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I think that is the st James. The Madison was a Victorian though wish that stayed.

Mayor Stanton issued a statement about his talks with the suns...

"I support historic preservation because how we treat our past says a lot about our future, and part of our city's rich history includes the Madison and St. James hotels. When I learned of the Suns' intention to demolish both buildings, I personally asked them to meet with me and discuss preserving all or at least some portion of the site. The Suns agreed to save a portion of the St. James, a hotel that is on the National Register of Historic Places, and I appreciate that the Suns changed their plan and accommodated my request. This instance highlights a larger policy issue our city faces. The city's current investment in historic structures is inadequate, and if we really want to be serious about preserving historic buildings in the future, we need to find better financial solutions. As Mayor, I will make it a priority to build a bridge from our rich history to our new development."

http://www.kpho.com/story/19848606/s...st-james-hotel

Phoenix's DT development plan: build mediocre buildings, knockdown existing structures and replace with:
A) a dirt lot or
B) pave it over for a parking lot to service the new auto-oriented building.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phxguy (Post 5870074)

Was just down there about an hour ago. I sat there in complete awe yet anger while they tore apart the building. With each swipe another layer of the hotel was exposed, old wooden walls, doors, mattresses. Micheal Levine was being interviewed at the same time. I thought maybe... Just maybe Phoenix might finally start understanding how important historical preservation/ adaptive reuse is; then this happens. Before I continue venting I also have good news. Construction for the apartments on Mckinley and 2nd Ave has begun. Rebar is up.

This is such a disgrace. The complete disrespect our business owners and developers show for the very little history that Phoenix has to show is really sad. And it comes down to laziness and lack of creativity. Instead of trying to figure out how to do something awesome with what is already there, they opt for the easy way out and tear it down. So heart breaking.

We need at least 5 more Michael Lavine's in this city. It is not only about keeping our old buildings, but also about transforming them and creating something that comes back to life.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arquitect (Post 5871054)

It really shows what a poor, short sighted businessman Robert Sarver is. Sarver wanted to build a hotel (the W) during the economic boom. If he still wants to get into the hotel building business, this lot would've been a perfect place to build a cool, boutique hotel that incorporated these buildings.

Something along the lines of these 21c Museum Hotels. Instead he tries to create a blank slate/lot so that maybe in the future he can built another generic, soulless, post modernist box. Blargggg.

If it makes anyone feel any better, I know the Mayor personally met with Sarver multiple times begging him not to knock these buildings down. They offered to close down Madison St (at the City's expense) on game days and make it a VIP parking area. They offered up parking space in the City owned Barrister building, et cetera.

It really seems like Sarver & Co were just being assholes to be assholes.

I am at the Madison demo site right now. I talked to the foreman about salvaging stuff from the building. Apparently everything is going straight to the dump. He said a security guard wan't even letting people salvage bricks, it's all being trashed. Although he let me snag a few bricks. He also said there were some cool doors/door handles that people wanted but wouldn't save. He also said they found two really cool and old safes that are going to the dump. They don't have the front doors, but are cool. If anyone is interested he told me if I or someone were to come by in the morning, he could maybe set them aside. They would be great to salvage.

Nevermind now his boss wants them. At least they aren't going to the dump.

The City of Phoenix doesn't have a mandatory demolition recycling program for buildings? Nearly everywhere over here you can't demolish anything without recycling or re-using at least a percentage in some capacity.

The new CalGreen code mandates some of these things statewide and in most CA cities you can't get a building permit for anything new (including a parking lot) unless you participate.

What a waste.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phxguy (Post 5870074)

Construction for the apartments on Mckinley and 2nd Ave has begun. Rebar is up.

What are the apartments going to be like? Will these be market rate apartments? Student oriented? Does the developer have a web page? I can't seem to find anything online.

Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home may be sold, preserved

Quote:

The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in Phoenix that faced a bulldozer is now looking at a better future.

Wright designed the home for his son David and daughter-in-law Gladys. The house shares some of the spiral design elements of the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and was purchased earlier this year by a private company.

Steve Sells, who runs that company along with his business partner, had planned to demolish the Arcadia home and build two new houses on the lot. After preservationists and architecture lovers in Phoenix cried foul, Sells reached an agreement with the city to try and find a buyer who wants to keep the house as-is.

According to a source with knowledge of the deal, Sells tapped luxury real estate agent Robert Joffe to list and sell the house, in the hope that a potential buyer would gift the house to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. In addition, the house could be granted landmark status at the Phoenix City Council’s November 7 meeting.

http://kjzz.org/content/1210/frank-l...sold-preserved

The Professional Building is back on the market, looks like the hotel deal fell through...

Quote:

Hotel Monroe back on market; new uses mulled
Date: Friday, October 19, 2012, 3:00am MST
Mike Sunnucks
Senior Reporter- Phoenix Business Journal

The Professional Building in downtown Phoenix — better known as the Hotel Monroe — is back on the market, and its receivership owners are open to uses including student housing, college classrooms and offices to get a sale done.
That strategy comes after bids to turn the 81-year-old building into a 150-room hotel could not be finalized. The former bank and office building at the southeast corner of Monroe Street and Central Avenue has sat vacant for several years, a victim of Mortgages Ltd.’s bankruptcy.
Mark Winkleman, chief operating officer of ML Manager LLC, the Mortgages Ltd. receivership company that owns the downtown building, said a hotel would be the preferred use of the empty 13-story building just south of Chase Tower. Brokers still are talking to hotel operators and developers about the property.
Still, “we’re open to all buyers,” he said.
That could include housing to accommodate Arizona State University students, or a private venture related to downtown higher education.
ASU officials did not respond to requests for comment on whether they might be interested in the Hotel Monroe site or working with a private developer. The university has been building its presence in downtown Phoenix since city voters approved a $223 million bond in 2006 to help expand ASU’s footprint.
Winkleman said the property’s most recent suitor, Evergreen Development Co., had its $7 million deal for the building fall out of escrow. Evergreen wanted to redevelop the 157,000-square-foot building into a boutique hotel with Westroc Hotels and Resorts CEO Scott Lyon.
Evergeen executives did not respond to requests for comment.
The failed bid is part of a series of unsuccessful efforts to find a new use for the Professional Building, none of which has come to fruition. The property lacks its own parking, which creates challenges for hotels and other possible uses.
The tight financing climate as well as the building’s vacancy and prolonged exposure to the elements also are challenges to redevelopment and deals going through due diligence.
Don Keuth, CEO of the Phoenix Community Alliance, said he’s toured the building and that its condition is not bad.
“It’s in pretty decent shape,” Keuth said. “You could do student housing.”
That option might not mean an ASU dorm. There are apartment developers that offer various housing options aimed at college students in Tempe. The Phoenix School of Law and University of Arizona also have operations in downtown Phoenix.
The property took on the Hotel Monroe name based on plans by Grace Communities, the now-defunct Scottsdale developer that bought it in 2007 and began a redevelopment effort via a $27 million loan from Phoenix commercial lender Mortgages Ltd. That money ran out in 2008. Grace was unable to secure more, and construction stopped.
The building has been vacant since then, its upper floors windowless, exposed to Arizona’s weather and inhabited by birds.
Mortgages Ltd. was forced into Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization when the real estate market tanked and CEO Scott Coles committed suicide. ML Manager was born out of that downfall and has been disposing of assets such as the Hotel Monroe.

http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/p....html?page=all

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickw252 (Post 5872121)

What are the apartments going to be like? Will these be market rate apartments? Student oriented? Does the developer have a web page? I can't seem to find anything online.

It is for the native American organization.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickw252 (Post 5872121)

What are the apartments going to be like? Will these be market rate apartments? Student oriented? Does the developer have a web page? I can't seem to find anything online.

http://www.nativeconnections.org

^^ Thats their website, but they don't seem to have anything up about this project yet.

Its another one of their affordable housing projects geared at the Native community. They usually do a fairly nice job making their buildings urban and decent looking, so thats good.

Here's some info from City of PHX planner Katherine Coles on the project:

Quote:

The project consists of 70 affordable family residential units in 4 stories over a concrete podium structure. The ground floor contains 5,600 square feet of community center services fronting McKinley and leasing office fronting 2nd Avenue. The remaining ground floor consists of parking spaces accessed from the alley. The 4 floors of residential units are built around a central courtyard and provide of unit types to accommodate individuals and families.

The building will be approximately 70 feet tall.

There will be:

14 studio units
14 one bedroom units
28 two bedroom units
14 three bedroom units

And here's an image:

http://i.imgur.com/BLPaZ.gif

Quote:

Originally Posted by HX_Guy (Post 5872154)

The Professional Building is back on the market, looks like the hotel deal fell through...

Well hopefully this means the ball is rolling anyhow. I'd still like to see it turned into a hotel, Downtown PHX is woefully low on hotel rooms. Another boutique hotel to compliment the San Carlos would be nice.

I wonder if maybe ASU could buy it and run it as a hotel for their Hospitality Management students.

I know NAU has a really big/good school of Hotel & Restaurant Management, I'm not sure exactly what degrees ASU offers in that field. Though w/ NAUs ever expanding presence in PHX maybe even they could be approached about running the hotel, maybe it could be a special program for Grad students to get on the job training or some such thing.

^^^^ Thanks! I couldn't find the plans for the apartments for the life of me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by HX_Guy (Post 5872154)

The property lacks its own parking, which creates challenges for hotels and other possible uses.

Maybe Sarver will buy the Professional Building and fix that problem. :notacrook:

I don't know if anyone else has noticed.

1. The building directly south of George and Dragon is being rehabbed and they are advertising retail/restaurant space with patio.

2. The Black Theater Troupe building on Washington and 13th Street is nearing completion.

3. The future home of Ballet Arizona sign is now up on their building and demo inside the building has begun.

4. The NWC of 40th Street and Campbell (the dirt lot with overlow parking for LGO) has a liquor license application. I examined it and the applicant name is Ingo's Burger Shop so I asked the coffee girl and she said they are trying to open it soon and it will maintain the parking on that parcel so a small burger shop. Even if it sucks, chances are it will be insanely popular and that intersection will be even more of a clusterfuck... if the city were smart, they would turn those wide ass streets into legal paralel parking. Even with the bike lanes on Campbell and 40th, which I use on almost a daily basis (well sometimes, I don't always ride "in" the bike lane on those streets), there is plenty of room.

Does anyone know what is going to open in the ground floor of the building on the NEC of 1st St and Washington? The windows are all taped up and there is some sort of permit taped to the door but I didn't have a chance to read it. It used to be a breakfast or coffee place I think.

are you talking about the old First Watch space?

What color is the permit? If it's green, then we're getting a lunch or dinner place with a bar I'd assume. The address is 1 n 1st street but I can't find anything on it.

This is all I can find:

http://phoenix.gov/haht-bin/hsrun/pa...64&PID=1902397

Cartel is suppose to be moving into the old First Watch space and expanding their food options along with adding alcohol. Last I heard they were opening in September.....

Walked by last week and I would say they have either backed out or slowed their roll because very little has been done since they gutted it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHXflyer (Post 5872527)

Interesting. I was hoping for a nightclub/nightlife spot there. There's already a few there on Washington, and one there would help further connect those establishments on Washington/2nd with the nightlife in CityScape (Stand Up Live, Lucky Strike, Gypsy Bar).

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