Blog Archives
Touring downtown Phoenix… by bike
Visiting the murals in the alley behind 5th St. near Roosevelt (photo source: Tony Arranaga)
[Source: LightRailBlogger.com] — I took my neighbors on a hour long bike tour of downtown Phoenix. Mike and Jane were not too familiar with the backstory to some of the historic sights in our urban core, so it was fun to give them some background on the landmarks in the heart of the city.
We started in the Evans Churchill neighborhood near 4th Street and Fillmore. We visited the community garden near Conspire Coffee and the murals in the alley behind 5th Street near Roosevelt in the arts district. Mike, Jane and I then went to the Phoenix Public Market, the Westward Ho and Civic Space Park. Our tour then continued south on 1st Avenue to see the Orpheum Lofts, 44 Monroe and the old City Hall.
Next. we made our way over to Hanny’s Restaurant, which used to be home to a high end department store back in the day. We then stopped by St. Mary’s Basilica where Pope John Paul II visited several years ago. Our trip ended at Heritage Square and then we stoppped for a bite to eat at Front Row – TGIFriday’s restaurant inside Chase Field where the Arizona Diamondbacks play ball.
How did I do? Where would you take friends or out of town guests to explore the heart of Phoenix? [Note: Read the full blog entry at Touring downtown Phoenix… by bike.]
Silenced bells ring again at downtown Phoenix basilica
[Source: Tony Arranaga, Channel 15] — From glory, to hard times, to papal blessings, St. Mary’s Basilica in Downtown Phoenix has weathered more than a century to sing once again. Parishoners, growing in numbers in recent years, heard silenced bells toll once again late Saturday afternoon. Jerome Doris says the three bells were silenced after the church went through a rough period with the rest of downtown.
The church spent nearly $60,000 to fix the three bells, and is looking to make other improvements to keep up with the rapid growth in that section of Phoenix. ASU’s downtown campus is up and running, so is a nearby high rise Sheraton Hotel, and the newest wing of the convention center is set to open early next year. St. Mary’s is hoping to raise two million dollars to finish other upgrades around the facility. The church is raffling a car later this month, to find out more, click here.
St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix restores historic stained-glass windows
St. Mary’s Basilica in downtown Phoenix is known for its beautiful, historic stained-glass windows. KAET’s Horizon looks at the inspiration to restore them to their original brilliance.
National Trust officials tour Valley for possible 2012 conference
Kathy Adams and Lori Feinman of the National Trust for Historic Preservation flew into town last week to view Phoenix’s convention facilities; tour selected historic sites and neighborhoods in Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Tempe; and visit with area preservation advocates to determine Phoenix’s ability to host the 2012 National Preservation Conference. Meeting them at Sky Harbor was Sally Forrest, National Accounts Director for the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Phoenix Councilman Michael Nowakowski welcomes National Trust representatives Lori Feinman and Kathy Adams. (Photo: Midtown Messenger)
The three lunched at the Hotel Valley Ho, one of the National Trust’s Historic Hotels of America, and then drove to downtown Phoenix to tour the Phoenix Convention Center, the Hyatt Regency and Wyndham hotels (two of the host hotels), and Orpheum Theatre. Barbara Stocklin, City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Officer, and Jim McPherson, Arizona Advisor to the National Trust, joined them for dinner at the Rose & Crown Pub in Heritage Square Park (a large outdoor venue that could serve as the opening reception for the 2,500-plus attendees of the 2012 conference).
Phoenix's historic Ellis Shackelford House was decked out in the colors of Arizona's state flag. (Photo: Midtown Messenger)
On Tuesday, Adams and Feinman started off the day by visiting the historic San Carlos Hotel and breakfast at Palette in the Roosevelt Historic District. Then it was a “timed-to-the minute” whirlwind van tour of First Presbyterian Church, Security Building (and ASU’s PURL overlooking the city), Monroe School (Children’s Museum of Phoenix), Phoenix Union High School Buildings (University of Arizona College of Medicine), Steele Indian School Park, Heard Museum, and several midtown residential historic districts.
State Historic Preservation Officer Jim Garrison and Modern Phoenix Founder Alison King joined the group for lunch and tour of the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa. Then it was off to drive by the Wrigley Mansion, and visit the Desert Botanical Garden, Gammage Auditorium, Pueblo Grande National Historic Landmark, and St. Mary’s Basilica. Special guests “popped in” throughout the day to say hello, provide their perspective on preservation, and tout Phoenix as a conference site: Attorney General Terry Goddard (Palette), State Senator Debbie McCune Davis (UA College of Medicine), City of Phoenix Council Member Greg Stanton (Children’s Museum), attorney Grady Gammage (Gammage Auditorium), former Phoenix mayor John Driggs, and Arizona 2012 Centennial director Karen Churchard.
Dan Klocke (Downtown Phoenix Partnership), Charles Fortenberry (Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers), John Jacquemart (Arizona Historic Sites Review Committee), and G.G. George (Encanto Citizens Association). (Photo: Midtown Messenger)
Topping off the visit was a reception at the Ellis Shackelford House in downtown Phoenix. Over 60 preservation advocates from all over the Valley (and Sierra Vista!), city officials, and downtown business group leaders attended. A balloon arch, special signage, decorations, and flowers in the colors of Arizona’s state flag welcomed our guests from the National Trust. City of Phoenix Council Member Michael Nowakowski, Garrison, Stocklin, Feinman, and McPherson said a few words, and the rest of the evening was spent enjoying each other’s company and dining on wonderful hors d’oeuvres from Catered by St. Joseph’s. Gift bags courtesy of the State Historic Preservation Office and City of Phoenix were presented to Adams and Feinman, and each attendee received a small gift as well.
