Pbenjamin, I guess I don't understand then.

What exactly is a Goldwater library? I assumed it was a bunch of Goldwater crap that was preserved (ironic) and the gwi wanted displayed....?

I think you think the Goldwater Institute has a lot more to do with Barry Goldwater than it does. When Barry was old and near death the group asked to use his name, who knows how with it he even was at the time. A lot of the stuff the GWI does is directly in opposition with positions Goldwater took when he was alive/with it. The GWI is merely an independent 'think' tank, Barry's family isn't involved, and from everything thats been public about this museum/library, its in no way related to the Institute. Just like Barry's collection of Katchina dolls at the Hear Museum aren't owned or in any way affiliated with the GWI.

This is the first I've heard of the library.

So it's goldwaters family looking for a place to store things? The act of asking for free land sounds very conservative and annoying.

I don't know if its family thats behind the museum or if there's some kind of Goldwater history group or what exactly. Umass-Boston donated land to build the JFK museum, that sort of thing is common with these kinds of museums. Unfortunately Barry didn't go to college, so there's not a natural fit w/ a college that would necessarily donate land. PHX would make some sense since like I said he was a Councilman here.

But its unfortunate that whoever is behind the library didn't see the upside of making it part of a multi-use development. It would've been cool as a ground floor space of an ASU Downtown building or something.

Just a picture I took today from Central Station:


http://imageshack.us/a/img534/7691/3...7946891966.jpg

Goldwater Library
 

It's a shame they couldn't work something out in downtown Phoenix since the Goldwater people claim they are putting 30 million dollars into it.

"It was. However I checked into it and the issue was the library wanted free city owned land in the business core and would build only one story. That doesn't make sense. The city offered to incorporate them into a larger development but didn't insist it build an apartment. Second, the library still is not funded and it wanted the land tied up now. Finally. With the exception of the Kennedy and Reagan libraries, even presidential libraries are economic duds. So it would have been a really poor choice to give away free some prime real estate for a one story development that would not bring economic activity."

This is exactly what i was thinking. Its a fine idea to bring the Goldwater papers downtown, but to take up space in our limited core with a stand alone, do-nothing building is not a good plan. Again, I'm glad Phoenix is starting to understand that you cant just let people do anything they want downtown, it has to make sense as a whole.

If they had gotten free city land, the Goldwater Institute would likely have sued.

Too bad the old Goldwater house on Central is gone. That would have been a good fit.

Wasn't there a Goldwater's at Park Central where the clock is? Put it there.

I don't even know about this house, must be before my time. Have any pictures or recall where it was?

there was! Park Central spelt the death knell for Downtown retail when Goldwaters and Diamonds move out there to the 'cow pastures'.

According to this, he was born at 710 N. Central, which Barry estimates as the north end of the Westward Ho. So that house has been long gone.

http://www.historicalleague.org/inte...0Goldwater.pdf

However, I seem to have some recollection that somebody in the Goldwater family (I thought Barry, but maybe not) lived somewhere else on Central a little further north closer to McDowell. Of course, I could be confusing things, which I have a tendency to do.

Monroe Professional Building
 

Perhaps this is recycled news, but at least a change from the BG mess.
http://www.statepress.com/2012/10/25...nt-apartments/

I don't really care what goes in there, but hope something does soon. It is such a beautiful building and, even in its current abandonment, is a landmark within downtown. It is a shame that it is not being used.

hope asu stays uninterested.
 

Sorry if this has been posted a million times... but why did it not become a hotel? Was it only cause the people who owned it went belly up?

This building seems perfect for a hotel with a nice resturant. I would be disappointed to see it used for classrooms or student housing, simply because of how many more people would be able to use this building if it was a hotel with a resturant.

If no one has/wants to spend the money, what exactly would propose happens?

Wait til someone does have the money.

It's not like Phoenix has a plethora of historic buildings, the ones we do have should be used in the best way possible. Even if that means waiting 10 more years for it to happen.

I'd rather wait 10 years to have a landmark hotel created, than have a building of classrooms (which most of us would never use) built now.

Classrooms might be okay if integrated into a mixed use building- would definitely help ASU become more a part of downtown, beyond the small campus it has built for itself to the north. I've actually thought that they should lease some space at Luhrs. It would be nice to see them extend to the south, at least.

I definitely agree that the Professional Building's use should be primarily public- IOW, not student housing. I think my hopes have just been set too high with the Hotel Monroe proposal to settle for much less.

Since lack of dedicated parking seems to be one of the main deterrents, does anyone any ideas on how that could be resolved? Wasn't there some crazy parking solution proposed at some point involving elevators and such- maybe for the Sliver building next door?

Its easy enough, the hotel would just have to work out a deal w/ a nearby parking garage and have valets take cars there. The Chase Tower garage would work for instance.

Agreed. Many downtown hotels all over the country lack their own dedicated parking and make arrangements with nearby garages. This shouldn't be a deal breaker.