Barney Gonzales, son of the architect Bennie Gonzales, addressed the North Mountain Village Planning Committee members at a July 15 meeting as the community made the case for historic overlay zoning for the 57-year-old Acacia Library (photo by Kathryn M. Miller).
Sunnyslope’s Acacia Library represents more than just a place to check out books and media. To the community members who showed up to speak at the North Mountain Village Planning Committee (VPC) meeting on July 15, it has been a place to learn English and seek higher education, a place to escape, a place to dream and a place that showcases the legacy of well-known Valley architect Bennie Gonzales.
At the end of the day, it is the preservation of Phoenix history – of the building, the area and the people – that is at the forefront of a current move to obtain Historic Preservation Overlay zoning status for the library, which was built in 1969. A cause spearheaded by Julia Taggart, president of the Sunnyslope Historical Society, and one that the nonprofit Preserve Phoenix fully supports.
Preserve Phoenix is the only historic preservation advocacy organization in Phoenix, although there are many other groups that work within specific neighborhoods, particular eras or in Arizona more broadly. The volunteer board is small, but the work is important, says board president Erin Lindsey, and as an Arizona native and founder of the Phoenix Art Deco Society, work that is close to her heart.
The Society is “how I met all of these crazy preservation people. They sucked me in – in a really great way – and it totally changed my life,” Lindsey said. “It feels good to make a difference with some really awesome preservationists who have been doing this for years and years and years.”
The organization’s mission is to preserve and protect the city’s historic buildings, neighborhoods and districts, and through their efforts, the history of Phoenix unfolds.
“When you start investing in the history, even individually learning about the where you’re from, where you’re living, you have this connection to it, and that builds community and it builds culture,” Lindsey said. “Sometimes the culture of Phoenix seems really weird. Not a lot of people are from here or they move and come back, or they’re transplants. But there’s something about the history, a tangible history in a building that you can experience if it’s still around for you to enjoy and learn about. You build camaraderie with your neighbor, with the place that you’re from. Sometimes the identity of Phoenix gets so lost. I think that identity is here in our historic buildings.”
One of the biggest threats to historic preservation is the sheer amount of new development – “it is so much easier to just tear things down,” Lindsey said. But the organization is not anti-development or anti-progress, and they don’t want developers to see historic preservation as a roadblock.
“We want people to know that protecting these buildings doesn’t just mean protecting it for the sake of it still being there,” she said. “It means adaptively reusing them and encouraging developers and the city and to think outside of the box when it comes to redevelopment, especially in downtown. Historic preservation adds value to a development; there’s a way that we can all coexist and create something really great for our city while also honoring the past.”
A big win for preservation community came in March this year, when a new owner stepped in to save the Mystery Castle. Another came on July 17 with ASU’s withdrawal of legal action against downtown’s Louis Emerson House, as they sought to acquire the property through eminent domain. Built in 1902 – 10 years before Arizona become a state – Preserve Phoenix considers it an irreplaceable Phoenix landmark.
“Oftentimes, the loses in preservation weigh heavy on us,” Lindsey told us after the announcement. “So, to have a win this big is something worth celebrating and we are so thankful to everyone who wrote letters, signed the petition and shared the story of the Emerson House – our voices do matter, and this is the proof!”
Residents who want to learn more about local preservation efforts can join Preserve Phoenix at the Louis Emerson House for a casual celebration and open house on First Friday, Aug. 7. Also, a happy hour event is in the works at Sunnyslope’s popular Let it Roll Bowl (12th Street and Dunlap Avenue), which features a preservation-worthy Pierson and Miller 1960 exterior. Details will be announced soon. Learn more at www.preservephx.org.
As for the North Central cases in the overly zoning process, the North Mountain VPC voted unanimously to move the Acacia Library case forward. The Roman Roads historic preservation case was recommended unanimously by the Camelback East VPC on July 7. Both cases will be heard by the Planning Commission on Aug. 6 and Phoenix City Council on Sept. 9. Find information at www.phoenix.gov – search “Historic Preservation.”
