Walt Lockley

City of Phoenix "Mid-Century Marvels"

The following list is the 25 Phoenix properties chosen by the City of Phoenix in 2007 as significant.

The entire list doesn't appear to be on the web, although some of Mr. Lundgren's very nice photos are here, and most of the list is here.

Their brochure reads, "Phoenix experienced unprecdented growth just after the Second World War. With this growth came new architecture in the form of offices, banks, stoes and government buildings, to name a few. These buildings are disappearing from the landscape. The Phoenix Historic Preservation Office is embarking on a survey and designation project of postwar architecture. The project will document the best examples of the period and bring attention to their significance. Eligible buildings will be placed on the Phoenix Historic Property Register and the National Register of Historic Places."

All 25 are in the City of Phoenix of course.

1. 300 Bowl (1960), 1911 West Bethany Home Road

2. Basha's Grocery Store (1956), 3320 North 7th Avenue

3. City Center Motel (1958), 612 West Van Buren Street

4. County Supervisors Auditorium and Office (1962, 1973), 205 West Jefferson Street

5. Courtesy Chevrolet Sign (1957), 1233 East Camelback Road

6. Crown Filter Queen (1955), 1800 West Van Buren Street

7. Farmer and Stockmens Bank (1951), 5001 East Washington

8. Federal Building (1961), 230 North 1st Avenue

9. Phoenix Financial Center (1964, 1970), 3443 North Central Avenue

10. Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Co. / Gould Evans Office (1960), 3136 North 3rd Avenue

11. Hanny's Department Store (1947), 40 North 1st Street

12. Hiway House Convention Center / Celebrity Theater (1964), 440 North 32nd Street

13. Lou Registers Furniture / Copenhagen Imports (1954), 1701 East Camelback Road

14. Mountain Bell Plaza (1972), 3033 North 3rd Street

15. Phoenix Municipal Building and City Council Chambers (1963), 251 W. Washington

16. Phoenix Towers (1956), 2201 North Central Avenue

17. Rosenzweig Center (1962-1967), North Central Avenue and Clarendon Street

18. Stewart Motor Co. / Circles Discs & Tapes (1947), 802 N. Central Avenue

19. Tovrea Land and Cattle Co./ Stockyards Restaurant (1954), 5009 East Washington

20. Valley Center / Chase Tower (1972), 201 North Central Avenue

21. Valley National Bank Branch (1955), 1505 North 1st Street

22. Valley National Bank Branch (1967), 201 West Indian School Road

23. Valley National Bank Branch (1967), 4401 East Camelback Road

24. Memorial Coliseum (1964), 1326 W. McDowell Road

25. Western Savings, Souper Salad (1974), 1005 North Metro Parkway

With all respect to Barbara Stocklin and the Historical Preservation Office and the city, it was easy to come up with an entirely new group of twenty-five more buildings straying out of Phoenix into Scottsdale and Mesa.

Just to show off? No. Well sorta. Mainly to demonstrate that much of the existing substance and texture of this city comes from the 1950s and 1960s.

Complete? No way. You might have your own list of yet another 25 beautiful and bizarre mid-Century buildings, just waiting to be recognized.

1. The Lykes House, Frank Lloyd Wright.

2. Gammage Auditorium, Frank Lloyd Wright, ASU campus, Tempe.

3. Social Science Building, ASU campus, Tempe.

4. Hayden Library, ASU campus, Tempe.

5. An example Ralph Haver home, any of them, chosen at random.

6. The Triad, Al Beadle, the only Case Study residence outside California.

7. Three Fountains, Al Beadle.

8. White Gates Property, Al Beadle.

9. The Paul Coze mural at Airport Terminal 2.

10. Arizona Title Building, 111 West Monroe, Weaver and Drover.