Nov/Dec 2022

SUBTITLE $5.99 NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022 SERVING CONTRACTING FIRMS AND THE ARIZONA COMMUNITY. . . THEN & NOW

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 6

PLEASURE-DOMES WITH PARKING: A HISTORY OF PHOENIX’S MALLS THE SEISMIC RETAIL WAVE THAT HIT PHOENIX: METROCENTER WELTON BECKET AND ASSOCIATES: THE TALE OF THREE PHOENIX MALLS ARCHITECT JERRY CLARK AIDS DOWNTOWN PHOENIX’S SKYWARD GROWTH UNFETTERED SHOPPING: PARK CENTRAL’S UNIQUE CHILDREN’S NURSERY PARK CENTRAL MOTOR HOTEL: LIFE AT A MID-CENTURY MINI-RESORT

Arizona’s Timeless Have a wonderful MerryMagazine Christmas!

SPECIAL EDITION ACC MAGAZINE WINS COVETED HISTORY AWARD!

‘TWAS A MALL, MALL WORLD:

VALLEY SHOPPING THROUGH THE DECADES AMERIS STARTS EDISON MIDTOWN CONDOS

CANNON & WENDT ELECTRIFY BETMGM SPORTSBOOK

WSM’S JOHN CADZOW’S BIG-RIG TOY COLLECTION

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Publisher Billy Horner billy@arizcc.com Books on 7th Avenue / Ignite Sign Art Museum Store

FAVORITE LOCAL STORE?

Editor Douglas Towne douglas@arizcc.com

Contributors James Logan Abell, FAIA Brass Armadillo John Bueker Antique Mall Aaron Gilbreath Desert Rat Offroad Bill Kelton Truck Center George H. King Jeff Kronenfeld Goodwill Jay Mark Luke M. Snell Johnny Rocket Doug Sydnor because it’s fun

The Container Store Stinkweeds Records La Gattara Cat Cafe

Phoenix Art Museum Gift to see the waitStore staff singing Production Manager the oldies.

Laura Horner

laura@arizcc.com

Publisher’s Representative Barry Warner Acoustic Vibes barry@arizcc.com Music P R I N T | PA C K A G I N G | M A I L I N G | F U L F I L L M E N T E C O - F R I E N D LY S O L U T I O N S

In Memoriam Charles “Chuck” Runbeck 1928 - 2020 Advertising 602-931-0069 arizcc.com/advertise 2022 winner of Arizona Historical Society’s Al Merito Award, the group’s highest honor.

Subscriptions: Online at arizcc.com Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community… Then & Now

O 602 254 2427 F 602 258 1076 2 0 2 0 N 2 2 N D AV E P H O E N I X A Z 8 5 0 0 9 W W W. L I T H O T E C H A Z . C O M

TEN

Arizona Contractor & Community (ACC) magazine is published bi-monthly (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct, Nov/Dec). ACC is a professional publication designed for the contracting industry, engineers, architects, equipment rentals, suppliers, and others interested in Arizona and its history.

Content including text, photographs or illustrations may not be reproduced without the written permission from the publisher. The publisher does not assume responsibility for unsolicited submissions.

ACC reserves the right to reject any editorial and advertising material and reserves the right to edit all submitted content material.

Arizona Contractor & Community Copyright © 2022 All rights reserved.

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Contributors - Aaron Gilbreath & Luke Snell From The Editor: Arizona Contractor & Community Covers Makes History With Award - Douglas Towne Construction Around Arizona: Projects • People • Practices Back When: Park Central Shopping City’s Park-and-Shop Nursery - Billy Horner ‘Twas a Mall, Mall World: Valley Shopping Through the Decades - Jay Mark Pleasure-Domes With Parking: A Personal History of Phoenix’s Malls - Aaron Gilbreath The Seismic Retail Wave That Hit Phoenix: The Boisterous Beginnings of Metrocenter - John Bueker Sweet Frozen Music: The Architecture of Jerry Clark James Logan Abell, FAIA Old School Equipment: Barber-Greene’s XL-50 Continuous Excavator - Billy Horner Building on the Past - 1968: Park Central Motor Hotel Billy Horner Architect’s Perspective - Welton Becket and Associates: Tale of Three Phoenix Malls - Doug Sydnor, FAIA

86

Digging Through the Archives: Bill Rucker - Billy Horner

92

Bid Results

94

Advertising Index

Front Cover Groundbreaking ceremony at Chris-Town Shopping City, 1960.

Article on page 48

TWELVE

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CONTRIBUTORS

AARON GILBREATH ARTICLE ON PAGE 56

B

CORRECTION In our Sep-Oct 2022 edition, we stated the Roman Candelaria “rolled a 641 scraper.” He actually photographed the scraper on its side when working for Peter Kiewit on a project in Sanders, Arizona. “No one was injured or fired, and the machine was fine,” Candelaria said.

never miss a news update get your name on the list arizcc.com/news

FOURTEEN

orn in Phoenix and schooled in Tucson, Aaron Gilbreath lives in Portland, Oregon but will always be a desert rat at heart.

Aaron’s family moved from Oklahoma to Florence, Arizona, in 1946. His granddad, Tommie Gilbreath, was a carpenter who got into Arizona’s booming post-war construction at Del Webb, and Aaron’s father, Joe Gilbreath, worked in construction and land development, too. Joe taught Aaron about Arizona, from plant names to historical sites to the differences between red and green chili burros.

Aaron became a writer in love with the West. His essays have appeared in Harper’s, The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Dublin Review, High Country News, and Fretboard Journal. He’s been nominated for a James Beard Award, and recognized in the Best American Essays, Best American Travel Writing, and Best American Sports Writing anthologies.

His third book, The Heart of California: Exploring the San Joaquin Valley, was a finalist for the 2022 Oregon Book Award, and his second book, This Is: Essays on Jazz, came out a few days after his daughter’s birth.

His newest book is about the cult classic 1994 rock album Deconstruction, made by two members of the band Jane’s Addiction.

Portland is a true food city, but the refried beans here just don’t taste like home, and people get confused when you order a burro.

LUKE SNELL ARTICLE ON PAGE 45

L

ongtime Arizona Contractor & Community magazine contributor Luke M. Snell recently received an Honorary Membership in the American Concrete Institute (ACI). Luke has served on numerous ACI committees during his career and has been instrumental in starting ACI chapters in Mongolia, Algeria, and Ethiopia.

The professional organization previously recognized his work in the concrete field with the 2015 ACI Certification Award, 2008 ACI Henry L. Kennedy Award, 2002 ACI Educational Committee Member of the Year Award, 1997 ACI Chapter Activities Award, and 1995 ACI Joe W. Kelly Award.

Luke is an Emeritus Professor of Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

He has done extensive consulting work on construction and concrete problems throughout the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Mongolia, and Algeria. In addition, Luke has worked with China, India, Saudi Arabia, and Taiwan to start concrete certification programs. His resume includes more than 300 articles on concrete, construction materials, and construction education.

Other honors for Luke include being named one of the “Ten Most Influential People of the Year in the Concrete Industry” by Concrete Construction and Concrete Producer magazines in 2007. Snell’s other awards include an honorary doctorate from Aria University of Sciences and Sustainability (2011) and Construction Laureate of Mongolia (2007). He is a licensed professional engineer in Missouri and Illinois.

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ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Image Courtesy of AHS

EDITOR’S COLUMN:

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY COVERS MAKES HISTORY WITH AWARD

Image Courtesy of Food, Art Culture

SIXTEEN

in this issue, I, too, had a ravenous affair with “The Straw.” The pastrami, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut sandwich at the original Miracle Mile Delicatessen was, for me, the highlight of Park Central Mall.

Unfortunately, the deli is no longer at Park Central but has new outlets that offer “The Straw.” Still, it’s not the same as enjoying one during a busy workday lunch at the Al Beadle-designed interior.

From the first shopping malls to oldschool equipment used in their construction, Arizona Contractor & Community covers the history of our industry and its community. So, it is especially meaningful that our publication was recently in the unusual position of making history instead of publishing it. Last month, the state’s preeminent historical group, the Arizona Historical Society, recognized ACC Above: AHS Board Member Tom Foster presents the Al Merito Award to Billy Horner, Laura Horner, and Douglas Towne.

Left: “The Straw” sandwich at Miracle Mile Deli.

RIght: Al Merito Award plaque.

Image Courtesy of Dou

I

have a confession to make: malls aren’t my jam. Oh sure, I have a few fond memories of University Hills, Cinderella City, and Buckingham Square shopping centers, aka “Pleasure Domes with Parking,” having grown up in Denver. But since venturing to Arizona as a young adult many years ago, my relationship with malls has been virtually non-existent—with one exception.

As Douglas Sydnor, our architectural columnist alluded to in one of his articles

glas Towne

DOUGLAS TOWNE

magazine with the annual Al Merito Award.

Since 1974, AHS has given this accolade to acknowledge those who have “contributed significantly to preserving and promoting Arizona history.” Al Merito, which means “for merit” in Spanish, is AHS’s highest honor.

The story of ACC’s Al Merito Award begins when, as a long-time AHS member, I saw the organization’s call for nominations.

Then, in one of those “What the heck?” moments where some might, on a whim, purchase a few lottery tickets, I decided to put forward the magazine. The difference was that the nomination process was much more work than scratching off a few tickets or selecting random numbers.

I sent off what turned out to be a four-page essay since it turns out that NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

Images Courtesy of AHS

adequately describing our hybrid publication gets pretty complicated. Nevertheless, I felt good about throwing our hat in the ring. Kind of like the time long ago when the Miller beer distributor walked into The Draught Board tavern at the University of Denver with some swag to give away, and I nailed a Lite Beer knit cap.

Tom Foster, a member of the AHS board of directors, notified me that we had been selected. He said that not only had ACC magazine won the award, but it had also made history as the first publication to be so honored. Prior winners had typically been distinguished historians, museums, and historical societies. We’re humbled our magazine will be added to such an impressive group. A few names of past winners include former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, James Babbitt (Bruce’s brother), Dr. James Griffith, Arizona State Historian Marshall Trimble, former Phoenix Mayor John Driggs, and Vic Linoff, aka Jay Mark, who is a frequent contributor to our publication.

Competition for the award was stiff, with 18 applications, but ACC magazine won unanimously. We had a strong advocate in Sherry Rampy, the Maricopa County representative on the AHS board. I had met Sherry years before as, get this, both she and my wife, Maureen, used the same hairdresser. This connection has put the kibosh on future complaints about the cost of my better half’s coiffeur.

Billy Horner, Laura Horner, and I were invited to the annual meeting to receive the award. In a brief speech, I dedicated the moment to our late advertising manager, Chuck Runbeck, without whom the magazine would never have become a reality. We hope Chuck was there in spirit.

His image certainly was as Laura held an

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enlarged photo of our beloved partner to Top left: AHS Board President Linda Whitaensure his efforts were commemorated. ker and AHS Executive Director Dr. David We want to thank AHS staff, especially Breeckner.

Executive Director Dr. David Breeckner, Above: Douglas Towne dedicates the award to Outreach Coordinator Shelley Coriell, and the late Charles “Chuck” Runbeck.

Grants Coordinator Jason Mihalic for rolling out the red carpet for us. The magazine is with the honor, it will make our shared goal appreciative of the recognition the award of capturing the history of our great state a gives us. But we’re even more grateful that, bit easier.

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Projects . PEOPLE . PRACTICES

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA

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A

mericans love to shop, and developers have been exploring ways to attract them into their retail shops for decades.

Up until the mid-1900s, shopping activity focused in town centers, with the streets lined with shops offering enticing services and products. In Downtown Phoenix, pedestrians enjoyed shaded walkways and arcades. Smaller communities such as Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, and Gilbert had downtowns with a “Main Street” feel.

The original townsite grid for these communities often had a central plaza or park, such as Phoenix’s Patriot’s Park (since demolished), Glendale’s Murphy Park, created in 1909, and the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza in Prescott, which debuted in ARIZCC.COM

1912. Such public spaces often host celebrations, commemorations, campaign kickoffs, concerts, outdoor movies, and festivals. They are treasured urban and public spaces and, both geographically and spiritually, are the center of the community.

Starting in the 1950s, a new retail experience with outdoor malls opened for Phoenix-area residents. The initial offering was Park Central Shopping City (now Park Central Mall) at Central Avenue and Earll Drive in 1957. Goldwater’s, Diamonds, and J.C. Penney department stores anchored the mall and were connected by a linear series of stores and restaurants.

Los Angeles-based Welton Becket designed Park Central; J. John Schotanus, Jr, AIA, served as the project architect.

Schotanus decided to stay in Phoenix, left the firm, and started his own local practice in 1959. Schotanus designed the Scottsdale Fashion Square outdoor mall at the northwest corner of Scottsdale Road and Camelback Road in 1961.

In 1963, the Biltmore Fashion Park outdoor mall, designed by Welton Becket, was completed at the northeast corner of 24th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix, with anchor stores I. Magnin and Saks Fifth Avenue. This commission followed the pattern of California-based developers and architectural firms bringing this retail concept to the Sonoran Desert.

The first air-conditioned shopping center was Chris-town Mall, located at 1703 West Bethany Home Road in Phoenix in 1961. Designed by Victor Gruen Associates, also based in Los Angeles, this mall became the new preferred type of retail center. I toured Chris-Town when it opened, impressed with the pleasant interiors with tall spaces, water features, bird aviary, landscaping, skylights, comfortable seating, curved ceilings, and high-quality finishes. Korrick’s, Montgomery Ward, Above: Kierland Commons.

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Above: Kierland Commons public plaza.

Below: Scottsdale Quarter streetscape.

Below Middle: The Quad at Scottsdale Quarter.

Below right: Scottsdale Quarter apartments.

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crosswalk connects them. These developments seek to recreate Main Street, but each uses a different design strategy.

Kierland Commons, constructed from 1995-2000, is on leased property owned by the Herberger Family. This 730acre master-planned community includes the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa with a 27-hole golf course and 600,000 square feet of shopping, dining, entertainment, office, and the upscale Plaza Lofts condominiums. For building design, Woodbine Development Corporation of Dallas commissioned Denver-based Design Workshop, Inc., Communication Arts, Inc. of Boulder, Colorado, and Scottsdale-based Nelsen Architects (now Nelsen Partners).

This design team wanted to create a “Lifestyle Center” where a community gathering place was provided and a core retail complex on 38 acres with 75 stores.

The original anchor stores included Crate & Barrel, Barnes & Noble, and other shops, including Anthropologie, Banana Republic, BCBG Max Azria, Coach, and J. Crew.

The master plan creates a tight grid of narrow two-way streets with angled on-street parking. Additional parking is found at the property perimeter, a suburban idea. Structures are typically one or two stories, but the nine-story lofts afford grand vistas. Initially, a public plaza featured a splash pad, which proved popular, especially during summer concerts and other special events. However, this public

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

Images Courtesy of Author

Woolworth, Kresge, and J.C. Penney served as anchor stores.

Indoor malls then became the rage, including three local centers: Thomas Mall in Phoenix in 1967, Los Arcos Mall in Scottsdale in 1969, and Fiesta Mall in Mesa in 1979. In later years Westcor (now Macerich) developed the next generation of malls, including Metrocenter, Paradise Valley Mall, Arrowhead Mall, Superstition Springs Mall, Chandler Fashion Mall, and Scottsdale Fashion Square.

There is, however, a growing nostalgia for recreating the outdoor ambiance of the original “Main Street.” People were missing public spaces to gather, make connections, and socialize. They were looking for opportunities to reengage on the streets, enjoy outdoor environments while shopping and al fresco dining. Along this linear experience, there was a desire to create a central plaza or landscaped park setting to relax in an outdoor setting.

Two-mixed use developments of this type are along Scottsdale Road: Kierland Commons in Phoenix and the Scottsdale Quarter in Scottsdale. Although bisected by six-lanes of traffic, a wide landscaped median with an S-shaped pedestrian

space was later diminished with the construction of a restaurant.

Scottsdale Quarter opened at 15059 North Scottsdale Road on 28 acres in 2009.

The development accommodates 1.2 million square feet of retail, restaurants, office, and apartments. It was envisioned as an “Open Air Center,” with a grid of narrow streets with parallel parking, accompanied by two parking structures. The 97 retail outlets include Bath & Body Works, Design Within Reach, Dominick’s Steak House, Pottery Barn, Gap, and Restoration Hardware. The development offers Class A office space on the upper levels at the west and east edges, including 18 office suites.

Residential options include the Broadstone Scottsdale Quarter.

The development is centered on “The Quad,” an ample public open space with a date palm grove for shade, a splash pad, lounge areas, al fresco dining, retail shops, and a drop-off/pick-up zone. This mixeduse development has a more urban feel, created by its structures that range from four-to-eight stories.

These two mixed-use developments have been successful, judging by retail sales and design awards. They have spawned other similar “Main Street” developments, including Gilbert’s 1.2 million square foot San Tan Village. Typical design elements include effective streetscape programs with covered walkways, shade trees, colorful landscaped planters, various building materials and textures, and a host of crafted details. Building elevations and character vary from store to store, giving them more individual identities.

The project teams strived to make these retail experiences pleasant and memorable for potential customers. Their commitment to making pedestrian-scaled spaces is refreshing, as many crave this experiential alternative in our suburban grid that caters to the automobile.

Douglas B. Sydnor, FAIA, is Principal at Douglas Sydnor Architect + Associates, inc. and the author of three Arizona architecture books.

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“GIGANTICA” UNLEASHED TO AID MATERIAL SEPARATION AT SRMG’S CLARKDALE FACILITY

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this was the first request to create something of this scale. “Blueline’s Gigantica is needed when our primary crusher requires maintenance,” says SRMG’s Frank Drake.

SRMG’s purchase of such a large rock grizzly provides savings for the Arizona company in the long run, which confirms what Dees has always known. “There is a need for a big one!”

D & O Crane of Cottonwood transported Gigantica using a nine-axle semi-tractor trailer, two pilot cars, and a police escort during the early morning hours to avoid traffic and congestion. Still, the mid-October procession through central Arizona caught the attention of onlookers, some of whom photographed the transport of what is likely a piece of record-setting industrial equipment.

Dees says, “The procession wasn’t just any event—it was gigantic!”

Above: Blueline’s Rock Grizzly Below: Dale Dees

Images Courtesy of Blueline

nce Arizona’s top predator, the grizzly bear was hunted to extinction, with the last bruin likely killed on Escudilla Mountain near Alpine in 1936. The mighty animal, however, is still revered, and many products use its name, including Blueline’s Rock Grizzly, a static-screen materials separator.

“The best way to imagine a “rock grizzly” is to picture a massive colander or strainer, except instead of steaming broccoli or draining pasta, the device is used to separate materials from the earth,” says Dale Dees, owner and operator of Blueline.

“A rock grizzly, often referred to as rock screener or grizzly screen, is a static rock separator used to pre-screen bulkier loads of earth dumped by various size tractors and loaders.”

Dees adds that these stand-alone apparatuses have heavy metal slats set

on an incline that allows large material to slide out of the way while separating larger debris that would otherwise pile atop the slats. “The incline strategically directs bulk material to one side while loose soil and sediment fall beneath,” he says.

While a search of “rock grizzly” might bring up a half dozen companies that build these large separators, there are few with Dees’ expertise in designing and building them. For 17 years, Dees has been perfecting a self-cleaning and quick-change system that has made him well-known in the aggregate, mining, and construction industry.

Dees’ reputation was recently kicked up a notch when he oversaw the delivery of “Gigantica,” what is thought to be the world’s most enormous rock grizzly, from his facility in Camp Verde to Salt River Materials Group in Clarkdale. At 16 feet high, 30 feet wide, and an estimated 70,000 pounds, “Gigantica” came to life!

Though Dees has designed various-sized rock separators during his career,

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TWENTY FOUR

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

Images Courtesy of Cannon & Wendt

CANNON & WENDT LIGHTS UP BETMGM SPORTSBOOK AT STATE FARM STADIUM

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hen your favorite team covers the spread and the payoff flashes at BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium, thank Cannon & Wendt Electric Co. Their whiz-bang 265-square-foot video wall includes a whopping 38 high-definition televisions. The company’s latest project in Glendale is the first of its kind: a gaming facility located at an NFL stadium.

The BetMGM project was a bit of a challenge, according to Tyler Johnston, project manager for Cannon & Wendt.

“Managing and mitigating the risk with the supply chain issues to meet the project schedule was difficult,” he says.

The $2.9 million project consists of a new, two-story, 17,000-square-foot building near the Great Lawn at State Farm Stadium. This facility contains sports betting spaces and dining options on both building floors. Two areas are also available for conferences and meetings, with a patio overlooking the Great Lawn.

One of the unique electrical features installed on the project is the custom light fixture in the lobby, which is from Yellow Goat Design. The Canadian company also provided custom fixtures for the stadium project. Johnston personally has a favorite element. “One of the most unusual and

unique features has been the custom ceiling installed on the first floor in the gaming area,” he says.

Cannon & Wendt also installed a 400amp panel near the Great Lawn to help facilitate any additional power for special events. Of course, BetMGM has numerous wireless charging stations at the bar on the first floor to keep everybody connected.

Subcontractors used on the project include R-Directional Drilling & Underground, Firetrol Protection Systems, Inc., Western Electrical Services, and Arizona Pinnacle Engineering.

“We are proud to be part of this exciting project that will be wrapping up soon!” adds Ryan Arnold, Marketing Assistant for Cannon & Wendt.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: CHARLES RIEGEL, GENERAL FOREMAN Experience: 10 years with Cannon and Wendt Favorite job task: Sharing my knowledge with others and watching them grow in their skills.

Toughest job task: Supply chain issues, changes to the scope of work, and a lack of staffing to meet the job’s schedule.

Most memorable day at work: The day I finish a project on time and on budget.

Favorite off-job task: I enjoy the outdoors, camping, fishing, hiking, exploring, and helping others in my community thru service in my church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

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MALL IN THE FAMILY: MY SHOPPING CENTER CONNECTIONS BILL KELTON lock 23 is a live-work-play destination in the heart of Downtown Phoenix. Its sleek office tower and luxury apartments are conveniently placed above a supermarket and Blanco Tacos & Tequila restaurant.

As advertised by the current developer, they recently built Block 23 at First and Washington streets, a location tied to the history of big retail in Arizona.

Cue the Indiana Jones theme music, and let’s roll back the clock to the Arizona Territory and William Hancock’s vision of Phoenix. Block 23 was initially a park where 400 Phoenicians hanged a couple of alleged murderers in 1879, according to https://thiscouldbephx.com/. My memories of the site are not quite as dramatic or as elegant as what now stands there. Block 23 connects to our story through a man named James Cash Penney.

Penney launched a business in the early 1900s that would become a national retail enterprise called J.C. Penney’s. In the early 1950s, J.C. Penney’s built a retail store on Block 23, and it moved to the new expanded Park Central Shopping City at Central Avenue and Osborn Road in the 1960s. The vacant downtown building was subsequently used for offices by the City of Phoenix until the municipality later consolidated them in the new City Hall complex.

As a young summer intern for Edward S. Kelton Co. (ESKCO), my grandfather’s

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

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Above: Entrance for Los Arcos Mall, located at the southeast corner of Scottsdale and McDowell roads, 1971.

Left: James Cash Penney, shaking hands with J.C. Penney manager Jim Cunning at ChrisTown Mall, 1967.

Image Courtesy of John Bueker

construction company, armed with a driver’s license and a 1964 Dodge Dart office pool car, I remember running errands to this building for permits. I was always nervous about navigating the multilevel below-grade parking beneath the building with its steep and narrow ramps.

Park Central ignited an explosion of shopping malls in Arizona, led by the developer Westcor. Founded in 1964, the company developed malls throughout the Southwest. Westcor started with Scottsdale’s Los Arcos Mall in 1969, then hit it big with Metrocenter in Phoenix. The company continued to pour gas on consumers’ seemingly insatiable desire for the big mall shopping adventure.

As a teenager armed with a vehicle, cruising the malls was the 1970s equivalent

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TWENTY EIGHT

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

Image Courtesy of Arizona Daily Star

of surfing the internet because it was the most stimulation a young person could get legally. Then in 1979, I got my turn to pass it forward to all the pre-internet teenagers.

Working as a junior estimator for Edward Kelton, my grandfather, in 1979, we received an invitation to bid on a new mall to be located at 75th Avenue and Thomas Road in the West Valley. We negotiated with C.H. Leavell Company, a New York firm, and Westcor to provide the site grading. I remember clearly the tense discussions between our team and Jim Speedie, who was the principal soil engineer for Halpert and Associates.

The topic was the suitability of the site soils for the building pad. Our solution was to import sand and gravel from our pit on

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the Salt River, but Westcor saw that as a budget buster for their project. So the arm wrestling continued until we finally decided to cap the pad with low-swell material.

In my grandfather’s tradition of his sink or swim training technique, he changed my job description from estimator to superintendent and sent me to build the job I had just helped negotiate. In over my head would be an understatement. Fortunately, I had lots of help from an experienced crew and the team at C.H. Leavell, and Westcor was kind too.

In 1979, the future Westridge Mall site, now Desert Sky Mall, was a carrot field overgrown with tumbleweeds. There was a Circle K store on the corner of 67th Avenue and Thomas, and Trevor Brown High School was to the north. Otherwise, there were fields of cotton or alfalfa without any other development.

In those days, there were no personal computers, AGTEK modeling systems, GPS, or cell phones. Instead, communications in

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

Image Courtesy of Phil Berger

Above: A group, including Ed Kelton wearing a cowboy hat and tan jacket and Bill Kelton on the far right, examining a McCulloch J2 Gyrocopter, 1971.

Top right: Flagstaff Mall entrance, 2000s.

Below: Sears at Flagstaff Mall, 2000s.

the field were by radio or phone booths.

My grandfather’s primary mode of transportation was his helicopter, which allowed him to pop in at the most inopportune times to hover over some disaster you had going and shout advice over the radio.

Westcor was building malls so rapidly that Paradise Valley Mall (1978) and Flagstaff Mall (1979) had just been completed when we started work on Westridge. Many early sets of plans we received were still labeled as Flagstaff Mall because Westridge was essentially a carbon copy.

We built the Westridge site with Wabco B70 paddlewheel scrapers, Caterpillar DW20 and DW21 cable scrapers, Letourneau water pulls, and Caterpillar 12E motor graders. Nothing had a cab, and the Caterpillar scrapers used a small pony motor to start the main engine. Most of the time, the pony motors wouldn’t work, so that we would push-start them with the dozer in the morning.

Yes, dirt moving used to be an adventure. My most vivid memory was when a Terex dozer pulling a disk to process fill caught fire under the driver’s seat. The operator jumped from the machine, and I watched from across the site as the dozer continued its unmanned flaming advance toward an adjacent cotton field. As the grade foreman and I raced toward the scene from opposite sides, I played back John Wayne action movies in my head, wondering how to stop a burning run-away dozer without getting killed. To my great relief, the fire burned through the dozer’s fuel line, halting it before leaving the work site.

J.C. Penney and Richard Sears were famous department store entrepreneurs with anchor stores for every mall built in Arizona. Amazingly, both thrived from their mail-order business, became huge brickand-mortar stores, and closed due to internet shopping. Talk about a full circle in the retail industry!

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ttention—calling all Einsteins and Edisons! The new Science Complex for STEM programs and laboratory sessions at South Mountain Community College (SMCC) is open for learning and research, thanks to McCarthy Building Companies.

The $13.6 million complex, ironically, required some pretty complex thinking to complete. The 34,000-square-foot compound includes a new 19,000-square-foot Physical and Life Science building and a complete renovation of two existing buildings. The existing, structurally sound skeletons of two Life Science and Physical Science renovated buildings were utilized to stay within the project’s budget and

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: ETHAN COPES PROJECT ENGINEER Experience: 1 year with McCarthy Building Companies Favorite job task: Talking with trade partners to solve issues on the project.

Collaboration is key at McCarthy, and our partners bring a lot of knowledge and experience to the table.

facilitate the work. As part of the renovation, McCarthy made new structural connections to join the two buildings. This fusion of the two buildings and the addition of the new building creates the new SMCC Science Complex. The school’s goal is to attract and prepare future STEM students and will serve the 5,000 students on campus.

“Our students deserve a space to pursue their dreams of becoming engineers, scientists, and medical professionals,” says SMCC President Dr. Shari Olson. “The community in South Phoenix needed this new facility, and we’re bringing it to them with the latest technology and labs to help students pursue their desired careers.”

The facility at 7050 South 24th Street in Phoenix features science laboratories, lab support space, a new cadaver lab, faculty offices, and informal learning spaces.

The cadaver lab represents a much-needed addition to the facility for faculty and students pursuing degrees in the healthcare field.

“McCarthy values STEM education programs, and having the opportunity to be part of making this project a reality in South Phoenix is something we’re all very proud of,” says Mike Gonzalez, vice

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

Images Courtesy of McCarthy

SCIENCE GETS A BOOST FROM MCCARTHY AT SOUTH MOUNTAIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

president of McCarthy’s education group.

“Thanks to the extensive collaboration with SMCC and its program end-users, the designer, and our trade partners, we found solutions to challenges. As a result, this remarkable new Science Complex is being delivered earlier than planned to help more SMCC students pursue their dreams.”

Gensler served as the project’s architect and designed new classroom technology and labs by integrating a “forward-thinking” floorplan and a contemporary look with lab support areas, faculty offices, and creative learning spaces.

“We are proud to have an impact on the next generation of STEM leaders in our community with the completion of the new Science Complex,” says Martha dePlazaola Abbott, principal and managing director at Gensler Phoenix. “The design of the new building enhances the on-campus learning experience with high-functioning classroom spaces and adjacent areas to foster connections and collaboration.”

Major trade partners on the project with McCarthy included Urban Energy Solutions Inc., S&H Steel, Wholesale Floors, SKF Tile & Stone, Gothic Landscape, Marks Valley Grading, and Kinkaid Civil Construction.

Toughest job task: Submittal review and understanding of complicated issues that arise during the project.

Most memorable day at work: When the air handling unit arrived on site. We organized a brunch for our trade partners to celebrate construction safety week and the overall success of the Science Annex project.

Favorite off-job task: Golfing with my friends!

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Images Courtesy of Ameris Construction

AMERIS ADDING ANOTHER LOFTY CONDO TO PHOENIX’S MIDTOWN

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n mid-August, Ameris Construction announced the commencement of construction on Edison Midtown Phase II. The address of the 60-unit multifamily development is 3131 North Central Avenue. And its coveted location, in the heart of the Midtown neighborhood of Phoenix, is also the project’s biggest challenge.

“The build is right off Central Avenue and is the second phase of an existing build,” says Jonathan “JR” Reeter, Ameris Construction’s vice president of field operations. “We have to coordinate every aspect of the construction with the residents and don’t have ‘extra’ real estate to work with.”

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: JONATHAN “JR” REETER, VP OF FIELD OPERATIONS Experience: 6 months with Ameris Construction

Not surprisingly, the general contractor has another problem common in construction. “We are also dealing with materials being in allocation,” Reeter adds. “To overcome this, our firm is out in front of this challenge by purchasing the materials and supplies.”

This project is the second phase of Edison Midtown and has been long overdue.

“Its groundbreaking ended a six-year pause on the site’s construction,” Reeter says.

“The residents from Phase I and other local business owners are ecstatic to see the project finally come to completion with the construction of Phase II.” Tannin Developments are developing the 12-month, $16 million project. “It’s a great time to build a new construction, multifamily for-sale product,” says Dale Regehr of Tannin Developments. “There is very little of this type of inventory in the market at present. I am excited about this luxury project, which will offer beautiful new condominium homes with fabulous amenities.”

The general contractor echoed the demand for condos in Midtown. “This will

be the only for-sale product in downtown Phoenix at the time of completion - which is a big deal in today’s real estate market,” said Ameris Construction President and Partner Chris Jones. Ameris is a multifamily-focused builder. The firm, established in 2005, offers expertise in predevelopment, entitlement, preconstruction, design management, and net-zero and sustainable development.

The seven-story building has parking on the first two levels, with the upper five levels devoted to residential multifamily space. Reeter said that nothing out-of-theordinary presented itself during early construction. “We are just starting to go vertical - hopefully, nothing too unusual comes our way!”

But if it does, Reeter is confident Ameris will be able to handle it. “I’m extremely grateful to be working with such a high-caliber team to see this project come to life,” he says. The project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2023.

Below: Edison Midtown Phase II rendering.

Favorite job task: I love working with subcontractors and problem-solving any challenges that arise on their end. I don’t see anything as a “problem”; I see them as challenges, and challenges can always be resolved.

Toughest job task: Setting and adhering to a schedule is the most challenging part of the job in today’s market conditions.

Favorite off-job task: I love spending time with my 7-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son. Hearing about their day is the best part of my day. In addition, we love to plan and dream up our next adventures together.

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CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA People Images Courtesy of Trench-Ade

TRENCH-ADE EXPANDS OWNERSHIP, KEEPS SAME HIGH-QUALITY SERVICE

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ocal trench shoring equipment company, Trench-Ade, enters a new chapter under the strong partnership of the organization’s long-time owner Jeff Johnson and newcomer Michael Baer.

Trench-Ade was founded in 2008 to better support contractors and their shoring needs in the industry. Their success over the years has come from a commitment to always doing the right thing,

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providing quick and efficient service, and building strong relationships with clients around the Valley.

Trench-Ade was launched as the trench shoring division of Trafficade Service Companies, which also provided traffic control and barricade service. Johnson started Trafficade in his parent’s backyard in 1990, and it grew to more than 300 employees and three operating divisions. In 2021, Trafficade was sold to Area Wide Protective (AWP), and Johnson maintained ownership of Trench-Ade as CEO with his new partner, Baer, who serves as president.

Baer has more than 20 years of experience in the construction industry and previously served as the executive director at Sunland Asphalt & Construction before joining Johnson at Trench-Ade. The duo, with years of experience under their belts and ties throughout the industry, are excited to enter a new phase at Trench-Ade. “I started Trench-Ade 14 years ago when I saw that steel plates and shoring Above: Trench-Ade equipment yard.

Bottom left: Jeff Johnson.

Below: Michael Baer.

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Congratulations to on opening Terminal 4’s Eighth and Final Concourse!

One Team, One Goal Destination Success Thank you to all of the partners who helped make this project a success!

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA People can still be found at the company and will continue to develop industry connections.

“We have always wanted to go above and beyond the expectations of our clients, and that hasn’t changed,” Johnson says.

“We will continue to do the right thing, but through this new partnership and independence, we can give our customers the most efficient and safest experience possible.”

Trench-Ade invested in equipment, personnel, trucks, and a support team that

Top & bottom: Trench-Ade at construction sites.

exceeded its customers’ expectations in trench shoring during its previous 14 years.

With their new vision, along with three strategically located equipment yards in Arizona, Trench-Ade will do whatever it takes to continue its industry leadership by providing prompt, dependable, and friendly service in the work zone.

Images Courtesy of Trench-Ade

equipment were something my customers needed,” Johnson says. “I am now excited to fully invest my time into Trench-Ade with Mike and look to continuously improve it as our own independent entity.”

Trench-Ade will continue to provide top-quality trench shoring services and equipment but will emphasize providing a superior work environment for its employees that will help to better serve its clients.

Johnson and Baer’s vision for their legacy is to build an organization that is continuously improving, provides tools to foster leaders, and contributes to the overall success and safety of the construction industry and its workforce.

“We are building an organization where our employees and customers believe in our mission and are excited to work with Trench-Ade,” Baer says. “Our goal is not only for business growth but for each of the individuals that work with us to grow as well.”

To Johnson and Baer, this means providing an environment that truly feels like family and where their employees know they are valued and key members of the company’s success and growth.

This fresh start is beneficial to the Trench-Ade team, but according to Johnson, it will also provide improved service for its clients by being nimble, and quickly taking care of its customers. Familiar faces, from the sales team to the field employees,

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ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

THIRTY EIGHT

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA People

SMALL TRUCKS, BIG BUCKS: TRUCKING DOWN MEMORY LANE WITH TOY COLLECTOR JOHN CADZOW JEFF KRONENFELD

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Thompson recently told Toy Farmer Magazine the company’s origins stretch back to 1944. That year, Matt Miller began making and selling toy trucks from wood since metal wasn’t available because of the war. A few years later, Miller partnered with his neighbor, Bob Smith, to form Smith-Miller Inc. in Santa Monica, California. The company produced 1/16th scale models of firetrucks, gas trucks, and other big machines. They traded simple wood carvings for highly detailed diecast metal, creating what would eventually become today’s expensive collector’s pieces.

Unfortunately, that market didn’t yet exist in the early 1950s. Back then, cheaper manufacturers like Mound Metalcraft — which changed its name to Tonka in 1955 — flooded the market. While today’s savvy buyers appreciate the attention to detail

Images Courtesy of Author

ohn Cadzow, the owner of Western Sales Management (WSM), collects big rigs in his auction company’s sprawling yard, as well as much smaller ones in its office. For a man who finds vehicles and other functional objects new homes for a living, what better hobby could there be?

Cadzow’s fascination with these scaled-down trucks goes back to his childhood. In the early 1970s, his father founded WSM and began hosting an annual threeday antique auction. Sometimes older model Smith-Miller trucks came through this, but they were collector’s pieces out of

the young Cadzow’s price range even back then. Still, he enjoyed admiring the fine craftsmanship when he could.

“I was intrigued with Smith-Miller toys back when I was a young kid, but they were very high-end,” Cadzow said. “What I liked about them is they were very detailed and all mostly construction-related in some way, shape, or form.”

Years later, he came across a booth selling restored Smith-Miller trucks at a hot rod show in Los Angeles. Shiny and like new, they were priced anywhere from one to two thousand dollars. Cadzow wasn’t ready to pony up that much yet, but he kept his eyes and ears open. He eventually met and befriended Fred Thompson, the current owner of Smith-Miller Inc, who taught Cadzow more about these remarkable little pieces of Americana.

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ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

FORTY

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA People of new old stock helped reignite interest in the vintage toys. Cadzow met Thompson a few years later and the two bonded over their mutual love for the little big wheelers.

Cadzow finally fulfilled his childhood dream of owning his own Smith-Miller truck around 2000, initially purchasing a pair of vehicles from Thompson. Every year since, Cadzow continued to buy a couple more, slowly assembling his ever-growing fleet.

“One of the latest ones I got was this Blue Diamond mixer truck,” Cadzow said, his face beaming almost as brightly as the little faux concrete truck’s shiny chrome rims.

Cadzow also acquires pieces from private buyers. He recently picked up three triple-axle logging trailers, which currently serve as a centerpiece in WSM’s conference room. When they’re all hitched together behind a truck, the caravan is nearly five feet long. The collection occupies other surfaces throughout the room and on wall-mounted shelves in nearby offices.

It includes many classic brands and models not seen on highways for many years.

The dark red lettering of a pair of Pacific Intermountain Express gas tankers faces off

against an old Navajo Freight Lines rig.

The collector doesn’t let kids or adults play with the big-ticket items, but he does like to share. Cadzow has gifted several Smith-Miller trucks to business associates.

He orders trucks from Thompson, sometimes even customizing them with the company’s logo to which he’s giving the item. His passion for these pieces of America’s industrial history ultimately isn’t about the money, but rather, what they represent historically and personally.

For Cadzow, collecting the vintage toys seems to connect him with America’s industrial past, his childhood, and even his father.

“We didn’t have money growing up, so I’m kind of like my dad was when he was a kid. My dad didn’t have money growing up either, so he became a big John Deere toy collector,” Cadzow explained. “It kind of goes another generation. That’s why I guess I like it and am intrigued so much. I always wanted to have these toys as a kid but couldn’t, so as you get to be an adult, you go and chase them.”

Images Courtesy of Author

and sturdy construction of the Smith-Miller brand, for parents who remembered the Great Depression and World War II, price was the deciding factor. The toy manufacturer struggled to turn a profit and was sold to Henry Wolking in 1952. This change of ownership bought only a momentary reprieve. Wolking shuttered the company two years later. However, he didn’t sell it or its inventory.

Thompson, like Cadzow and many others, had also been captivated by SmithMiller trucks as a kid. Unlike the owner of WSM, when Thompson came of age, the toys were easier to obtain. He began collecting them in his teens and continued even once he had his own kids. In the 1970s, a boy his son was playing with trashed one of his prized possessions. This crisis brought about a quest for replacement parts, eventually leading Thompson to Wolking. He discovered the factory, including hundreds of unsold units, had been virtually untouched in decades. Wolking agreed to sell the company in 1979.

The new owner inventoried everything and realized he had nearly 1,000 trucks ready or almost ready for sale. This core

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NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

GEORGE H. KING, LANG & KLAIN, P.C.

C

ontractors and subcontractors often believe that if they just do good work, they will stay out of trouble.

Not true.

Unreasonable owners can drag contractors through lengthy litigation, even over the best work, while aggressive general contractors can beat up blameless subcontractors for more profit or to make up for someone else’s delays or mistakes.

You can’t protect yourself from every tough owner or general contractor. But you can write contracts that: • limit risks, • reduce incentives for groundless claims, and • defend your business from lawsuits.

Before you start, remember that some jobs just aren’t worth the risk. Customers who ask for the impossible, overnight and for pennies, are trouble. If you think the customer is destined to be unhappy, you are probably right. Walk away. Your potential profit is tiny compared to the cost of defending a lawsuit or a Registrar of Contractors complaint.

Four types of provisions in a construction contract can protect you from costly, business-threatening disputes. #1: Attorneys’ Fees. Without a specific contract provision, you might not get your attorneys’ fees against the losing side because the award and its amount are both entirely discretionary with the judge.

And you can’t recover your fees to defend a Registrar of Contractors complaint.

In a lawsuit, a good contract can remove the judge’s discretion to deny fees to the winner. A contract that says that the judge “must” or “shall” award the winner’s attorneys’ fees requires that

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fees be awarded, with the judge deciding only the amount of the fees.

On that issue, a Lang & Klain client recently won a case on appeal. Disgruntled homeowners had sued over a $12,500 bathroom remodel; the contractor client won the suit but incurred over $110,000 in attorneys’ fees. After the trial judge awarded our client less than half of its fees, based on the homeowners’ claim of hardship, the Court of Appeals reversed.

The trial court ultimately reinstated the full fee award – because our client’s contract required a fee award to the winner.

“Winning” a case where you can’t recover your attorneys’ fees is often hardly winning at all. A good attorneys’ fees contract provision reduces the chances of costly “victories.” #2: Damage Waivers. A good contract can list the types of damages that the parties agree they won’t seek against each other.

Generally, there are two types of contract damages: direct and indirect.

Direct damages give the damaged party the benefit of their bargain, such as the cost to complete an abandoned job or to fix shoddy work.

Indirect damages are damages caused by the breach but go beyond the work itself. A roofer who builds a leaky roof can be sued both for direct damages – to repair the roof – as well as indirect damages, such as water damage.

A contract can waive the right to recover such indirect damages. A welldrafted contract can identify specific categories of indirect damages that are waived.

A roofing contract could waive claims for expenses like travel and lodging for the homeowners while repairs are being performed (a reasonable waiver, because homeowners typically have insurance to cover such expenses). Such waivers can dramatically reduce risks to contractors and subcontractors. A mistake in a small roof repair could lead to tens of thousands of dollars in claims for lodging costs, travel, meals, and personal property damage. #3: Jury Trial Waiver. While the Arizona Constitution guarantees parties the right to a jury trial, a well-drafted contract can waive that right.

In civil cases, jury trials are almost always more expensive, time-consuming, and uncertain than a trial by a judge. Parties with weak claims often leverage this cost and uncertainty to force an unfair settlement.

A jury trial waiver reduces

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A GOOD CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT REDUCES RISK, BOOSTS PROFITS

the power of threatened litigation. Combined with attorneys’ fees provisions and damage limitations, a jury trial waiver can dissuade a disgruntled customer from filing suit. #4: Notice and Opportunity to Cure. Angry owners and short-tempered general contractors often want to fire subcontractors and get replacements started right away, while good contractors and subcontractors want a chance to stay and fix problems. The law generally sides with good contractors and subcontractors, allowing them an opportunity to rectify issues. But that opportunity isn’t guaranteed. A welldrafted contract can solidify and define the right to notice and opportunity to cure, avoiding expensive fights later.

Conclusion: A Good Contract Works.

A good contract can stop many problems even before they start. One of our subcontractor clients accidentally damaged a residential water heater and promptly paid the full cost, about $4,000, to replace it.

The matter should have ended there, but the general contractor demanded an additional $21,000, including 50 hours of time, at $250/hour, to “supervise” the water heater replacement. The general contractor also claimed profit and overhead on the plumber’s invoice, plus airfare for interrupting his California vacation. Our client cited the provisions in its contract (drafted by our firm) barring the general contractor’s overreaching claims. After a few snarky emails, we never heard from the general contractor again.

George King is a litigation and construction insurance attorney at Lang & Klain, P.C. in Scottsdale (480-534-4875, gking@langklain.com.

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LUKE M. SNELL, P.E

R

Image Courtesy of Author

omans inspire awe by how they mastered the art of making durable concrete. Some of their concrete structures in Rome have survived for two centuries. In contrast, our modern concrete buildings often show distress within 50 years. Let’s examine the contributions to quality concrete by Romans.

At the onset of the Roman Empire (27 B.C.), the use of lime as cement was well established. With the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) that lasted for the next 200 years, engineers turned from military activities to civil projects. Thus, began the significant development of concrete, accompanied by a building boom across the Roman Empire. Rome attracted outstanding engineers and artisans who brought innovation and the development of new construction techniques.

Cato - He was one of the first writers to document concrete innovation in the book De agri cultura (On Farming). Cato stressed that making superior lime required good quality control and detailed its manufacture. He advised using only white, uniform limestone, providing steady heat, and instructions on creating a kiln. Cato followed the same procedures to make lime (see Part 4 of this series), emphasizing improvements that allowed mass production.

Cato recommended a concrete mixture of two parts sand to one part lime. But his quality control standards didn’t extend to the sand used to make the concrete, probably because low-grade sand with clay and silt was cheap or available on his farm. As a result, this mixture required more amounts of expensive lime. Cato was frugal, so this is surprising. Nevertheless, his contributions to making quality lime should be

recognized, even though he didn’t wholly understand the concrete process.

Vitruvius - After Cato, he documented the development of lime and concrete in his book, De architectura (On Architecture). In his book, Vitruvius covered many aspects of engineering, architecture, construction, and life. Although Vitruvius started his career in the military, he later applied his talent to civilian projects. Vitruvius described the use of volcanic ash as a pozzolan and sand quality, two major developments in concrete.

Pozzolans - The Romans didn’t understand the chemistry of adding pozzolans or volcanic ash to concrete; they just knew it reacted with calcium hydroxide to create a better cement. “Pozzolans mixed with lime and clay bricks cannot only be used in buildings but also for strengthening of structures in the sea because suddenly it hardens, and it can even harden submerged in water,” Vitruvius wrote.

This advancement was a significant accomplishment. Lime by itself will not set under water as it needs carbon dioxide from the air to harden. With the addition of the pozzolans, Romans produced hydraulic concrete. Not all volcanic ashes react with lime; however, the volcanoes near Rome had the right chemistry, and their ash made durable concrete. Roman engineers were able to use this technology to build concrete docks and complete harbors, some of which still exist. It wasn’t until the 20th century that pozzolan or fly ash was again used in concrete. Now it is routinely added to most concrete mixtures.

Sand Quality - Cato may have had little regard for the quality of the sand he used in his concrete. Vitruvius, however, took a different approach, seeing that durable concrete required quality control of all materials, including sand. He wrote that one should not use river or sea sand to make concrete because it is smooth. Instead, he recommended using pit sand with its

angular edges. We now know that smooth sand will not bond as well with cement and will result in lower concrete strength. The angular sand provides more bonding surfaces for the cement resulting in stronger concrete.

Vitruvius also described a test putting sand on a white cloth to determine if it was acceptable for use. If the sand did not stain the fabric, it would be considered adequate for concrete use. This test determined if organics, silt, or clay were in the sand. We still run similar, more sophisticated tests.

Blood - It’s unknown why blood was added to Roman concrete, though it may have been to dispose of waste material from slaughterhouses. As a professor, companies would contact me asking if their waste products could be added to concrete. They weren’t interested in improving concrete; they just wanted to dispose of their waste.

It was not until the 20th century that it became apparent that the addition of blood created small air voids (entrained air) that protected the concrete from freezethaw issues. Today’s concrete still uses this same concept by adding chemicals (admixtures) to concrete to create entrained air to resist freeze-thaw damage. Roman engineers only rarely added blood to concrete because of the need to carefully control the amount. Too much blood would cause excess air to be entrained, creating weaker concrete.

Lightweight Concrete - The Pantheon used Roman concrete, and we are still unsure how this temple was constructed.

But part of its success was using lightweight concrete to build the dome. A building must be designed to hold all expected loads plus the weight of the building materials (dead load). Using lightweight aggregate reduces the weight of the concrete and dead load significantly. Near Rome, lightweight volcanic aggregate was available, and using it could reduce the weight of the concrete by up to one-third, allowing for a lighter structure with graceful lines and appearance.

Conclusion - These are just some of the advancements in concrete by Roman engineers. Unfortunately, much of this technology was lost with the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. For the next 1,000 years, only the use of lime survived.

In the 15th century, Giocondo, a monk in Switzerland, found the writings of Vitruvius in a monastery library. How they survived is a mystery. Giocondo, a Latin and engineering scholar, recognized the books’ significance and translated them. His work allowed civilization to reclaim the advancements that the Roman engineers had discovered concerning concrete production.

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HOW CONCRETE STARTED - PART 5: ROMAN CONCRETE

Left: The Pantheon in Rome.

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FORTY SIX

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

Back When PARK CENTRAL SHOPPING CITY PARK-AND-SHOP CHILDREN’S NURSERY BILLY HORNER

D

id an old woman really live in a shoe?

The nursery rhyme says so, and a unique business at Park Central Shopping City confirms it. While driving on Central Avenue in 1955, Gloria Artigue saw a billboard for a new shopping center to be built along the street at Earll Drive, with a 5,000-car parking lot.

Having operated children’s nurseries in the past, Artigue thought it would be profitable to allow parents to shop unfettered by leaving their youngsters with trained childcare personnel. “This was a pretty big deal for those days,” Ray Artigue, her son, says. “The idea was to give mothers a break while they shopped. It was a nursery school, first and foremost.”

The Old Woman in the Shoe was situated in the mall’s parking lot at the north entrance, off Osborn Road and Second Avenue, with a giant red shoe perched on the roof. “My dad hand-built that shoe for the building,” Artigue recalls.

The interior design matched the children’s size, with small-scale furnishings and a door just for kids. Parents entered via a regular-sized door. The nursery had indoor and outdoor playgrounds and an auditorium for movies, puppet shows, storytelling, and arts and crafts. One registered nurse and four teachers staffed the nursery.

The nursery was the first of its kind in the country. Artigue’s business endeavor allowed parents to drop off children eight years old and under for up to four hours.

“The nursery proved so popular, it was necessary to make reservations in advance,” D.L. Curtiss

wrote in his book, Operation Shopping Centers. In 1958, a second nursery opened in Scottsdale. However, when Park Central expanded its parking lot in 1964, The Old Woman in the Shoe was demolished.

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

‘TWAS A MALL, MALL WORLD: VALLEY SHOPPING THROUGH THE DECADES

T

JAY MARK

he retail history of our country has been influenced by technology and housing patterns, with Phoenix a microcosm of what occurred nationally.

People, exposed to the city during World War II and enticed by the arrival of air conditioning, spurred a population boom that saw a nearly sevenfold increase between 1940 and 1960.

New commercial sites were built outside of Downtown Phoenix to meet the needs of the newcomers. These “shopping centers” were an aggregation of stores where people could gather for the sole purpose of…well…shopping for pleasure.

Shopping centers were constructed around the Valley starting in the mid-1950s, and their future looked unstoppable.

But just as quickly as they first appeared, new shopping center construction stalled.

Today, some have closed and are being razed or adaptively reused. So what’s the story behind the dramatic rise and fall of the Valley’s shopping centers?

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

“IT WAS A BOOM THAT SEEMINGLY HAD NO END. UNTIL…THE INTERNET CAME ALONG.”

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Initially, people shopped at stores clustered in crossroads, town squares, and downtowns. Businesses featured specialized merchandise and trades until the emergence of department stores during Territorial days. There, shoppers could purchase all in one place, nearly everything they needed. But these all-in-one stores, including Goldwater’s and Korrick’s in Phoenix and Jacome’s in Tucson, soon competed with mail-order outfits. Richard Warren Sears and Alva Curtis Roebuck conceived of consolidating more than an entire department store into a paper “catalogue” in 1892. As a result, Americans could now buy nearly anything without ever leaving their homes. Sound familiar?

In the decade following World War II, two factors further altered consumerism.

Left: Crowd gathers in Uptown Plaza parking lot to visit Santa Claus, 1955.

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The growing middle class had more dollars to spend, and “shopping center” was entering the vocabulary. As the suburbs grew, demand for nearby shopping increased.

This need led to shopping arcades connected by covered walkways, outdoor meccas consolidating retail stores and services into a semblance of early business streets.

All were conveniently reached by car.

The man behind the strip center and the enclosed mall was a transplanted Austrian architect named Viktor David Grünbaum, who became Victor Gruen when he fled the Nazis in 1938 and emigrated to the U.S. Gruen believed he could “provide the needed place and opportunity for participation in modern community life that the ancient Greek Agora, the Medieval Market Place and our own Town Squares provided in the past.”

Gruen’s first go was Northland Center, an open-air regional pedestrian mall that opened in Detroit in 1954. That was followed two years later by an even more revolutionary concept – the large, enclosed shopping mall.

On opening day, over 75,000 flocked to experience Southdale Center. This 800,000-square-foot behemoth was erected in the upscale Minneapolis suburb of Edina in 1956. It was a “Disney-like” world with two anchor department stores, more than 70 shops, and other amenities – all within a climate-controlled environment, perfect for Minnesota’s harsh winters.

The Valley soon adopted the trend.

Opposite Minnesota’s Arctic months, Arizona’s summers were equally hostile to outdoor activities. As late as 1960, less

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Above: Groundbreaking for new First National Bank at Tempe Center, 1960.

Right: First National Bank Motor Bank at Tempe Center, 1962.

Below: Victor Gruen.

FIFTY

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

Top: The Maryvale Shopping City sign designed and built by Myers and Leiber Co., along Indian School Road, 1961.

Above left: Mam’selle clothing store at Maryvale Shopping City, 1961.

Above middle: Christmas window display at Maryvale Shopping City, 1960.

Above: Courtyard at Maryvale Shopping City, 1959.

Left: Maryvale Shopping City rendering, 1958.

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

than a quarter of Valley homes had central air-conditioning, so an enclosed mall with cool air was a primary appeal.

While Southdale Center was being completed, the prolific Gruen was in the Valley overseeing the construction of Tempe Center, a 118,000-square-foot open-air complex of 20 stores. The center was built in 1956 on the edge of downtown Tempe on the southeast corner of Mill Avenue and Eighth Street (now University Drive). Simultaneously, Gruen was preparing to open the Maryvale Shopping City he designed for the residents of John F. Long’s new Maryvale subdivision in 1956.

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Above: Grand opening of Uptown Plaza, 1955.

Right top: Uptown Plaza during construction, 1955.

Right middle: Aerial view of Uptown Plaza, 1956.

Right: Uptown crowd waits for Santa Claus, 1955.

The 1950s began a three-decade explosion of outdoor strip centers and enclosed malls in Phoenix. Uptown Plaza on the remote northeast corner of Central Avenue and Camelback Road, a former cow FIFTY TWO

pasture, was developed by Del E. Webb Construction at the pinnacle of its building history. Considered the Valley’s first “suburban” shopping center, Uptown Plaza was touted as “very probably bigger than anything between Dallas and Los Angeles.”

Uptown heralded its convenience.

“The plaza boasts the largest parking area of any shopping center in the vicinity – one that will accommodate 600 cars for the exclusive use of customers.” In addition, employee parking and deliveries were

placed in the rear, defining how centers would be designed in the future.

The Arizona Republic explained that Uptown Plaza “…is really nothing less than a giant department store, operated by more than a score of individual owners, each of whom offers personal service and an eagerness to please.”

Two years later, the 0.5 million-squarefoot, open-air Park Central Shopping City debuted, much to the disbelief of cynics, who thought a mall that “far” out of NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

downtown (two miles) on what was once the Central Avenue Dairy was a recipe for disaster. But we all know what happened— outrageous success.

In the ensuing years, dozens of “strip” shopping centers were constructed in the Valley. Between 1978 and 1990, 19 indoor malls opened, five of which were over one million square feet.

It was a boom that seemingly had no end. Until…the Internet came along. When Amazon debuted in 1995 as an online ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Above: Shoppers at Park Central Shopping City, 1957.

Top right: Goldwaters store at Park Central Shopping City, 1959.

Below: Park Central sign, 1966.

The pandemic of 2020 was likely the nail in the coffin. With most Americans quarantined, online shopping exploded. If there had been any hope for the mall, that event was indeed its death knell. “Ghost” malls litter the Valley. Some have been or are scheduled for demolition. Others are being considered for adaptive reuse.

Victor Gruen was quite displeased with what malls had become and frequently expressed his displeasure. We might all benefit if Gruen had a second chance to create his vision for a utopian society.

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

bookstore, nobody thought it would go anywhere. After all, you’ve got to see and handle a book before buying. For nearly a decade, Amazon appeared to prove skeptics right.

But Jeff Bezos knew it would take time for a paradigm change that would impact retailing into the next century. Add in a

recession or two, along with an unprecedented pandemic, and one by one, shopping meccas, the personification of suburban consumerism – once symbols of “air-conditioned, sanitized standardized” according to Consumer Reports in 1986, began to fail.

The last enclosed mall built in the U.S. was in 2006. The Valley was ahead of the trend this time. The 1.3 million-square-foot Chandler Fashion Center opened in 2001, and no new enclosed malls have been built since, over 20 years ago.

FIFTY FOUR

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PLEASURE-DOMES WITH PARKING: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF PHOENIX’S MALLS AARON GILBREATH

My time at Chris-Town Mall was spent buying shockingly real diecast metal cap guns at Kay Bee and then eating free samples of slow-cooked meat from the tiny gyro stall, staring in horror at the hard, sunken eyes of the whole smoked fish in Miracle Mile Deli’s cold case, or looking up at the tall escalator that led into UA Cinema.

When I walked through the open, indoor plaza where Santa Claus sat in a vast Styrofoam Wonderland, surrounded by polymer wads of fake snow while the sun shone outside, I had no clue that malls could be anything but what they were then, that they had any history at all.

In fact, shopping arcades and centers existed in the Western World as early as the 1920s. The classic, fully enclosed form now known in America as “the mall” debuted in Edina, Minnesota, in 1956.

An Austrian-American architect, Victor Gruen, designed the so-called Southdale Center, which became the prototype for a wave of enclosed, temperature-controlled shopping complexes structured around big-name “anchors” and interior garden spaces.

Many mid-century malls used flashy designs to lure shoppers as if the stores weren’t attractive enough. The first mall Gruen designed, Northland Center located near Detroit, included avant-garde giraffe sculptures, extensive landscaping, and spinning mobiles. Southdale Center went further. It had a 21-foot birdcage containing 50 colorful birds, tropical plants, costumed Hawaiians serenading crowds, and a vast central square named the “Garden Court of Perpetual Spring.”

Built in 1961 by my father and Left: Aaron’s grandfather, Tom Gilbreath, while working for Del Webb on Phoenix Towers, 1957.

Right: Chris-Town Mall, 1965.

Below: Newspaper ad for The Haber-Dasher at Chris­-Town Mall, 1980s.

FIFTY SIX

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

B

ecause my grandfather owned a men’s clothing store and my dad briefly worked for him, I spent much of my childhood in malls. Hanging around malls was already a tradition in Phoenix, where I grew up. It’s as central to life as driving and eating Mexican food, a habit stemming from a mix of materialism, a reflexive tendency to “pass the time,” and a practical need for air conditioning.

But it was also a habit born of an era when malls adorned themselves in gaudy architecture and country-and-western motifs, presented themselves as shopping experiences rather than just places to shop, and capitalized on Americans’ aspirations toward glitz and glamour. I can’t enter one of the predictable, interchangeable modern retail spaces without thinking of the heyday of the mall, a period when, to borrow the title of a Time magazine article, malls were “Pleasure-Domes with Parking.”

I saw none of these touches of class in person. I was born in 1975, and by then, malls had changed. As I experienced it, my Grandpa Shapiro’s store, The HaberDasher, was adjacent to the food court, an echoey hall enlivened by the greasy orange aroma of Pizza D’Amore and the sweet froth of Orange Julius, as well as Kay Bee Toys, the Red Baron video-game arcade, and the movie theater.

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

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Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Above: Court of Fountains at Chris-Town Mall, 1976.

Left: Del E. Webb Construction working at Chris-Town Mall, 1961.

Below: Square dancers perform at Chris-Town Mall, 1965.

FIFTY EIGHT

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Above & right: Chess King’s grand opening at Chris-Town Mall featured a local rock band, 1970.

Bottom right: Flu shots available at J.C. Penny’s at Chris-Town Mall, 1968.

grandfather’s employer, the Del E. Webb Construction Company, Chris-Town Mall, which housed my Grandpa Shapiro’s store, was one of the earliest to adopt Gruen’s design. In Gruen’s model, people would theoretically come to Chris-Town for the massive J. C. Penney’s, sit by the miniature planted palms, and sip Joe inside Guggy’s Coffee Shop. They would then discover Godber’s Gifts, Chess King, and Tony’s Shoe Repair while strolling the intentionally long distance between Korrick’s department store and Montgomery Ward, the two anchors.

Chris-Town was Phoenix’s third mall, but it was Arizona’s first enclosed one, and it aimed to provide the glamorous Gruen experience. Designed by architect Welton Becket, it was built around three themed courtyards: The Court of Flowers, the Court of Fountains, and the Court of Birds. The Court of Fountains was the central courtyard, with a low, circular fountain ringed by flowers and two stone staircases whose graceful arcs resembled those of highheel shoes. Until the early 1970s, an organ grinder walked the Court of Fountains with a monkey, collecting coins from shoppers.

The Court of Birds was an aviary in the west wing, with small bridges to view 64 birds and their avant-garde enclosures. One of the cages reached nearly to the ceiling, a cubist series of stacked trapezoids. At one point, the Court played host to a talking parrot named Chico, who greeted shoppers by saying, “Welcome to Chris-Town.”

Finally, the Court of Flowers stood in the east wing. It offered more subtle charms: an outdoor, U-shaped café with a bunch of funky, bulbous lights overhanging a small garden plot and what appeared to be a red unicorn with a bright yellow horn, but which was, incongruously, a papermâché statue of Ferdinand the Bull.

Chris-Town was so popular that other ARIZCC.COM

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Above: Monkey cage at Thomas Mall, 1973.

Right: Chris-Town Mall, 1976.

SIXTY

my grandfather a full-time job, so the family moved north from the farming community of Florence to the big Sunbelt city of Phoenix.

Granddad would finish one Del Webb project, and then they’d assign him another. Gradually he worked his way

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Phoenix malls slapped lids on their open breezeways and pumped in air conditioning. They also aped its novelties. Thomas Mall featured a gimmick that made ChrisTown’s aviary look as dull as a parking lot: a monkey cage outside the J. G. McCrory’s five and dime.

My dad was surprised to find himself working retail inside the mall he helped build. My mom’s side of the family worked in retail clothing. My dad’s side worked in construction.

Like many so-called Okies did after the Dust Bowl and World War II, Dad’s family left Oklahoma to find work. They found it in southern Arizona’s construction industry, which was booming around Phoenix. Dad’s father, a carpenter, began doing a series of construction jobs for Del E. Webb, one of the West’s largest construction companies.

Webb’s business was huge. They built military, residential, and commercial structures across the country but were headquartered in Phoenix and Los Angeles. Dad graduated from Florence Middle School in 1952 in buildings that his father helped construct. Then, in 1955, Del Webb offered

through the ranks, serving as superintendent on numerous housing projects around the state. He served as superintendent of the first phase of Sun City Arizona, the country’s first planned-retirement community. And Granddad eventually got my dad a Del Webb job, too, fresh out of high school.

Instead of going to college, Dad helped Webb expand Sun City in west Phoenix and was the Project Office Manager on the Chris-Town Mall project. “I rolled the office trailer up in 1959, broke ground, stayed until the footing was poured, then they sent me off to San Francisco to work on Del Webb’s TowneHouse Motor Hotel in 1960,” he told me.

Dad and his first wife, Nancy, had a kid in each town where Webb transferred them. Dad finally told his boss in Florida: “Every time you transfer me, I have another kid. I think it’s time to go back to Phoenix.” His boss said OK and sent them back to Phoenix, where he and Nancy had son number four, Todd. By the time I was born, Dad was exploring work other than construction and spent his days inside ChrisTown Mall.

These are the days I long for when I think of the mall, an era when it was a place of leisure. But by the time I came of age, in the early 1980s, everything had changed.

Chris-Town was still noticeably Space Age in its architectural accents, but malls were a dime a dozen by then, and Chris-Town had outlived its elegant heyday by over a decade. The pink and powder blue of the early 1960s had given way to an ‘80s brown, yellow, and orange schema. Everything in the early Reagan Era seemed to have the sickly tint of used cigarette butts: the marbled brown floor tiles, the faux wood pattern on the trashcans and ashtrays, the

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

ubiquitous brass poles and fixtures.

For the institution of the mall, that was only the beginning of the end. By the 1990s, the retail market was saturated.

Malls had multiplied so quickly that they cut into each other’s profits. In addition, the rise of factory-outlet stores and large discount retailers such as Best Buy, Lowe’s, and Toys “R” Us (often known as “category killers”) lured customers away.

Some malls died a predictable death.

Thomas Mall lost its anchors in the late 1980s, was razed in 1993, and was replaced, in predictable fashion, by the modern version of the shopping mall: the “power center.” Target, Sears, IHOP, Applebee’s—out with the old and in with the new. Unlike its predecessor, a power center is a pragmatic, often bare-bones affair. It’s open-air and built around a vast, communal parking lot. Its central visual features are cars and pavement, which gives it more in common with a freeway than Place Dauphine in Paris. Counter to Gruen’s original European vision of a mall as the social center of a community, neither the power center nor its simpler forebearer, the strip mall, are places to stroll or have a relaxed conversation over coffee.

Other dead malls have enjoyed a strange afterlife. The vacant husk of Maryvale Mall in West Phoenix was eventually converted into an unlikely amalgam that includes a middle and elementary school, community center, police substation, and a Wal-Mart. And some old malls have become purgatorial legends, like Dixie Square Mall, outside of Chicago, which opened in 1966, closed in 1978, and has stood dormant and decaying ever since. Its exposed corpse has attracted hordes of urban explorers and photographers.

Chris-Town’s demise was less dramatic. Unbecoming a structure with three royal-sounding “courts,” portions of Chris-Town were demolished, and the leftovers were grafted with a Wal-Mart, Costco, and Target. Nevertheless, I am not alone in mourning the demise of what it represented.

Victor Gruen, the mastermind of the mall, eventually moved back to Vienna, where he criticized American urban planning and the bastardization of his ideas.

Southdale was a failure, he said, as was every mall that copied it after that. He called these monstrosities shopping machines, said they damaged the natural landscape, destroyed city centers, dissolved social connections, drove small merchants out of business, and, aesthetically, were marred by “the ugliness and discomfort of the land-wasting seas of parking” around them. It is an accurate description.

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SIXTY FOUR

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THE SEISMIC RETAIL WAVE THAT HIT PHOENIX:

THE BOISTEROUS BEGINNINGS OF METROCENTER

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

A

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JOHN BUEKER

s the mighty Metrocenter now recedes into the annals of Phoenix shopping center history after its closure in June 2020, the mall’s clamorous origins and vivid cultural and architectural legacy are becoming increasingly prominent.

Yet it’s a little tricky a half-century later to fully appreciate the unprecedented ambition that was the impetus for Metrocenter: it was a shopping mecca magnitudes more significant in size and social impact than anything that had ever been attempted in Phoenix or most anywhere else.

Metrocenter’s debut altered everything as it was the world’s first bi-level shopping center to feature five anchor stores. When this megamall arose upon the fetid broccoli and cabbage fields along the I-17 freeway and Dunlap Avenue in the early 1970s, the Valley shopping landscape changed decisively. It was such a quantum leap beyond any existing shopping venue that we’ll likely never see its like again. Metrocenter was a culmination of the suburbanization of Phoenix that commenced in the 1950s and rapidly expanded throughout the ‘60s.

Phoenix developer Westcor teamed with the Chicago-based Homart Development Corporation to develop Metrocenter, with Ernest W. Hahn as the general contractor. But many companies and contractors were ultimately involved in the overall creation of the mall. The developers secured the single largest mortgage in Arizona history to build the multi-level complex: $21 million.

The eclectic architectural flavor of Metrocenter was attributable primarily to the whims of the principal designer, local architect Robert Fairburn, but there were notable exceptions. The distinctive The Broadway department store, for example, with its reinforced concrete balconies and stucco finish, was a separate development designed by Charles Luckman and Associates and built by the Del E. Webb Corporation.

Gruen Associates of Los Angeles designed the Rhodes department store, with its bronze-glass enclosed elevator destined to become an iconic feature of the mall. Fairburn’s wistful homage to the legendary architect Le Corbusier was the Left: The Broadway deaprtment store under construction at Metrocenter, 1972.

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memorable decorative touches adorning Metrocenter, such as the huge parabola-shaped concrete buttresses stationed at each entrance.

The construction of such a monumental shopping entity attracted a fair share of controversy. Concerns over the steep uptick in traffic and the mall’s imposing building heights prompted the formation of the Deer Valley Residents Association (DVRA).

They circulated petitions and ultimately filed suit in August 1972 to prevent the city from issuing building permits for construction. The DVRA also cited concerns regarding the “domino” effect of unrestricted

SIXTY SIX

development surrounding the mall.

Following assurances from Westcor that they would limit building height to a maximum of 53 feet, the group agreed to drop its opposition to the shopping center. Construction commenced shortly after that, apparently with no further discussion of the traffic issue. A poignant irony lies in the current day concerns regarding how the disappearance of the mall will adversely affect the very same neighborhood.

As Metrocenter’s debut approached, management concocted a series of promotional events to herald the new mall’s arrival. One of the more creative ideas that

emerged would address two separate concerns: promoting the new mall while rendering the stores still undergoing construction aesthetically presentable to shoppers accessing the already open businesses.

The ingenious solution was to hold an art contest throughout the still uncompleted indoor mall area, with a $100 cash prize awaiting the winning entry.

Local teams of high school students were recruited in the fall of 1973 and assigned to decorate the layers of sheet rock overlaying the entrance to each unfinished store with original painted artwork.

My brother, Moon Valley High School

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Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Left: The Broadway department store at Metrocenter under construction by Del Webb Construction, 1972.

Top right: Rhodes department store render­ing

by Gruen Associates, 1972.

Above: Rhodes department store at Metrocenter, 1970s.

senior Charles Bueker, collaborated with a partner from Alhambra High on the project.

They created a striking abstract image on a storefront near the Rhodes mall entrance, which reproduced a small canvas his art teacher’s mother had painted years earlier.

“There were a lot of entrants, and the new mall was well populated for perhaps ARIZCC.COM

the first time with someone other than construction workers,” Bueker remembers.

“Many individuals and groups lined the mall interior, splashing paint on the walls, depicting all subjects, from still life to street scenes.”

The denouement of the art contest proved to be a bit sketchy and certainly anti-climactic. “After a couple of weeks of not hearing back from the management company, I called to see why we hadn’t yet been sent our winnings,” says Bueker, who was confident they had the best creation.

“After being casually asked which one I had painted, they informed me the winner

was the group of Camelback High kids who painted the kitschy butterflies flying over flowers scene, located not far from our entry. I was suspicious [they actually gave out the prize money], and always wondered what she told the kids from Camelback when they called.”

The opening of the Rhodes and Diamonds stores on October 1, 1973, signaled the end of the first construction phase and the proper beginning of Metrocenter.

Stores continued to open throughout the fall, and the process went pretty smoothly until a sprinkler main near Rhodes suddenly burst in December. The damage was not

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Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Top left: Rock band performing at Metrocenter’s grand opening, 1973.

Above: Contractors looking over plans for Fanbo Cosmetics at Metrocenter, 1974.

insubstantial, resulting in a loss of around a million dollars and affecting numerous businesses.

Rhodes intrepidly re-opened on schedule the next day, but with only their second floor as the mess downstairs was cleaned up. Nearby businesses were similarly unwilling to allow the mishap to delay their opening. “This is the day we were supposed to open, and we did,” triumphantly announced Louie Vince, assistant manager of the clothing store Chess King.

SIXTY EIGHT

In contrast to its predecessor ChrisTown Mall, which held an epic grand-opening event in August 1961, there was no corresponding inaugural gala for Metrocenter. Instead, because the stores opened incrementally with construction still ongoing, the mall was officially completed with Sears unlocking its doors in April 1974. In place of a formal grand-opening event, the mall, therefore, opted at this time to hold a “Salute to Arizona” mini-fair to mark the occasion.

The week-long fair festivities featured exhibits celebrating the history and progress of Arizona in business, industry, agriculture, and mining. Attendees could

view a variety of practical demonstrations, examine working models, and enter drawings for related merchandise. In addition to Sears’ debut, 50 new mall businesses were also opened, including the Ice Capades Chalet skating rink and Metroport lounge.

Metrocenter’s core was now in place.

The inception of Metrocenter had a momentous impact on the Valley shopping scene and initiated a particularly noteworthy competition with Chris-Town. The beloved Valley institution had been around for a dozen years. Much speculation arose around the new mall’s ultimate effect upon the fortunes of the elder, which was situated a mere four miles away. To many NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

locals, Chris-Town suddenly appeared small, quaint, inadequate, and outdated.

Several observers speculated that Metrocenter’s opening spelled the genesis of Chris-Town’s ultimate doom.

Chris-Town, however, proved to be surprisingly resilient, with general manager Jim Cunning later remarking, “It (the appearance of Metrocenter) didn’t really affect us at all.” Although Cunning was probably somewhat overstating the case, the fact is that Chris-Town’s revenues remained stable in the aftermath of Metrocenter’s opening and increased substantially as the older mall underwent a series of expansions in the mid-1970s in an ARIZCC.COM

Left above: Metrocenter, 1976.

Left: Metrocenter salutes Arizona ad, 1974.

Top right: Charles Bueker and his project partner create an abstract composition for the Metrocen­ter art contest, 1973.

Above: Metrocenter court, 1976.

attempt to keep up with its newly emerging competition. As a result, Phoenix-area shoppers proved reluctant to abandon the uniquely iconic Chris-Town, and in the end, they would happily patronize both malls.

Nearly a half-century later, perhaps the ultimate irony of the mighty Metrocenter’s demise is that the “quaint and outdated” Chris-Town Spectrum Mall, at least for now, continues to endure.

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

SWEET FROZEN MUSIC: THE ARCHITECTURE OF JERRY CLARK

J

ust before the outbreak of World War II, there was a 9-year-old boy who loved to watch trains pull into the Tempe station. He built a model railroad and crafted miniature building models, took piano lessons, and soon started playing the trumpet.

Jerry Clark’s parents assumed he would one day be a musician. They never imagined their son would one day lead architectural and engineering teams to design the second highest building in Arizona and a major hotel in Downtown Phoenix in the mid-1970s.

Clark was born at home in Phoenix in 1932, though his parents soon moved to

SEVENTY

Tempe. The family became friends with architect Kemper Goodwin, FAIA, and his wife, Mickey. “I never forgot a pencil drawing for a planned house Kemper drew for a location in north Tempe for my parents,” Clark recalls. Unfortunately, the house was never built, and Clark carried on with his model trains. He became a standout trumpet player in high school, headlining a big band called “Jerry Clark and his Orchestra.”

The musical prodigy attracted talented Above: Schwenn & Clark’s architectural rendering of the new Adams Hotel, 1974.

Right: Jerry Clark, 2010.

Image Courtesy of Author

JAMES LOGAN ABELL, FAIA

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

received a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs saying he would lose his G.I. Bill opportunities if he did not enroll in college within six months.

Clark and his friend, Paul, who would also become a Phoenix architect, decided to meet at The Hut, a bar at Mill Avenue and Second Street, to review occupations listed in the Yellow Pages. With Paul’s high school drafting class experience and Clark’s love of model trains and buildings, they decided to pursue careers in architecture.

The duo spent two years at Phoenix College and two more at Arizona State College, graduating with a degree in Architectural Engineering in 1958.

Clark recalls that finding employment in his field was a challenge, so he initially sold Kirby vacuum cleaners and ceramic tile to make a living. He finally got an architectural position with the Phoenix branch of Bilanti & Klause of York, Pennsylvania, working on a local hospital in Chandler.

Clark was soon hired by a Phoenix architect, Bert Thourd, and worked designing osteopathic hospitals across the nation.

Above: Pumping concrete during construction of the new Adams Hotel, 1974.

Right: Construction of the new Adams Hotel, 1975.

performers from Arizona State College and performed across the Valley with his 10-piece band.

In 1949, Clark’s band was in such demand that Mezona Dance Hall in downtown Mesa offered them a regular, well-paying gig. Clark recalls getting a call from organizers asking about the band’s African-American collegiate trombone player and pushing him to find a replacement. Clark turned down the opportunity, a tribute to his ethics and loyalty to his ensemble. It was a harbinger of his future career and leadership in architecture.

A few weeks after high school graduation, Clark and his pals were approached at Tempe Beach Park by U.S. Coast Guard recruiters. He and his buddy, Alan Paul, were soon off to Cape May, New Jersey, for training. By 1950, Clark had served in New Orleans, tended a buoy in Mobile, Alabama, and had been a deep-sea diver in Groton, Connecticut. Clark’s skill set included underwater welding, and he became a damage controlman for the Coast Guard.

Clark continued his music with shipmates, spending three years touring the Pacific Rim. With Seattle as Clark’s homeport, his ship supported the Korean conflict and visited Hawaii, Midway Island, and Japan. Returning to Tempe in 1953, Clark drove a semi-truck for Arizona Public Service. However, his life changed when he

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Besides architecture, Clark joined an architects’ bowling league in the early 1960s. His music interests led him to attend the Phoenix Symphony, where he met Robert Sexton, FAIA, joining with him and others in an ensemble.

Clark’s next position was with John Schotanus, AIA, who became his mentor amidst a spirit of teamwork that permeated the firm. In the mid-1960s, he met Donald Schwenn, AIA, and played a major management role in the realization of ASU’s 1968 Murdock Lecture Hall and the 1973 ASU Psychology Building.

The firm of Schwenn & Clark Architects was later formed, and Clark focused on the City of Phoenix Planning Commission and the new Phoenix Highrise Corridor plans. A national AIA leader also contacted Clark to confer on urban re-development practices.

These connections led to Phoenix being selected by the AIA in 1974 to be the subject of the 17th AIA Regional/Urban Design Assistance Team (R/UDAT), which brought

SEVENTY TWO

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Above: M.M. Sundt workers pouring concrete floors for the Arizona Bank Tower, 1974.

Right: Parking garage under construction for the Arizona Bank Tower, 1975.

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

urban design specialists from around the nation to create a broad vision for the city.

“All of the great things that would later come to fruition in downtown Phoenix; the Sun’s basketball arena, the Diamondback’s baseball stadium, the light rail transit system, and more, were glimpse-conceived in that 1974 AIA R/UDAT,” Clark says.

Schwenn & Clark designed the new Adams Hotel, now called the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, in Phoenix, replacing an outmoded historic hotel with a new landmark in 1975. The building displayed a solar-responsive array of guest windows that shaded the glass during the summer’s high solar angle but welcomed the desired winter sun. At 19 stories tall, it was a new look for hotel architecture, and not all Phoenix residents understood the solar advantages and the form-defining significance of these unique, solar-arcing hotel room window frames.

Schwenn & Clark next served as architects for the Arizona Bank Tower, renamed the U.S. Bank Center in 1991, in association with a Tulsa architectural firm. Teamwork and “making music” with many architects, engineers, city officials, and stakeholders were vital ingredients to the success of this new Phoenix landmark under Clark’s leadership. “I like people, and I love life,” Clark quipped.

While serving as AIA Western Mountain Region Director on the AIA national board, Clark was elected by his peers to serve as national AIA vice-president in 1978. He’s one of only two Arizona architects to be so honored. That same year, Clark joined Stan VanVoorhis, AIA, to create Clark & Van Voorhis. In 1990, Clark established his own firm in Lake Havasu City.

As before, Clark invested in his new community. He became a driving force in another national AIA R/UDAT in 2007, this time focused on Lake Havasu City. Among Clark’s other endeavors were becoming a board member of both the Havasu 100, an economic development business group, and the Lake Havasu City Main Street Association. Clark was friends with Tom Flatley of the London Bridge Resort and was the design architect for the conversion of the hotel into suites.

“Architecture is about shelter; always has been. But architecture should contribute to the comfort and safety of a place, expressing contemporary values,” Clark says.

Clark will go down in history as a broad-brush kind of guy, “painting” architecture and urban design with expansive visions. Arizona has been richly enhanced by the teamwork and the “music” joyously created by his architectural endeavors.

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OLD SCHOOL EQUIPMENT:

BARBER-GREENE’S XL-50 CONTINUOUS EXCAVATOR BILLY HORNER

M

any projects that New Pueblo Construc­tors worked on were the proving grounds for new construc­ tion machines in the 1960s. The Tucson company had previously demoed the JebLoader conveyor belt loaders (see Arizona Contractor & Community Sep-Oct 2022) and did the same for the Barber-Greene’s XL-50 continuous excavator.

In the early 1960s, the Barber-Greene Company manufactured an elevated belt loader. The firm, known primarily for its trenchers and laydown machines, tested the XL-50 while also asking contractors to use the machine and provide feedback. By 1968, brochures touting the machine were released.

The XL-50 debuted locally in Chandler at the Terex (General Motors) annual equipment demonstration in late 1968.

More than 200 contractors and dealers viewed the machine. Tanner Bros. was

PAGE

likely the first contractor in Arizona to use the machine in June 1969. Maurice Tanner, the company’s president, was impressed with the excavator’s job debut on a 10-mile road contract on Interstate 10, 30 miles west of Buckeye. The XL-50 moved dirt at a rate of 2,000 cubic yards per hour.

New Pueblo Constructors also used the XL-50 in the summer of 1969, according to co-owner Karl Ronstadt. “We were contracted to move three million yards of dirt while building tailing ponds at the Duval Mine, a copper mine located west of Green Valley,” he says. “This thing had vertical trencher buckets off to the side and would slice six feet of the face at a time, continuously. Unlike the Jeb-Loader, the XL-50 could switch a gate at the conveyor end, moving between equipment below and keeping the dirt continuously moving.

To be efficient, we used big 70-ton Euclid wagons to keep up.”

However, the machine had its drawbacks which proved costly.

Ronstadt explained that the material they were dealing with was hard clay with lots of sharp rocks.

The teeth wore out and needed to be changed after one day.

“We were running three shifts and cut down to two shifts to have the time to change the teeth,” Ronstadt says. “After a bill for the teeth came in at $30,000 for one week, we had to tell Road Machinery Co., who was the local Barber-Greene dealer, we wouldn’t use it anymore. But Barber-Greene insisted we use it to gauge the machine’s performance, so they agreed to supply the teeth and eat the cost.”

Barber-Greene never produced the machine for solid material construction, and the product line was eventually scrapped.

Still, Ronstadt stated, “Barber-Greene later used the machine’s engineering concept in Canada’s softer tar sands operations.”

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

Left: Barber-Greene logo, 1950s.

Above: Barber-Greene Continuous Excavator XL-50 brochure, 1967.

Below: XL-50 being tested in Arizona, 1966.

Top right: XL-50 loading a belly dump belonging to James Bond Trucking, 1967.

Right: New Pueblo operator Tiny Collins with a XL-50 at Duval Mine, 1969.

Bottom right: New Pueblo’s scrapers being loaded by a XL-50 at Duval Mine, 1969.

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Image Courtesy of New Pueblo

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

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Building on the Past 1968: PARK CENTRAL MOTOR HOTEL BILLY HORNER

M

y grandfather, Bill Sullivan, was asked by Western Electric to relo­ cate from Buffalo, N.Y., to their new plant in Phoenix in 1968. Bill’s 12-yearold daughter, Lynn, had some trepidation about the move. “I was excited yet nervous about moving across the country not knowing anyone except my immediate family,” Lynn Horner says. “My dad’s job was being phased out at their Buffalo plant, so he chose Phoenix as our new home.”

During the move, Sullivan, his wife, Maureen, and two children, Bill and Lynn, would stay at the Park Central Motor Hotel, courtesy of Western Electric. “We sent our laundry to a dry cleaner, which was also paid for by my dad’s company,” Horner says. “We stayed for a month while the

company moved our belongings to our new home.”

Ralph G. Burgbacher developed the Park Central area beginning in 1951. The apartments along Seventh Avenue and Earll Drive were converted to the new Park Central Motor Hotel in 1959. A year later, Burgbacher would develop the lot south of the motor hotel for the Gaslight Restaurant. “We would eat at The Gaslight sometimes, and it was very nice, in my opinion,” Horner recalls. “Next to the restaurant was the large pool my brother and I swam in daily. I thought it was spectacular.”

Horner also recalls dining frequently at The Pepper Tree, an international food court just south of the motor hotel. There were lots of places to eat inside, but her

favorite was Barnaby’s. “It was a deli-style restaurant; I probably ordered a BLT most days,” she says.

The motor hotel and restaurant have closed, the swimming pool has been filled in, but some of the associated buildings have been repurposed as part of the St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and a Department of Economic Security Office.

But the memories of this mini-resort along Seventh Avenue remain vivid for Horner.

“It was fun living in a hotel for a month, watching television, swimming every day, and eating at restaurants,” she says.

Above left: Park Central Motor Hotel sign, 1970.

Above: Park Central Motor Hotel room key, and the Gaslight restaurant matchbook, 1968.

Left: Park Central Motor Hotel swimming pool, 1976.

Top right: Park Central Motor Hotel swimming pool, 1968.

Middle: Bill Sullivan at the motel, and posing with with his daughter, Lynn, 1968.

Right: Park Central Motor Hotel, 1970.

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

PAGE

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

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Welton Becket and Associates: Tale of Three Phoenix Malls Doug Sydnor, FAIA

Doug_sydnor@outlook.com concept, which provided a full range of services. Wurdeman died in 1949, and the firm became Welton Becket and Associates. The practice evolved into one of the largest architectural firms in the world at the time, responsible for many high-profile projects. Their work included numerous

building types, including mixed-use, health care, commercial, governmental, hospitality, cultural, sports, and aviation.

Phoenix projects included the downtown First National Bank of Arizona in 1950, which was never built. In 1957 the Park Central Shopping City was completed, followed in 1961 by Chris-Town Mall, and in 1963 by Biltmore Fashion Park. In 1952 Becket was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects and unexpectedly died at age 66 in 1969.

With his death, MacDonald Becket, FAIA, his nephew, became the firm’s president and later CEO. He was born in 1928 and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1952 with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture. He became influential in Los Angeles architecture while leading multiple offices worldwide.

MacDonald Becket personally designed the 1973 Valley Bank Center, now called Chase Tower, at 202 North Central Avenue, which remains the tallest structure Left: MacDonald Becket, 1971.

Far left: Welton Becket, 1960.

Below: Goldwaters at Park Central Mall, 1957.

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Architect’s Perspective:

Image Courtesy of Author

T

he Los Angeles-based architectural firm Welton Becket and Associates designed and completed three prominent retail malls in central Phoenix from 1957-1963. The modern malls, located on major arterial streets, seized upon the population growth and expanding market for luxury retail space.

Welton David Becket, FAIA, was born in 1902 in Seattle, Washington, and received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Washington in 1927. In 1933 he moved to Los Angeles and formed a firm with classmate Walter Wurdeman and local architect Charles F. Plummer.

Plummer died in 1939, and the firm was renamed Wurdeman and Becket.

The firm developed a “total design”

EIGHTY TWO

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Above: Korricks at Chris-Town Mall, 1961.

Right: Court of Fountains near completion at Chris-Town Mall, 1961.

in Arizona. Becket shared the story with me that, while an airplane passenger, he sketched on a napkin the typical floor plan design for the 40-story tower that would maximize the number of outside corner offices.

Becket designed or managed many commissions: • Planning of the 260-acre, 15-building Century City in Southern California, • California State Capital restoration, • Eisenhower Hall at West Point, N.Y., • Washington, D.C. Convention Center, • LAX Terminal One, • Federal Courts Building in Los Angeles, • Reunion Hyatt Regency in Dallas, • Disney World hotels, • Barclay’s Bank in New York, and • Boston Common redevelopment.

Other global commissions included the Intourist Hotel in 1976 and, six years later, the World Trade Center, both in Moscow, Russia, the Great Wall Hotel in Beijing in 1980, the largest American joint venture in the People’s Republic of China; and five major projects for the Samsung Corporation in Seoul, Korea in the 1980s.

In addition, Becket oversaw a staff of 300 architects, planners, engineers, and interior designers.

Becket was also active with professional and civic organizations and received many accolades, including the 1974 American Institute of Architects Fellowship.

In 1987, Becket’s firm was acquired

by Ellerbe Inc. and continued as Ellerbe Becket until 2009, when AECOM Technology purchased it. It is now known as Ellerbe Becket, an AECOM Company. Becket and ARIZCC.COM

his wife, Diane, moved to a ranch near Durango, Colorado, and lived there for 25 years. The high elevation created health issues for him, and they moved to Phoenix.

MacDonald Becket died in 2017 at the age of 89. The vast archives of Welton Becket and Associates are located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

Let’s examine Welton Becket’s three mid-century malls in Phoenix: Park Central Shopping City, now Park Central, was completed at 3121 North Third Avenue in 1957. The first shopping mall in Phoenix was envisioned by brothers Ralph and A.J. Burgbacher, who purchased the 46-acre parcel from Central Avenue Dairy in the 1950s. The architects included Welton Becket with their Project Manager J. John Schotanus, Jr., AIA, designing the 1956 Goldwater Building and other mall components. Architect Ralph Haver, AIA, was also involved, and Alfred Beadle designed later structures such as the JC Penney store and covered parking deck. Kitchell-Phillips Contractors built the mall, which included the anchor stores of Diamonds, J.J. Newberry, and 31 other shops.

By the late 1980s, patrons preferred newer air-conditioned malls, and the openair Park Central had lost most of the major retailers. The retail space was converted to leasable office space, and the original mall exterior was given a postmodern appearance. It became a regional outdoor mall and a business park with officing for Dignity Health and UnitedHealth Corp.

In 2017, the architectural firm Richard/ Kennedy transformed the building exterior and site improvements to a more modern

character reminiscent of the original ambiance. The structures were upgraded with technologies and innovations to create a collaborative campus atmosphere. These upgrades and the adjacent Hampton Inn and Creighton University have given the development a new life.

Personally, I miss “The Straw,” a sandwich made with pastrami and sauerkraut on an onion seed roll at the mall’s original Miracle Mile Delicatessen. The restaurant’s interior and patio were designed by Alfred Beadle. What is better than enjoying great food with great architecture?

Chris-Town Mall, located at 1703 West Bethany Home Road, was the first air-conditioned indoor mall in 1961. The mall is named after Chris Harri, who sold his farm to developer Del Webb in the 1950s. The original anchor stores were Montgomery Ward, JC Penney, Korricks, S.S. Kresge, and Woolworth. The plan was linear, with three themed courtyards near each major department store. However, in just five years, changes started to take place, including The Broadway replacing Korricks, the addition of movie theaters, and a new wing with a Bullock’s store in 1974.

The modern mall proved popular with Phoenix residents, with interiors that created a pleasant ambiance with water features, landscaping, natural lighting, sculpted ceilings, comfortable seating, and background music. The mall’s interior attracted all ages.

By the 1990s, Chris-Town’s luster was wearing off, and numerous stores had closed. The shopping center, however, continued its evolution, becoming Phoenix ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Above: Biltmore Fashion Park sign, 1967.

Right: I. Magnin & Co. building at Biltmore Fashion Park, 1964.

Below: Biltmore Fashion Park, 1969.

a luxury outdoor retail mall in 1963. The 31-acre site was then viewed as a remote location. The mall was anchored by the upscale I. Magnin and Saks Fifth Avenue, and in 1968, The Broadway.

It was designed by Welton Becket and Associates in association with the architecture firm Mayer Kanner and built by Chanen Construction Company. Chuck Kanner was appropriately proud of his design

Images Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Spectrum Mall, with discounted stores such as Walmart, Costco, and Ross Dress for Less. In 2006, new owners rechristened Chris-Town Spectrum Mall, with more than 50 stores and ten anchor tenants. The recent 19th Avenue/Montebello Station for the Valley Metro Rail system will help keep it vital.

Biltmore Fashion Park at 24th Street and Camelback Road was completed as

EIGHTY FOUR

for the use of white precast concrete panels. I. Magnin was clad in stone tiles, while Saks Fifth Avenue featured battered natural stone walls. The Broadway expansion was designed by The Luckman Partnership and built by the Del E. Webb Corporation.

In the mid-1990s, the shopping center was purchased by Taubman Centers and underwent a significant transformation, including Macy’s taking The Broadway space and new luxury retailers. As a result, the center has grown to over 55 retail stores totaling 611,000 square feet.

In the early 2000s, Westcor purchased the mall and revitalized the exterior. This decision was unfortunate as Phoenix has been losing its mid-century modern architecture. The original, sculpted, and faceted upper fascia was vintage mid-century on this landmark building and gave the retail center its sophisticated and elegant character.

Westcor also intended to stop the pursuit of the same prominent national retailers as Scottsdale Fashion Square since Westcor owned both. Some Biltmore global brands were relocated to Scottsdale, and more “homegrown” and “fashion-forward” stores opened at the Biltmore. The center has recently become a “foodie” haven featuring 12 restaurants.

These three retail malls have elevated the shopping experiences for Phoenicians for the past 65 years. Each has morphed over many iterations and strived to keep pace with the ever-changing and dynamic retail market.

Douglas B. Sydnor, FAIA, is Principal at Douglas Sydnor Architect + Associates, Inc. and the author of three Arizona architecture books.

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DIGGING THROUGH THE ARCHIVES: BILL RUCKER BILLY HORNER

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Image Courtesy of John Baehr

“N

EIGHTY SIX

ot really,” was the response from Bill Rucker after I asked if he could tell me anything humorous or exciting from his 65 years of service to Local 428, the Phoenix office of the International Union of Operating Engineers. I thought writing a column about Rucker was going to be a challenge.

But then I pivoted to talking with Delores Rucker, his wife of 57 years, guided by old photos framed on the wall.

“This was taken in Carson City, Nevada, the night we were married in 1955,” says Delores as we looked at some pictures.

That’s when Bill finally opened up and told me about his interesting life in construction.

Rucker’s story begins in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1936, where his father was a bus driver for Greyhound. When Rucker was four, his father died, forcing his mother to raise five kids, including two brothers and twin sisters, on a schoolteacher’s salary.

“We didn’t really have it that bad during World War II,” he says. With the insurance payout, his mom purchased a three-story house on 10 acres for $2,100.

As a kid, Rucker worked at local farms during the summers and graduated from high school in a class of 11 kids in 1953. He took a suggestion from his brother-in-law and enlisted in the Marine Corps.

After his wedding, Rucker returned home from service. In 1956, his father-inlaw proposed moving to Twin Falls, Idaho, where he was a laborer and oiler for the Duffy Reed Construction Co. “As an oiler, it was my job to grease the tracks, buckets, and daily maintenance on the shovels, cranes, and backhoes,” Rucker says. “When it came time, the oiler also changed the engine oil in those machines.”

Rucker’s mother relocated to Arizona and taught first grade at Sullivan Elementary School at 31st Avenue and Van Buren Street. Rucker and his wife stayed in Idaho until the winter slowed work, allowing them to visit Arizona. They enjoyed the trip and moved to Arizona in the spring of 1957.

The first local outfit Rucker worked Top left: Bill Rucker operating a Link-Belt crane while working for Fluor Co. near Kearny, AZ, 1974.

Left: Two burned D9 bulldozers from a natural gas pipeline explosion near Seligman, 1969.

NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2022

Image Courtesy of Bill Rucker

Above: Bill and Delores Rucker on their wedding day, 1955.

Right: Bill Rucker standing on a truck while working for Fluor Corp. near Kearny, AZ, 1971.

Below: Bill and Delores Rucker, 1980s.

Image Courtesy of Bill Rucker

Image Courtesy of John Baehr

for was J.H. Welsh & Sons Co., a longtime Phoenix underground pipe contractor. “At the time, they had the biggest ditching machine available,” he says. “I was the oiler for it while on a big pipe job in Tempe.”

After Welsh completed the project in 1958, Rucker was laid off.

According to Rucker, you had to prove yourself to move up the ranks. “There was from whomever,” he says. the firm’s foreman, Ralph Kriese. “Kriese no apprentice program in the union at that While oiling a shovel for Isbell Con- gave me my first big break and suggested time, so you learned whatever you could tracting Co., Rucker became friends with I practice on the shovel if I was going to oil it,” he says. “He would crawl up on the machine with me and let me practice. Jack Knight was our shovel operator and helped break me in on a Northwest Shovel. The Isbell gang were a great bunch of guys, and that’s where I gained a lot of my operating skills and project knowledge.”

Rucker worked for Isbell for seven years and rose from an oiler to a universal operator. This title meant he was a qualified operator and, minus the blade, could move from piece to piece. Rucker’s favorite machines were the Caterpillar D8 and D9 bulldozers. “I ran a D8 bulldozer for Isbell when they were working on the Durango Curve,” he recalls. “Ralph Kriese was on a new D8H bulldozer pushing scrapers and shaping the original banks of the I-17 while I was staged at Seventh Avenue and the Salt River feeding the crusher down in the pit.” At the time, the Isbell stretch on the Black Canyon Freeway was the most expensive highway job ever let in Arizona, at $2.7 million in 1960.

Rucker worked for many companies in the 1960s, including H.L. Royden, Fisher ARIZCC.COM

ARIZONA CONTRACTOR & COMMUNITY

Image Courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community Image Courtesy of Bill Rucker

Contracting, M.M. Sundt, Gibbons & Reed, After his climb to the top, Rucker Vinnell Corp., and Peter Kiewit & Sons. His returned to his roots, operating equipment most vivid day of work occurred in Selig- for a few years before retiring. At 86, he man in 1969. “Two D9 bulldozers for the received his 65-year continuous service R.H. Fulton Company were linked together, with the rear machine pulling a Kelley Ripper,” he says. “The 24-inch natural gas transmission pipeline was not marked correctly, so the ripper ruptured the pipe causing 300-foot flames. Both operators were killed, and another badly burned.”

In 1971, Kennecott Copper wanted to divert the flow of Mineral Creek away from the Ray Mine pit, located near Kearney, Arizona. They hired Fluor Corp., based in Utah, to construct a large concrete arch dam upstream of the mine to function as a flood control structure. Fluor Corp drilled and blasted a diversion tunnel to route the creek past the mining operations. Rucker operated both cranes on the project alongside his friend, truck driver Bill Hardin. “Bill Rucker was one of the best crane operators he had ever been around,” Hardin’s stepson, John Baehr, recalled him saying, years later.

The Fluor project was Rucker’s last as an operator. In 1972, he became the Business Agent for Local 428. His one-year apprenticeship was to check jobs, member health issues, and grievances while covering construction projects for a bimonthly newsletter. Rucker became a Business Manager in the early 1990s, where he remained for six years, and subsequently became president for three years.

EIGHTY EIGHT

Above: Bill Rucker shaking hands with apprenticeship graduate at William A. Gray Training Center, 1986.

Right: Bill Rucker with his family at an equipment training center in Casa Grande, 1980s.

Below: Bill Rucker, 2022.

award in April 2022. The Ruckers live in Peoria.

“Bill was a straightforward guy,” Eddie Trejo, a fellow union member, says. “He was all business and a great supporter of the apprenticeship program.”

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