About the Ellis Building, nothing was historic then, just old.

And things like Victorians and a lot of that architecture was thought of as garish, gaudy, and obsolete compared to Space-age moments. Some of the surviving examples were saved only because owners were too poor to strip the architectural features off or fortunately clairvoyant that they would be in style again.

O'Neil Printing moving out, Hopefully that means construction is on the way:

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/...w-phoenix.html

Its funny that they dont just say "The land we were on was sold to a developer to build apartments and we got tons of money for it"

A friend of mine is the VP of sales for them, I will ask him about this when I seem him next. A year ago he told me they wouldn't be moving but clearly things change.

I had this strange notion that they went bankrupt but it's good to hear they're expanding, especially in the digital age.

Tbqh, I've hated their building so much. That kind of office park industrial should have never been built downtown.

Printing is a weird business, you could have asked somebody in the print business 30 years ago and they'd have told you for certain the industry would be dead by now, but here we are in 2019 and flyers, banners, handouts and brochures are still around and just as popular as ever

people like tactile things one of those strange industries that technology hasn't killed as expected

^ Yup. This paperless office has been a fantasy since at least the late 1990s. It still persists. Paper is too cheap and will forever be, just like plastic.

Some of the old printing items have gone the way of the dinosaur... in my line of work we used to have plan sets and reports printed up all the time. Now all of those are electronic only. Haven't used our old print shop in years.

He won't stop.

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news...evelt-11356991

Maybe Vento is becoming one of our first true benefactors for the city.

Maybe he'll build private parks, museums and opera houses :haha:

Guys like him make me feel really insignificant in this market. I'm really hoping he doesn't over-extend his obligations because I fundamentally like what he's doing, but it does seem a little overzealous.

As treasurer for the Phoenix Elementary Capital Override YES committee I can tell you that he is investing in the community as well.

I fear what will happen to the neighborhood if he goes bankrupt again. I don't like having one developer controlling so much of the neighborhood. It's top down and not organic. Roosevelt Row had a charm with its grit and unique businesses.

I agree and that's my concern here, if the guy who owns 30% if the neighborhood goes BK then everyone loses. I don't think that's in the cards here but I can't help think of it.

...or its an opportunity for people to get back into the neighborhood on the cheap at auction. ;)

^ Yeah. I mean, at the end of the day in this cycle he's done at least Cambria and is renovating various buildings. He did 44 Monroe which started as luxury condos and now its a semi-decent apartment building for people looking to get into downtown that don't need a patio (lol).

I don't know where he's getting his money but if he goes bankrupt and the lender goes bankrupt the properties will be sold at auction for whoever wants them. Maybe someone will buy the houses and another party buys Cambria and another party buys the commercial buildings he's taken over. Top down but still organic--it's odd to consider this process over time.

Tonight the Van Buren had an international food and Music Festival that encompassed about 3 blocks of the city including a musical and food area inside the Monroe street abbey.

As far as i know this is the first time in 30 years the general public has been allowed inside and they had live music, food and a bar and it was incredible.

I am not sure what the plan or funding mechanism is for the Abbey but if and when they finish it, it will be an incredible addition to downtown, it was a huge hit among the crowds.

I’ve been in the Abbey twice now and I know they do yoga events on the occasion. While the event was so-so IMO, the highlight was the church. This is one project I’m very excited about, could be a crown jewel to the local historic preservation community.

Most impressed with the destroyed Corinthian columns towards the back with the lighting, transported me to the Roman Forum.

I remember reading they want to put in restaurants and a speakeasy in the basement, and I've heard they have plenty of interested tenants, but I feel like I've been reading they're close to actually opening for well over two years now.

Them opening up for this event is a good sign that we might be closer to that point though. I'm glad public reception was so great.

http://jonesstudioinc.com/wp-content...heAbbey_09.jpg

Not sure if anyone caught this, but a fight appears to be brewing over the redevelopment of the parking lot of the Shepard of the Valley Lutheran church and it's trees off 15th Ave and Maryland. The current plan is to build 34 two-story single family homes in a gated lot. The church did not inform or disclose the plans to the are residents and will be removing the 50 year old pines and a few of the buildings.

Read more at: https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news...unity-11356975

Also, Talton has his take on it even though think most of his articles are mostly too opinionated: https://www.roguecolumnist.com/rogue...hade.html#more

Good article in the New Times. It's an interesting to see how neighbors can defend a giant parking lot under the auspices of trees. I think that under the new shade plan, they'll have to replace the trees with equivalent ones. Most of the lots will be on open grass or asphalt. I suspect that the angst is with those new neighbors and their oh-so-superior second floors.