Parks have been managing all of these lands and programs in an under-funded condition for years as the legislature chose to sweep one revenue source after another from them. Just one year ago, the situation at State Parks was dire; now with the current loss of funding, the entire agency is threatened with catastrophic collapse. [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.]

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.]

Domed roof of Tempe's former Visitor Information Center still without a home

[Source: Emma Breysse, ASU Web Devil] -- A former Tempe landmark that was displaced last year is still homeless, and plans for its future are up in the air. University officials looking for a new home for the gold-domed roof of the former Visitor Information Center at the University have begun eyeing the new Vista Del Sol residential community currently under construction. The University preserved the dome after the building, formerly at Rural Road and Apache Boulevard, was demolished in February 2007, despite the protests of community members and historic preservationists.

The University announced at the time that it had plans to incorporate the dome into the design of the new honors college facility but earlier this year looked to the new luxury residences at Vista del Sol to include it. Though the dome is still in storage while the University debates plans, Leah Hardesty, an ASU spokeswoman, said the University does still intend to find a use for it. "ASU is actively looking to find a new home for the former gold dome roof of the Visitor Information Center," Hardesty said.

While plans are still uncertain, Hardesty said one of the most likely options is a public ramada, or semi-enclosed shaded shelter, along a new pedestrian mall. "This mall is the major connection between the south campus residences and the center of the Tempe campus," Hardesty said. Other plans were not specified. The University allocated about $1.3 million to preserve the dome. The Arizona Preservation Foundation fought against the demolition of the building, a Valley National Bank built in 1962, because the bank lent money to build many of the new homes in Tempe. Many older Tempeans have developed a bond with the building and its specific location, a representative of the group said in 2007.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Jamie Scharer, State Press: a worker explains the system that holds the dome together. The dome was removed February 2007.]

Efforts started to save Chandler's old water tower

[Source: Edythe Jensen, Arizona Republic] -- The Chandler Historical Society has launched a "save the water tower" campaign to preserve an 88-year-old structure scheduled for demolition. The Bogle water tower at Snedigar Sportsplex is one of the last remnants of what was the town of Goodyear in south Chandler northeast of Alma School and Chandler Heights roads but neighbors have been complaining about its peeling paint.

Jim Patterson, former mayor and historical society president, is asking residents to e-mail the mayor and city council and ask them to stall the demolition. Members of the Bogle family had offered to donate the tower to the city. Spokeswoman Jane Poston said Chandler is interested in the site for a future municipal well but the water tower would need to come down first. For information on the preservation campaign, call 480-782-2717.