Winter 2015

Volume 4 Issue 4

Ain't No Valley Higher: The Spin on the VNB Sign Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60th Anniversary Constructing Phoenix: The Homes & Son Saga From Hero to Homebuilder: Forrest M. Cox $4.99 Winter 2015

Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community‌

Professional Building Reopens as Posh Hotel Neon Appeal of Prescott's A & B Signs

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Winter 2015

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Arizona contractor & community

Publisher William Horner Billy@arizcc.com Editor Douglas Towne Douglas@arizcc.com Contributing Writers John Bueker Christia Gibbons Emma Green Carlos Lozano Melissa Lykins Katie Mayer William Otwell Luke Snell

Decorating the outside of our house for Halloween.

Production Manager Laura Harley Laura@arizcc.com Magazine Consultant Advertising Manager Chuck Runbeck Chuck@arizcc.com 602-881-0907

Enjoying fried oysters and pizza Christmas Eve!

New Christmas PJ’s in December!

Publisher’s Representatives

Putting a group of neighbors together to go caroling.

Shane Addington Shane@arizcc.com 800-993-1794 Lance Dempsey Lance@arizcc.com 480-707-3599 Tom Hogarty Tom@arizcc.com 480-559-2327

Favorite holiday tradition?

Barry Warner Barry@arizcc.com 602-920-7325

Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community… Then & Now Printed at Lithotech Arizona Contractor & Community (ACC) magazine is published quarterly (spring, summer, fall, & winter). 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 © 2015 All rights reserved.

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Winter 2015

Barry Warner John bueker

Shane addington Chuck Runbeck

Barry Warner - Publisher’s Representative Hometown - Mesa, AZ. Hidden Talent - Guitarist and singer in Staron & Warner.

Comfort Food - Anything Mexican.

Favorite AZ town - Payson for its pine trees, clean air, and small-town feeling.

Three people I'd invite to dinner - Suns announcer Al McCoy, comedian Dennis Miller, and chef Julia Child.

John Bueker - Writer Article on page 66.

Hometown - Detroit, MI. Hidden Talent - Songwriting.

Comfort Food - Breakfast cereal.

Favorite AZ town - Jerome for its fantastic history, unique setting, and nice people.

Three people I'd invite to dinner - William Shakespeare, Friedrich Nietzsche, and John Lennon.

Shane Addington - Publisher’s Representative Hometown - Amory, MS. Hidden Talent - Quick reflexes: I can catch falling objects without fully seeing them.

Comfort Food - Fried okra and Luke's Italian Beef sandwiches.

Favorite AZ town - Jerome for its charming residents, scenery, and tranquility.

Three people I’d Invite to dinner - Jesus, George Washington, and Dave Grohl.

Chuck Runbeck - Advertising Manager Hometown - Aberdeen, SD. Hidden Talent - Poetry.

Comfort Food - French vanilla ice cream with chocolate caramel sauce.

Favorite AZ town - Payson for its small-town charm.

Three people I'd invite to dinner - Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, and Dwight Eisenhower.

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Arizona contractor & community

Volume 4 Issue 4 Winter 2015

CONTENTS 8.

10.

From The Editor: Tunnel Fever - Douglas Towne Construction Around Arizona: Projects • People • Practices

33.

Special Advertising Section: Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 years

49.

The Neon Appeal of Prescott’s A & B Sign Company Douglas Towne

54.

The Professional Building: Not Your Garden Variety Hilton Douglas Towne

58.

From Hero to Homebuilder: The Story of Forrest M. Cox Katie Mayer

62.

Building the Dream: Tucson’s Postwar Housing Boom Carlos Lozano

66.

Constructing Phoenix: The Homes & Son Saga John Bueker

70.

Architect’s Perspective: Rehabilitation of the Yavapai County Courthouse - William Otwell, AIA

72.

Digging Through the Archives: Ain’t No Valley Higher: The Spin on Phoenix’s Most Visible Sign - William Horner

75.

76.

Bid Results - Bidjudge ACC Advertisers’ Index

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Image courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Front Cover Steel workers during the construction of the Valley Center with the Professional Building in the background, October, 1971.

Winter 2015

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Arizona contractor & community

Editor’s Column: Tunnel Fever Douglas Towne

P

buildings,” says historian Donna Reiner.

“The effect is even greater at twilight.”

Trains and their rails were treacherous impediments for the 10,000 autos that typically traveled daily on Central Avenue to south Phoenix in the mid-1930s according to a 1940 Phoenix Gazette article.

Accidents were common. Reg Manning,

Boy Scouts distributed commemorative windshield decals to the first 5,000 vehicles to transit the tunnel.

Images courtesy of ABC Archives

hoenicians who enjoy underground haunts, or merely the opportunity to toot their own horn, savor entering downtown from the south via the Central Avenue Underpass. Built in 1939 to circumvent both the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroad tracks, the subterranean corridor has evolved into one of the city’s most notable wormholes.

“It’s a passage from one era to another, from an Art Moderne structure to a modern 20th century city of tall glass

cartoonist for the Arizona Republic, regularly satirized the crossing, drawing cars rearing and plunging like bucking broncos over the multi-track traffic hazard locals termed the “cascades.”

The Arizona Highway Department had already used federal funds to construct a nearby underpass at 17th Avenue in 1935.

The contract was awarded to R.C. Tanner and W.E. Hall, with a low bid of $90,000.

The underpass was completed in six months and eliminated two dangerous railroad crossings. It also improved traffic flow along the “Broadway of America,” U.S. Highway 80, the transcontinental road that went from Savannah, Georgia to San Diego, California.

As early as 1928, and well before the successful completion of the 17th Avenue Underpass, the Phoenix

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November 22. The walkout was called to force Lee Moor to become an exclusively union firm, although AFL members already constituted 85 percent of the 58 men employed on the project. “We are going to decide once and for all whether the Lee Moor firm wants to be union or nonunion.

Our members will remain on strike until the contract is signed,” A.H. Peterson, AFL

Color images: Central Avenue Underpass, 2014.

Black and white images: Central Avenue Underpass construction, 1939-1940.

Images courtesy of author

Junior Chamber of Commerce proposed the construction of a Central Avenue fourlane underpass. Construction began eleven years later after the city secured the rightof-way for $70,000, and obtained $250,000 in federal funds for the project. The Arizona Highway Department was the designer/engineer and the construction contract was awarded to Lee Moor Contracting based in El Paso, Texas with a low bid of $178,089 in April 1939. “The finished structure will be one of the largest and most modern underpasses in the state,” W.R. Hutchins, the state engineer, said in the May 1939 issue of Arizona Builder & Contractor.

Construction began in June, including excavation and driving piles to support trestles for the railroad tracks. "At age 18, I was a truck foreman and driver for J.D. Williams,” 96-year-old James Bond recalls.

“We had the contract with Lee Moor to remove all the dirt in three months under the tracks to make way for the new road."

Activity at the jobsite came to halt, however, because of a strike called by the American Federation of Laborers (AFL) on

representative, said in the December issue of Arizona Builder & Contractor.

Lee Moor settled with the AFL later that year and work was completed on time in May 1940. The resulting streamlined structure featured a rigid concrete frame, cast concrete winged motifs, and “Central Avenue” rendered in aluminum letters on corbelled pylons.

The underpass opened with fanfare speeches, a parade, and street dance according to a 1940 Arizona Republic article. The Phoenix Union High School band led a caravan of dignitaries that filled more than 50 motor cars through the underpass. Boy Scouts distributed commemorative windshield decals to the first 5,000 vehicles to transit the tunnel.

The underpass proved to be a safe and speedy pathway that facilitated development of the industrial-warehouse district and south Phoenix.

Arizona contractor & community

Construction Around Arizona

Ace Asphalt grading crew prep subgrade for the Park 10 development (story on page 12).

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Winter 2015

Image courtesy of Barry Warner

Construction Around Arizona

Projects ∙ Practices ∙ People

Don't miss a single issue!

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hen work is finished on the Main Event Entertainment project in Avondale, it may be difficult to get the A.R. Mays Construction crew to leave the site.

That’s because the 60,000 square-foot amusement center is “For people ready to play!” according to the Dallas-based entertainment company. Their “Eat, Bowl, Play” experience features a state-of-theart, 26-lane bowling alley, multi-level laser tag, high-ropes adventure courses, billiards, and video games. Dining options include fast-casual to chef-inspired casual with adult beverages.

The company’s first Arizona family entertainment center opened in Tempe in 2013.

The Main Event Entertainment center is part of the mixed-use Park 10 development that will include retail, office, and medical buildings. Phase One construction, which includes the Main Event, is located on a 10-acre site on the northeast corner of Interstate 10 and 107th Avenue. The 43-acre Park 10 development extends from 103rd to 107th

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avenue on the south side of McDowell Road.

A.R. Mays Construction started work in the early summer and is scheduled to finish in late January 2016. “The most challenging part of the job was the amount of interior finishes, along with electrical requirements for the complex lighting system,” Project Superintendent Rusty Diehl comments.

An unusual aspect of the construction was the bowling alley. “The lanes have strict tolerances. So much time must be

spent on each installation,” Dack Lambert, assistant project superintendent, says.

Sun Valley Masonry performed all concrete operations including tilt-up wall, sidewalks, and curb & gutter on the project. Other subcontractors include Copperstate Drywall, RN Electric, Nash Mechanical, and Ace Asphalt.

Top: Subcontractors use scissor lifts to complete the interior of the Main Event.

Bottom: Rusty Diehl and Dack Lambert of A.R. Mays Construction at the Main Event.

Images courtesy of Barry Warner

Main Event an “Adventurous” West Valley Project

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D

rivers passing by Camelback Road and Central Avenue may have noticed a bit of history emerging from the Uptown Plaza construction project – original painted store signs scrawled across the old baked brick.

Although the uncovered vintage signs could not be preserved due to lead-based paint, crews discovered many other original details that will be incorporated into the final design, said Vintage Partners Principal David Scholl, whose firm is leading the redevelopment project of the 1955 Del E. Webb Construction Company shopping center.

“We have uncovered some surprises, which we think are making the place really dramatic,” Scholl said.

Cheese ’n Stuff with new neon tubes, 2015.

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Image courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Katie Mayer

Among the surprises are the demising walls, which separate the tenant spaces.

Initially, the team believed they were frame construction until the drywall was removed to reveal the original brick walls instead. They also discovered an old 1-by-7 plank roof instead of plywood, which will provide an interesting ceiling for tenants who don’t want to install a drop ceiling, Scholl said.

“We can use so much of the original bones of the center which was really exciting to us,” Scholl said.

Also stylish are the old canopy columns, which feature a decorative crisscross midcentury pattern. Some tenants will be able to incorporate the original columns into their designs, but in places where the columns are too short, the team is going to salvage them and convert them into bike racks.

But perhaps the project’s most exciting news is the City of Phoenix’s approval of a comprehensive sign plan, which will permit Uptown Plaza tenants to

Image courtesy of Katie Mayer

Construction Around Arizona

Midcentury Elements Shine Again Uptown

paint their parapets. Neon signage will also be permitted, Scholl said.

Across the street from Uptown Plaza, an iconic neon sign has been relit. In September, the vintage globe sign that sits above the Cheese ‘n Stuff deli was illuminated for the first time in years. Dane Christensen, owner of Christy Signs, restored the sign pro bono in part because has father – prominent sign maker Leonard “L.W.” Christensen – created the piece more than 60 years ago and it had fallen into disrepair.

“We got all the neon fixed, but left the old stuff [the sign’s original paint job], because that’s part of the beauty of it – the antique patina,” Christensen said.

And that antique patina is also one reason why Scholl is so happy with the baked brick the team has uncovered at Uptown Plaza. He said tenants love incorporating the vintage brick into their design plans.

“We are most excited about the ability to take off the stucco and really highlight and celebrate that 1950s brick and return the center to what it was in its original days,” Scholl said.

As an extra touch to ensure the renovated Uptown Plaza will remain authentic, Vintage Partners hired Modern Manor owner Ryan Durkin to help with landlord-provided seating, furniture, and lighting.

Scholl said most of the construction will be completed by Thanksgiving.

Although a handful of tenants have already moved in, he expects additional businesses to join the shopping center in early 2016.

Top: Helsings Coffee Shop at Uptown Plaza on the northeast corner of Central and Camelback, 1964.

Winter 2015

Christia Gibbons

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ed brick – in keeping with the historical feel of the University of Arizona – will be featured when UEB Builders and Nelsen Partners Architects and Planners combine efforts to create a Marriott Residence Inn at Tucson’s Main Gate Square near the University of Arizona with construction to start first quarter 2016.

“This is the last piece, the crown jewel, of the original vision to create a courtyard for people to engage in,” said Nelsen Partners Vice President George Melara of the 286,000-square-foot hotel.

“This building finishes the courtyard, the public space.”

The project will be on the southeast corner of Tyndall Avenue and Second Street. UEB principal Paul Alessio said the hotel project should take 15 months.

With design approval and permitting underway, the 12-story hotel, which will sit on property owned by the Marshall Foundation, will include retail on the bottom level, two levels of parking, and floors five through 10 featuring approximately 210 rooms. The fourth floor will house an outdoor terrace, fitness room, and meeting spaces. A private University Club and guest pool will be on the 11th floor, and the top floor will include bar space for events and functions with views of the UA campus and Santa Catalina Mountains.

“We’re really excited about this project; it’s been on our radar for 15 years,” Melara said. Nelsen Partners

Image courtesy of author

Construction Around Arizona

Marriott Planned for University Gateway

worked on Kierland Commons in Phoenix and Wild Horse Pass in Chandler.

The Tucson Marriott Residence Inn is part of Main Gate Square, a four-block redevelopment area set on one of the oldest shopping areas in Tucson dating back to 1922. The Square includes 20 retailers, 30 restaurants, and the 255-room Marriott Atrium Hotel and Conference Center.

Jane McCollum, Marshall Foundation general manager, said the Residence Inn developers – Donald Semro and Thomas Warne – and others, including representatives from the existing hotel and the UA, agreed that a hotel with suites was needed to serve a variety of clients from the nearby university hospital and cancer center to visiting professors and parents wanting a living-room atmosphere with extra space when visiting their children at UA. The Marshall Foundation owns and manages most of the real estate in Main Gate Square. “The goals are the same for all to make this project for the long haul to

provide space to the university to do business, attract students and create a destination for tourists and locals,” McCollum said.

McCollum added she didn’t want to tip her hand on some additional amenities being discussed, but did say the intent is to make “Main Gate Square interactive, so that every day someone could go there and there would be something new.”

The hotel will offer a water feature/projection wall, a date palm court, benches, and outdoor dining and seating areas. According to a design document sent to the city, “Lighting will be strung between the buildings to create a festive environment at night.”

Melara said he could envision UA games, other graphics entertainment and movies being screened in the public areas.

McCollum said the Residence Inn and Main Gate Square carry forth the mission of the Marshall Foundation “to leave something for Tucson better than what we found here.”

BRANTLEY GALLIMORE TRAFFIC CONTROL SERVICES

7777 N 70TH AVE GLENDALE, AZ 85303

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Winter 2015

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raffic congestion along Higley Road from the Santan Loop 202 Freeway to Mesquite Street will soon be improved courtesy of a $5.265 million road improvement project undertaken by DCS Contracting, Inc. Construction, which started in September, will widen the road from two lanes to four lanes and add a median when it’s finished in the fall of 2016.

The most challenging aspect of the job is the construction sequence, according to Matthew Byrne, DCS chief estimator. “The project is required to be built to allow the existing roadway to remain open during construction,” Byrne says. “This will require extensive traffic control setups and a great deal of coordination and scheduling with stakeholders.”

Particularly difficult is the intersection of Higley and Warner roads, located adjacent to the Santan Loop 202 Freeway.

“This already heavily populated area is continuing to grow with the ongoing construction of the Warner Groves subdivision,” Byrne adds. “Completing the project in a timely manner will be essential for public safety and to ease traffic congestion.”

Construction is further complicated by the number and variety of stakeholders impacted by the project including the Salt River Project (SRP), Roosevelt Water

Conservation District, the Town of Gilbert, farmers, residential developers, nearby business owners, and the public.

"This collection of stakeholders all have different agendas and needs," Byrne says. "Litigating between these groups and coming together with a cohesive schedule to meet everyone's needs is essential to the project."

DCS is self-performing grading, paving, concrete, and wet utilities. The company

is also working with subcontractors including the SRP for overhead conversion, Contractors West for traffic signals and street lights, EPS Group for surveying, and National Barricade for traffic control.

Higley Road was named after an unincorporated community in the East Valley that was eventually annexed into Gilbert, Mesa, and Queen Creek.

Images courtesy of DCS Contracting

Construction Around Arizona

Higley Road to Flow Thanks to DCS

DCS crews working on the underground wet utility portion of the project.

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A

rizona State Route 87, which got its nickname because it makes a “beeline” from the Valley to Payson, is currently receiving an improved flight path.

The stretch of highway at the Slate Creek Curve near the community of Sunflower is vulnerable to rock fall from the surrounding slopes. To improve highway safety at this location, approximately 45 miles north of Mesa, the Phoenix office of Skanska is completing a $6.1 million roadway project for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The work includes roadway

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realignment, slope stabilization, and the installation of a truck escape ramp.

In addition to the excavation of existing rock slopes to accommodate the new roadway curve alignment, the project includes installation of earth anchors and a mesh system to stabilize the new slope cut. Production and placement of arrestor bed aggregate and naturally rounded rock will help provide the speed reduction element in the truck escape ramp.

“Skanska has been very effective in communicating with the surrounding area regarding the construction occurring on State Route 87,” Tom Goodman, P.E., resident engineer for ADOT, says. “We greatly appreciate their proactive approach in helping to manage people’s expectations.”

“This project will improve roadway safety and conditions for all drivers using

Images courtesy of Skanska

Construction Around Arizona

Skanska Protects the Beeline at Sunflower

State Route 87,” Skanska’s Phoenix Civil Construction Division Manager Chris Halpin says. “We are grateful to our team and partners for helping us work through the challenges of excavating 120-foot rock slopes and preventing future rock fall.”

Above, left to right: Hector Vasquez (raker), Matt Dey (paver operator), Chance Kelly, Tony Stanley (brown hard hat), Reed Stoffel (shovel), and Otis Meeks (far back right).

Winter 2015

ARIZONA

Desert Brooms & Desert Sweeping Keeping the Valley Clean

"A Sweeping Company" Construction and Parking Lot sweeping Using street and parking lot sweeper trucks Yard centrally located in Tempe Family run business for 18+ years SBE Certified by the City of Phoenix Accredited by the Better Business Bureau Sky Harbor Security Badged Arizona Dust Control # SC0802715 Tim and Lisa Corcoran Lisazdesert@aol.com Lisa - (480) 688-7980 Tim -(602) 339-9982 Fax (480) 279-4433 Azdesertbrooms-sweeping.com

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ucson developer Don Bourn and architect Steve Secrest are revitalizing Bourn Companies’ decade-old plans to renovate and rebuild an empty stretch of commercial property in downtown Tucson. The site is located on the south side of Congress Street between Scott and Stone avenues.

Bourn purchased the property in the early 2000s for $100 plus related costs

such as taxes, assessments, water and sewer charges, and similar expenditures.

The agreement with the city stipulated that Bourn begin development on the property within a certain timeline.

“Our agreement was, we design and plan a major project so when we closed on the property we had already accomplished that. I look at it a little differently than spending $100. I’ve spent millions of dollars on this property already,” Bourn said.

The 140,000-square-foot property consists of a 22,000-square-foot vacant lot, a former Chase Bank annex building, and the former historic Indian Trading Post building.

According to city documents, the most updated plans for the vacant lot include a

Images courtesy of Tom Gibbons

Construction Around Arizona

Adaptive Reuse of Downtown Tucson Trading Post Emma Green

three-story building with a basement for 19,300 square feet. The ground floor will include restaurant and retail, while the remaining floors will be additional office space.

This part of the Bourn project is estimated to generate 60 new jobs, according to the city. The 3,300-squarefoot restaurant will create 20 jobs and the remaining office component an additional 40 jobs.

Bourn’s original plans, designed by architect Rob Paulus who is still involved in the project’s design, included refurbishing both existing buildings and the addition of a 13-story mixed-use development to include a ground floor storefront, pocket park, balconies and upper level housing.

“The original plans included a much taller building, mainly residential and it was going to be individual condos,” said Camila Bekat, an economic development specialist

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Winter 2015

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Arizona contractor & community

Image courtesy of Tom Gibbons

Construction Around Arizona with the city’s Office of Economic Initiatives. “I don't know what their final plans are at this moment, but I do believe that residential is part of their overall strategy.”

Bourn estimates the project won’t break ground until the first or second quarter 2016. The updated cost is $18 million.

In addition to Bourn’s agreement with the city, his company also is involved in the

Construction Pioneer Lattimore Dies

magazine encourages letters to the editor, especially about recent articles or future story ideas.

Send correspondence to Douglas@arizcc.com

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L

onnie Earl Lattimore of Scottsdale passed away on September 22, 2015. The 74-year-old was the youngest son in a family of nine children.

After graduating from Phoenix Union High School, Lonnie followed his older brothers, John W. and Harry, into the construction business.

In 1950, his brother started the John W. Lattimore Company, which specialized in pouring and finishing house slabs, foundations, sidewalks, and curb & gutters.

Lonnie worked for the firm, whose customers included prominent Valley developers including John F. Long Homes, Hallcraft Homes, Lennar Homes, Knoll Homes, Suggs Homes, Elmer Bradley Homes, and Continental Homes.

government property lease excise tax, an incentive program aimed at helping to establish projects to attract downtown development.

The program waives property taxes for eight years if the developer increases the property’s value by at least 100 percent and is able to provide an economic analysis that demonstrates a greater benefit to the government than to the developer.

Tucson Councilman Steve Kozachik, called the project “very positive.”

“They’ve got two historic buildings book ending it and they’re occupying one of them, the Trading Post, so they’re leaving those with the historic kind of façade but adding a more contemporary look to the building,” Kozachik added. “It’s got all the earmarks of being successful going forward.”

Kozachik pointed out the center lot will be the one dedicated to residential housing.

Emma Green is a student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

In 1988, Lonnie opened his own company, Double LL Construction, which mostly poured curbs and gutters for subdivisions. He retired in 2009. Over the years, Lonnie established friendships with many people in the industry. His family was the subject of a previous Arizona Contractor & Community article (“Digging Through the Archives,” Spring 2013).

The magazine learned of Lonnie’s passing from the following email sent by his niece, Cheryl (Lattimore) Warnsley: Hi Billy, I know you talked to my Uncle Lonnie about some articles for Arizona Contractor and Community. My Aunt Carol, Lonnie's wife, wanted to let you know of Lonnie’s passing as he enjoyed his conversations with you.

This is the last of the Lattimore brothers, but it's comforting to know that we can still find their names stamped in sidewalks around town.

I hope that all is well with you and your publication.

Kind Regards, Cheryl (Lattimore) Wamsley

Winter 2015

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Construction Around Arizona

Airborne Construction: Water for Supai Village

O

restored post construction,” Crites says.

“Horseback or foot traffic is the norm for the Supai people as there are no vehicles in the village.” The wastewater project was completed in 2010 and the arsenic removal plant was recently finished.

The company has dredged the Colorado River, restored Chevelon Creek Bridge that is the state’s oldest Pony Truss bridge (see Spring 2015 Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, page 12), and rebuilt State Route 88, also known as the Apache Trail, from the top of Fish Creek Hill down into the canyon below to look as it did when it was constructed in 1910.

Images courtesy Technology Construction

vernight express is handy for shipping parts but imagine flying in all the construction equipment and supplies for a major project. Technology Construction, a general engineering company based in Prescott, recently accomplished that for a job in Supai Village located at the far west end of the Grand Canyon.

The town has a store, cafe, lodge, and museum and is noted for the nearby bluegreen waterfalls and camping facilities.

With a population of 200, Supai Village is the most remote town in the lower U.S., as the nearest road is an eight-mile hike.

The town is the only place in the country where mail is still carried out by mules.

Technology Construction built a wastewater system and potable water arsenic removal system enclosed in an industrial building for the Havasupai Tribe from 2010-2013. All construction materials

and equipment were brought in by helicopter, including two earth scrapers that were dismantled and reassembled.

Living quarters, hand tools, welders, cement for concrete construction, building block, an entire metal industrial building, and many other items were flown in. “If you didn't bring it in, you don't have it,” laughs Ron Crites of Technology Construction.

Crews worked 14-day shifts followed by four off days out of the canyon. The firm set up an onsite aggregate screening operation in order to obtain rock and sand for concrete. “With no roads in the village, we moved construction materials on temporary easement trails which were

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Winter 2015

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Arizona contractor & community

By Melissa Lykins, Claims Manager, Lovitt & Touché Melissa Lykins is a claims manager and CRT (Cost Reduction Technologies) Isokinetic Strength and Agility Program leader with Lovitt & Touché. More at www.lovitt-touche.com.

W

hen you are a business owner with employees who perform physical labor, what is the one thing that is always on your mind? Well, keeping them safe, healthy, and injury-free is at the top of the list. However, whether simply by accident or ill-intentioned, injuries do happen on the job and subsequent workers’ compensation claims can be very costly, resulting in thousands of dollars in increased premiums.

One of the toughest challenges for employers is assessing whether or not an employee is fit for a physically demanding job. On the surface, a laborer may appear fit, active, and eager to perform the job.

Yet what may not be apparent during an interview are conditions preventing certain movements or weak joints that could actually be the triggers for future musculoskeletal injuries potentially driving up workers’ compensation and overall health care costs.

Now, imagine if you could assess certain physical abilities essential to job performance before hiring an employee?

That’s possible with a CRT (Cost Reduction Technologies) evaluation, which uses

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state-of-the-art technology to test a job candidate’s strength and agility.

As recruiters and hiring managers know, you can’t ask prospective employees if they have preexisting conditions. That’s against the law. However, federal regulations do enable employers to test strength and agility during the interview process—as opposed to post offer—so

Here’s how it works: the CRT machine measures muscle strength and range-ofmotion for the back, shoulders, and knees to produce a Body Index Score (BIS). The evaluation consists of repetitive, resistance-based movements, and since muscles don’t have “memory,” the evaluation results are able to determine if the candidate is not giving full effort or is trying to produce a lower BIS. In plain language, that means you can’t fake your way through an evaluation. The CRT machine tests more than 83 percent of the muscle systems used for most physical labor jobs, and clearly shows whether a candidate is giving less-than-maximum effort.

The BIS determines if the candidate’s physical capabilities meet the essential functions and physical demands of a job.

The machine doesn’t allow users to exceed a muscle load beyond their capability, so it’s a safe way to assess physical strength and agility. In addition to aiding the hiring process, an employer may implement a CRT evaluation for employees returning to work to establish a baseline should there be a future injury.

Companies that rely on CRT evaluations to assess physical readiness during the application process tend to have lower workers’ compensation claims, and they experience improvement in the quality of hires. The relatively moderate effort that it takes to evaluate potential hires and post-injury employees can pay off big time in the form of reduced health care costs and overall employee productivity.

Image courtesy of author

Construction Around Arizona

Cost Reduction Technology Helps Prevent Workers’ Comp Claims

they can select the most physically qualified candidates for jobs that demand it. A CRT evaluation is not a medical examination. It solely assesses strength and agility, and is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Winter 2015

Sawing - Drilling Milling - Removal

602-268-1476 www.apachecc.com

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Arizona contractor & community

Luke M. Snell, P.E.

Images courtesy of author

Construction Around Arizona

Hand-Held Distance Measuring Equipment Senior Materials Engineer at Western Technologies in Phoenix, Arizona and Emeritus Professor of Construction at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

F

or most of us, taking a measurement of an object is simple. We read the length or width directly from our measuring tape. When we want to determine the volume or area, it gets a little more complicated. We must take the measurements, get the calculator, enter the numbers (hopefully correctly), and calculate the value.

I have been working with a variety of hand-held distance measuring equipment for more than 10 years. This equipment is really a computer that allows you to take measurements with either a sonic wave or a laser light beam and subsequently does the calculations. For those who routinely measure distances and determine areas and/or volumes, this can be a major time saver. The cost of this equipment is as low as $60.

Principles: The distance measuring devices calculate the distance by sending out a sound wave or a laser light beam that hits a target and bounces back. A timer measures how long it takes for the sound wave or laser light beam to travel to the target and return.

The equipment then calculates the distance by the formula: D= VT/2, where: D = Distance in whatever units the user chooses, V = Velocity of the sound wave or the laser light beam, and T = Time for the

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sound wave or laser light beam to hit the target and return.

Sound waves vary by temperature and have a conical shape. If part of the sound wave hits any interference, the reading will be incorrect. The timer in this equipment is simpler and the cost is lower. I don’t recommend sonic wave equipment as, in my research, it has been unreliable.

The laser equipment has a small narrow light beam that has a consistent velocity. The user can see the laser light and detect any interference.

This equipment has an accuracy of less than +/1/8 inch, which is probably more accurate than a tape measure.

I strongly recommend using the laser equipment. Be careful when purchasing equipment as it may be unclear whether it uses a sound wave or laser light.

Range: The biggest question the user must consider is the distance they will be measuring.

Hand-held laser distance measuring equipment that will measure up to 100 feet costs less than $100. If you need to measure longer distances, the cost will increase from $200-$500. Surveying equipment that measures still longer distances has a much higher cost.

Procedures: Hand-held laser distance measuring devices are simple to use and self-explanatory.

One of the most important procedures is to determine area or volume in the unit of choice. The menu on the equipment will show a square (for area) or a cube (for volume). If you select area, the equipment allows two distance measurements (length and width) and then multiplies them to provide the area.

If you select volume, the equipment allows three distance measurements (length, width, and height) and then multiplies them to provide the volume.

Experiments: Using college students, I conducted experiments using this equipment to calculate the volume of a room to determine its ease of use and

accuracy. The students also conducted distance measurements outside to determine how the laser performed in sunlight. The research showed that the students, after the first uncertain attempt, quickly achieved more than 95 percent accuracy and were able to complete the work in less than 15 seconds.

Adults recruited from a local coffee shop were also tested in calculating the area of a wall. They were only provided the manufacturer’s written instructions.

Some read the instructions, most just turned on the instrument. After 15 minutes, both groups could take the reading in five seconds and were more than 99 percent accurate. These adults showed how easy the equipment is to use.

Problems: The students found that the biggest source of error came from not holding the equipment level and learned to double check the equipment.

Students also had to ascertain whether the laser beam had a clear path to the object. Most were able to adjust the equipment when they saw interference with the laser beam. This was more challenging in sunlight, since it’s more difficult to insure the laser beam is hitting the intended target. Using laser glasses or simply shading the target areas solved this issue.

Conclusions: The tape measure will always be a useful tool on construction projects for short measurements. With longer distances, however, hand-held laser distance measuring equipment can quickly take measurements and calculate areas or volumes. This equipment’s inexpensive prices will quickly pay for itself.

Top right: Hand-held measuring equipment we experimented with; the low cost instrument is on the left.

Left: Luke (on the right) reviewing the answer of an area measurement.

Winter 2015

Apache Pipelines Inc. Specializing in underground wet utility construction

602-268-1969 2708 E Jones Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85040

www.arizcc.com

Arizona contractor & community

Modern Phoenix: Questions with Alison King Construction Around Arizona

Katie Mayer

Y

ou might call her the “maven of midcentury modern.” Founder of the Web site Modern Phoenix, archivist, artist, preservationist, and gatherer of people, Alison King is a true champion for Arizona’s midcentury modern architecture. She recently sat down with us and shared what sparked her love for midcentury modern architecture, what makes it so special, and why we should all care about preserving these jewels of our past.

What is the essence of Modern Phoenix?

To me, it’s the network. It’s people coming together to learn about and support midcentury modern and contemporary modern architecture. It’s the virtual archive and the flat archive…kind of a reference library.

What was the moment you realized your passion for midcentury Phoenix?

I fell in love with midcentury in high school from watching old movies. When I went to design school and learned about the architects, I fell in love with modernism so

deeply before I even fell in love with Arizona modernism. In the mid-90s, my husband and I were living in New York and went to a workshop at Arcosanti. It was there where we had a crash course in Arizona modernism and that’s when I really learned we have world-class modern architects right in Arizona. As I continued learning more in school, every time I came back to Phoenix my eyes opened more.

Why should the typical resident care about midcentury architecture in the Valley?

It represents a really optimistic time in our city’s history and if you pay attention, you can feel it oozing out of the buildings. It’s appropriately scaled and it challenges us to adapt. It also activates my imagination and I like to be swept back into time.

In your opinion, what has been the greatest midcentury loss in the Valley?

The Washburn Piano Company building in Phoenix at 20th Street and Camelback Road and the Valley National Bank building on the ASU campus. Both were lost around the same time in 2007 because they were round buildings seen as obsolete. That was a turning point in my life where midcentury preservation really became important to me.

What’s your most cherished preservation victory?

The David and Gladys Wright House in Arcadia. It was a massive group effort, but I’m very proud of it.

Who is your favorite midcentury architect?

Ralph Haver. I wrote his biography and I live in a Haver home. I like his work because it’s accessible and easy to understand. His homes were at a price point people could afford on a mass scale.

What is the most rewarding experience you’ve had while researching midcentury architecture?

When homeowners see that I have an interest, invite me in, and they show me their house. Complete strangers can be so gracious! Sometimes they are not aware of how significant their home is. Sharing stories and figuring it out together is very rewarding.

Image courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

What should the Arizona contracting community know about midcentury architecture and its preservation?

They are our best boots on the ground in understanding what’s going on with development. They can convey the importance of preservation and if they see a vulnerable property, they can let us know. In the case of the David and Gladys Wright House, the man driving the demo equipment is the one who called the city and said, “I don’t think we are supposed to do this.” They are on the front lines.

Left: Tempe Valley National Bank, 1970.

Thirty two

Winter 2015

NESBITT CONTRACTING CELEBRATES 60TH ANNIVERSARY

1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Congratulations to Nesbitt Contracting Co on your 60th Anniversary. we are proud to be the Arizona Construction industry's supplier of high quality ready mixed concrete.

Dispatch: 480-882-9984.

TWO - NESBITT CONTRACTING

1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

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1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Cold recycling project in northern Arizona, 2005.

Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years

N

esbitt Contracting Company normally avoids the spotlight, content to buckle down and focus on doing an excellent job. Their main objective is to give the client what they want and be a respected member of the contractor community. But even this firm with a blue-collar work ethic had to kick back and celebrate recently when they reached their 60th anniversary in the construction industry.

“To commemorate the occasion, the company held a big party at Rawhide,” James L. “Jim” Nesbitt, Nesbitt president and CEO, says. “We invited current and past employees, vendors, and public officials. I think everyone had a great time reminiscing about our work together over the years.”

The revelry was well deserved with Nesbitt Contracting’s long history of quality heavy construction work on numerous high-profile projects in the Valley. These jobs include the repaving of Phoenix International Raceway, work at the GM Proving Grounds in Mesa, Scottsdale Airport runway repaving, Cardinal Stadium concrete placement (curb, gutter, and sidewalk), streets and drives for Scottsdale's glitzy Waterfront project, DC Ranch streets and infrastructure, and Williams Gateway Airport aprons and taxiway improvements.

“We aren’t the type of company to hold things like golf tournaments, we’re content being a responsible member of society,” Jim adds. “And we feel we’ve fulfilled it as individuals and as a company.

FOUR - NESBITT CONTRACTING

We have a good reputation in the industry.

We’re not flashy, just a good family-owned company.”

Nesbitt Contracting not only does good work it’s a good company to work for.

Turnover at the firm is light, as most of their employees have been there a long time. “We pride ourselves in our employees,” Jim reflects. “Some have gone, many have come back. I think they enjoy working here. Most of our managerial staff has been here at least 15 years or longer.”

The good working conditions at Nesbitt Contracting are exemplified by the company having only three general superintendents in more than 40 years.

“People like to be here. We treat them with respect, we want to get the job done, and provide a good working environment for everyone,” Jim declares. “That’s one of the things that differentiates us from some of the other companies.”

One employee in particular spotlights the connection employees feel to Nesbitt Contracting. Sergio Marin, who didn’t speak English when he came to work for the company in 1969 and is now their yard manager, supplying crews with materials.

“He’s our ‘go-to guy,’” Jim says.

Sergio Marin, 2015.

Tom and Ruth Nesbitt’s retirement in 1995.

1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Company Overview

L-R: Jim Nesbitt, Mike Elliott, and John Nesbitt, 2015.

N

esbitt Contracting has evolved from a one-person, sole proprietorship formed in 1955 to a diversified group of corporations with more than 125 employees. Locally owned and operated, the company is based in Tempe at the intersection of Price Road and Rio Salado Parkway. Nesbitt has the personnel, assets, equipment, and knowledge to handle a wide variety of civil construction jobs.

They have built a wide variety of projects including highways, bridges, streets, airport runways, parking lots, drainage and irrigation development, site development, government facilities, asphalt paving, water and sewer lines, and curb, gutter, and sidewalks for subdivisions.

The company is characterized by experienced management, innovative problem solving, and an actively managed construction style. In their 60 years of operation, they have always completed projects under contract.

Nesbitt Contracting enjoys an excellent relationship with its bonding company and banks and has the necessary capitalization and bonding to perform work in the multimillion-dollar range.

The firm’s record illustrates that Nesbitt Contracting is up for any construction challenge, working with owners, developers, and government agencies to complete projects on time and on budget.

The Nesbitt management team includes five individuals with many years of construction experience.

James L. “Jim” Nesbitt serves as the president and CEO of the company. He graduated from ASU with a degree in Construction Engineering. He started in the field by working summers as a laborer with the company. Jim subsequently became a

Joe Chavez, 2015.

project engineer, project superintendent, and company vice-president before his promotion to President of Nesbitt Contracting. He’s been president and CEO since 1995 and oversees all operations of the company with emphasis on the engineering and construction operations.

for nine years. He joined the company as a manager with Century Materials in 1981.

He currently is in charge of corporate affairs, public relations, human resources, governmental relations, safety, risk management, and special projects for the company.

John A. Nesbitt serves as the first vicepresident of the company. He was one of the first graduates with a degree from ASU’s Computer Science/Engineering program when it was inaugurated in 1978.

Like his brother Jim, John worked part-time at Nesbitt Contracting through high school and college. John currently oversees all technical operations and equipment at the company. He’s been recognized for his inventiveness in the manufacture of specialized milling and recycling machinery.

Joe Chavez is the senior project manager for Nesbitt Contracting and oversees all of our project management. He has extensive JOC, CMAR and Design/Build experience.

Joe has more than 28 years of experience in the construction industry and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Construction from Arizona State University.

Michael J. Elliott serves as the company’s vice-president of HR. He graduated from the University of California, Irvine in 1969 and was awarded a master’s degree from ASU three years later. After graduation, Michael taught in the Mesa Public Schools

Russ Grgich, 2015.

Steven Roulo, 2015.

Russ Grgich, chief estimator has 46 years of experience in heavy/highway construction and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management.

In addition to managing Nesbitts estimating department, Russ serves as pre-construction manager on all of our APDM projects.

Steven L. Roulo serves as the financial vice-president and controller for the company. He graduated with a degree in Business Administration from Michigan State University. Steven worked as controller for two other general contractors before joining Nesbitt Contracting in December 2001. His responsibilities include supervision of the accounting department, managing cash flow, and preparation of major financial reports, as well as functioning as office manager.

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1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Company History

O

ne of the best advertisements for Nesbitt Contracting is their concrete stamps found throughout the Valley. “We get calls from people who tell us, ‘I saw your name in the sidewalk,’” Jim says.

“Recently, while working on project at the Williams-Gateway Airport, our employees found a Nesbitt concrete stamp dated 1960.”

That stamp would have been imprinted a mere five years after the company’s founding in 1955 by the late Thomas J. “Tom” Nesbitt. Tom ran the firm for 40 years before retiring in 1995. “My life has been devoted to my business,” Tom said in a 1990 interview with Southwest Contractor.

Born in 1926, Tom had an early start in the construction field, as his father, Joseph, was a building contractor in Mesa.

Tom Nesbitt with county inspector.

He often helped out on his father’s jobs as a young boy. This spurred his career in the construction field and prepared him for math and engineering courses in high school.

Tom continued his engineering education while serving in the Navy during World War II. He trained as a pilot in the ROTC program and was stationed at Northern Arizona College and the University of New Mexico. After his discharge in 1946, Tom re-enlisted in the Naval Reserve and completed his civil engineering degree at the New Mexico school in 1948, concurrently earning his

Pavement milling project at Durango–La Plata County Airport.

Congratulations to Nesbitt Contracting on 60 years of service.

www.vulcanmaterials.com

SIX - NESBITT CONTRACTING

1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Tom Nesbitt with his Cessna, early 70s.

Crushing operation in Precott Valley, 1967.

naval commission. Three days later, he was working for the City of Mesa doing engineering design.

“I had it thrown at me pretty fast,” Tom said of his on-the-job training. “There was no engineering department and Mesa had started on a program of streets and water. We were growing pretty fast in those days. I got a lot of experience because I had to do everything: survey, draw the plans, make the specs, bid the job, inspect the job, and make the assessments.”

Tom tried to do things by the book, only to discover it didn’t work on Mesa’s

flat land. “We had to run grades unheard of in textbooks,” he said.

He married Ruth Fitch, also a native of Mesa, in 1950. Two years later, he became City Engineer for the City of Mesa, in charge of the sewer, water, street, building, planning, and engineering departments in 1952. “Being as independent as I was, I felt the Mesa job was the best job in the state for me. I had to make decisions, and I wasn’t afraid to make them because of my education and experience.”

Nesbitt employees share a laugh, early 1990s.

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Barber Greene laydown machine and Century Materials in-dump paving along 40�� Street, 1980s.

EIGHT - NESBITT CONTRACTING

After working with a variety of contractors, Tom thought he could perform the work better than many others in the field. In 1955, he started his own company. Nesbitt Contracting opened with four employees and Tom’s $15,000 investment. The company purchased a portable crushing plant and specialized in paving, curb, sidewalk, sewer, and water projects.

Initially, Nesbitt Contracting worked on small sub-divisions and improvement districts in the East Valley. “We just grew from there,” Tom recalled. “Once you start acquiring equipment and have people working for you, you have to keep working.” Amazingly, the company only experienced one day without work in its first 35 years.

The company’s first big contract was to provide the materials for a runway at Williams Field in 1957. Working as a sub-contractor for M.M. Sundt Construction, Nesbitt worked 24-hours a day to finish the job.

For these jobs, Tom supplied his own aggregate base but not the hot mix asphalt or concrete. “I didn’t believe in doing that then, which may have been a mistake, although I did help other people go into these businesses.”

Nesbitt Contracting worked in Chandler, Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix, Safford, and Prescott. The same year, they overlaid all the roads in Payson. “I’ve been on both sides,” he says, referring to his experience as a City Engineer. “I was taught engineering was doing the best job for the least amount of money.”

While Tom kept the Valley projects going, highway jobs from Douglas to the Navajo tribal lands, from Ehrenberg to Springerville, became part of the company’s work in the 1960s. “I know where every gravel pit in the state is,” Tom commented in 1990. ”When I drive the highways, I’m always comparing the ones we did with everyone else’s.”

Tom had a unique management style, traveling up to 70,000 miles yearly to check on his company’s projects. At one time, he flew a plane to visit the jobsites.

“No matter how big a business you have, if management isn’t interested in what’s going on at the job, it isn’t going to work.

You’ve got to see it. Even today, I can drive through a job and quickly tell what needs to be done.”

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1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Century Materials

Nesbitt’s first hot plant operation along the Salt River north of Mesa, 1964.

N

esbitt Contracting expanded into new ventures that complimented the core business when Century Materials, Inc. was established in 1973. For this venture, Nesbitt purchased land in the floodplain of the Salt River in Tempe. Jim, while still in college at ASU, directed the installation of Century Material's mining, crushing, screening, and batching equipment.

Besides crushed base materials, the company made hot-mix asphalt and concrete at this location. By the late 1970s, they owned two other asphalt plants in the Valley.

Furnishing materials for freeways quickly became a major part of Nesbitt’s business. The Tempe plant put out a million tons of material for several years.

“We’re not the largest supplier, but we’re a factor,” Tom said in 1990. The company provided materials for sections of the

Superstition freeway from 1978-1983. The company produced concrete that was used in several buildings on the ASU campus.

“I’ve always been a bug on quality, whether its concrete, asphalt, or workmanship, and my people know it,” Tom said. “I think we give more of our time to give a better job. I won’t take a back seat to anyone on quality. That’s what I take the most pride in. There’s not a town my company has worked in where I feel I wouldn’t be welcomed back. I think we do have a good name for workmanship.”

His son, Jim, the current president of Nesbitt Contracting concurs with this assessment. “My father would stick with what he thinks is right, even if it costs more

TEN - NESBITT CONTRACTING

putting quality above profit,” he says. “He was business-success oriented but the bottom line was not his primary concern.

Tom always said, ‘If you watch the nickels and dimes, the dollars take care of themselves.’”

Century Materials provided road base, asphaltic concrete, and redi-mix concrete to other Valley contractors for two decades. The materials company closed when the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) took over the property as part of the right-of-way for the Loop 101-202 interchange in December 1993.

1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Arizona Pavement Profiling

A

third Nesbitt entity, Arizona Pavement Profiling, Inc., was launched in 1981, shortly after the acquisition of the company's first milling machine. Asphalt milling was then a new process that was just being adopted around the country.

Nesbitt foresaw milling technology as the answer to a number of challenges facing a growing region to build, repair, and maintain an increasingly heavy traffic load on municipal streets, highways, airports, and other applications. They were one of the first companies in the industry to recognize the value of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) and its potential to save time and money in road building and repair.

Initially, there were challenges with having public engineers, cities, and

competitors accept this new technique.

With time, asphalt recycling became more universally accepted. Scottsdale was one of the first municipalities to embrace the new technology and contracted with Nesbitt and Arizona Pavement Profiling to perform the work on its streets. “Nesbitt is a pioneer in the industry,” Jerry Jones, former Arizona manager of Crist Machinery, said in 1990. “There are always a few who will try innovations and are always a step ahead of the game.”

Recycling asphalt falls into this category. Arizona Pavement Profiling has been combining 50 percent recycled asphalt with virgin materials since the early 1980s. “We’ve been the leader in Arizona in this,” Tom said in 1990. “We’re saving natural resources. The biggest aggregate pit we have is right on the roads. It doesn’t make sense to dig up asphalt and old pavement and haul it to the dump. We’re having a shortage of good materials and we start here recycling the roads.”

Paving at Leisure World development in Mesa, 1980s.

A cold in-place recycling (CIR) machine, which picks up the old pavement, processes it and lays it back down on the roadbed all in one operation, was added to Nesbitt’s services in the late 1980s. This allowed Arizona Pavement Profiling to apply state-of-the-art technology to perform CIR recycling of asphalt pavements. The process permits the milling of deteriorated asphalt pavement, re-screening, crushing, and re-laying material back on the roadway in one seamless operation. This process eliminates the need to develop roadside material sources or pits, heavy trucking of material, and greatly reduces the amount of new liquid asphalt needed to pave. The states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah have embraced the CIR process to save on cost, improve efficiency, and preserve natural resources.

Not only has Arizona Pavement Profiling successfully used the CIR equipment in the field, but Nesbitt Contracting has become adept at building the Cold Recycler Sizer Mixer (CRMX) equipment for its own operations and for sale to other contractors outside of the company’s primary markets. This line of business represents yet another example of Nesbitt's exploitation of unique opportunities and their innovative approach to the construction markets.

Arizona Pavement Profiling's inventory of equipment contains 10 machines of various sizes and capabilities.

The company was one of the first to use the 1200, the largest milling machine in production. The company set the standard for quality milling in the Southwest, venturing as far as Nebraska to perform milling work for general contractors.

Congratulations on 60 years!

We look forward to working with you for many years to come KIMBRELL ELECTRIC, INC

John Kimbrell 602-265-2111 johnk@kimbrellelectric.com

www.kimbrellelectric.com

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1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Nesbitt Management

J

im and John Nesbitt decided to pursue careers in the construction field, following in the footsteps of their father, Tom. They worked summers at the company while in high school and college where, ironically, Jim’s future career was captured on celluloid.

In the mid-1970s while a student at ASU, Jim and three friends were approached by a television crew. “They asked us if we wanted to be extras on the show, Moving On. Our screen time was all of three seconds,” Jim laughs. “We were

told to stand in front of a dump truck – and not to look at the camera! The vehicle turned out to be the world’s largest dump truck, a 33-19 Terex Titan made by GM that could hold 350 tons worth of rock in the back.”

Jim, John, and Tom’s son-in-law, Mike Elliott, eventually took over running the company upon Tom’s retirement in 1995.

The trio continues to manage the firm.

Tom Nesbitt passed away in 2007.

Reflecting on the evolution in the construction industry over his career, Jim indicates that the building product often remains essentially unchanged, such as the sidewalks and curbs that Nesbitt Contracting has constructed since 1955.

Asphalt recycling on Saguaro Blvd in Fountain Hills, 2015.

TWELVE- NESBITT CONTRACTING

“What’s changed is how we build it and the additional costs such as regulations, permitting, environmental compliance and employees that take time and money,” Jim says. “Highways exponentially cost more today, maybe a million dollars a mile. A lot of that is the overhead or the indirect cost of the product. People don’t see the hoops that we need to jump through.”

Another challenge for Nesbitt Contracting is attracting skilled workers.

“It’s a tough and honorable industry, but it’s hard to bring into the business new people who have the needed skills,” he laments.

1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Current Projects

Bridge work at DC Ranch in Scottsdale.

N

esbitt Contracting has a 60 year history of high-quality heavy construction work on numerous significant jobs throughout the Valley. The company’s team of senior managers, estimators, project managers, project superintendents, and quality crafts personnel stand ready to provide excellent service and a quality project at competitive prices. The company welcomes the opportunity to meet with potential clients to see how it might bring a high level of expertise, quality, and experience to assist clients in achieving their project goals.

Here is a list of their current projects: ●Arizona Dept. of Transportation - Oncall, Statewide Concrete Maintenance Services ●Arizona Dept. of Transportation Statewide Concrete Repairs & Maintenance Service ●Arizona Dept. of Transportation Milling & Asphalt Replacement Service ●Arizona Dept. of Transportation Wickenburg-Phoenix Highway (US 60), 71st Avenue to McDowell Road ●Town of Fountain Hills - Asphalt Replacement ●Town of Fountain Hills - Major Reconstruction of Saguaro Boulevard ●Maricopa County Dept. of Transportation - Concrete Placement Services ●Maricopa County Dept. of Transportation - El Mirage Road, Picerne Drive to Bell Road ●City of Peoria - 91st Avenue, Butler Drive to Mountain View Road ●City of Phoenix - Right-of-Way Pavement Restoration Services J.O.C ●City of Scottsdale - Asphalt and Concrete Repairs ●City of Scottsdale - City Wide Heavy Site / Civil Job Order Contract ●Sundt Construction - Valley Metro Rail (Concrete Construction) ●City of Tempe - Street Paving & Resurfacing J.O.C ●Williams-Gateway Airport Reconstructing Runway

Nesbitt Contracting Today

N

esbitt has evolved with the industry over the past decade. The company remains very competitive in the hard-bid market, but is also fully immersed in Alternative Project Delivery Methods (CMAR, Design-Build and Job Order Contracting). Nesbitt prides itself in its ability to provide top-notch service to its clients, which involves being much more service-oriented and technically savvy than in years past.

All field supervisors are computerequipped to help maintain communications and provide real-time job cost information to project management through the use of timecard software.

Nesbitt continues to be a front-runner in the acquisition of the most modern equipment and continually educates its supervisors and workers about the latest construction methods in order to meet the current, strict quality standards.

Nesbitt Contracting has had a long successful history in building Arizona infrastructure and will continually strive to give its customers and clients great value in the future.

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1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Tucson

(520) 682-4063

Sierra Vista

(520) 378-2321

Globe

(928) 425-5775

Phoenix

(602) 416-2652

Flagstaff

(928) 526-5250

Prescott

(928) 443-9207

Camp Verde

(928) 567-0893

Yuma

(928) 343-4150

Bullhead

(928) 763-1022

Congratulations on 60 Years

Nesbitt Contracting!

A Global Ready-mix, Aggregate, Asphalt & Cement Supplier

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Nesbitt Contracting serving 60 years in the construction industry We are proud to be a part of the team All your traffic control needs: • Specializing in Traffic Control • Paving Marketing • Sign Installation • Arrow Boards & Message Boards Phoenix office

Tucson office

(602) 243-1218 3015 East Illini Street Phoenix, AZ 85040

(520) 294-1472 1500 E. Benson Highway Tucson, AZ 85714

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Nesbitt Contracting thanks the advertisers for supporting our 60th anniversary celebration Arizona Metro Mix 480-882-9984

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1955 - Nesbitt Contracting Celebrates 60 Years - 2015

Congratulations to Nesbitt Contracting on their 60th Anniversary

Serving Arizona Since 1976 - Freeway Management - Airport Lighting - Highway Signaling - Traffic Signals

Axiom working with Nesbitt on the Saguaro Blvd. widening project in Fountain Hills.

623-594-8001

- Highway Lighting - Design Build - Power and Communication Underground

1830 W Broadway Rd Mesa, AZ 85202 Telephone (480) 969-6300 Fax (480) 969-7300

www.contractorswest.com License number AZ ROC A069719

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We do it all! We do it BETTER!

TEL: (480) 423-7600 FAX: (480) 423-7680 100 S. Price Road, Tempe AZ 85281 WWW.NESBITTS.COM

Back When

Uptown Equine Douglas Towne

U

ptown Plaza provided the Valley with an upscale shopping alternative to downtown Phoenix stores when it opened outside city limits on September 25, 1955. Located on the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Camelback Road, the Del E. Webb shopping center featured amenities modern for the era, including free on-site parking and air-conditioned stores. Each of the 23 businesses was elegantly denoted by neon-lit cursive signage on their façade.

Uptown Plaza promoted special events such as the “All Arabian Horse Show” in 1970. The Valley has long been home to such equestrian shows, sponsored by the Arabian Horse Association of Arizona. One competitive class is “Mounted Native Costume,” where the rider wears traditional native costumes, such as shown in the photo.

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Arizona contractor & community

The Neon Appeal of Prescott’s A & B Sign Company

Image courtesy of A & B Sign Co.

Douglas Towne

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eon signs and Perry Wieweck have a symbiotic relationship. When one goes dark, it’s his signal to get back to work. “I like my retirement but I do miss working on signs,” Perry says. “I enjoy my trade and love to do neon.”

Perry is part of the A & B Sign Company, a third-generation family business in Prescott. Although Perry retired five years ago, he’s still the company’s neon expert, occasionally coming back to fashion glass tubing into unforgettable signs. The firm has been designing, manufacturing, and servicing signs in northern Arizona for more than 60 years. His son, Bryan Wieweck, currently runs the company, which was started by Perry’s father, Arnold “Arnie” Wieweck.

Arnie was hired by the Funk Sign Company in Prescott after moving there from Butte, Montana in 1947. Arnie, who only had an eighth-grade education, bought the company two years later.

Curiously, the bill of sale included such petty items like ‘one flat head screwdriver’ and other insignificant stuff.

In 1951, Arnie went into partnership with Ben Merserseau and renamed the

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firm, A & B Sign Company. Eventually, the big install on the Auto Rest Motor Hotel.”

Arnie bought out Ben. Prior to 1947, Prescott’s neon signs Perry began working with his father during the summers in high school. One of were probably installed by Phoenix his most memorable sign installations companies. That’s because Arnie was the occurred during the summer of 1966. “We first neon glass blower in northern Arizona. built the remake of the St. Michael Hotel One such historic sign is the one that sign, which was similar to the original on adorns the Hassayampa Inn. It was probably created by the Whiskey Row,” he recalls. “I Federal Outdoor Sign ran the crane and helped with the cables when we “Neon is downplayed Company in Phoenix installed it a few days nowadays but I don’t around 1927. “In 1980, while the hotel was being before the big July Fourth think it should be.” renovated, we took it Parade. There was a time down, redid the neon, and and temperature sign across the street. I just kept watching the stripped the sign,” Perry says. “There was temperature rise; it was 109 degrees when 24-karat, gold leaf filigree around the we finished. When I stood up from hooking edges of the sign, top to bottom, on both the cables on the roof, the vulcanized tar sides, hidden under the paint. This was an additional restoration cost to the owners was stuck to my Levis. It was miserable.”

He attended Northern Arizona as the sign had to be reinstalled, by University, majored in industrial arts, and ordinance, to its original condition.”

A & B Signs built many memorable received a teaching degree in 1968. But advertisements in Prescott, including neon his using of intention no had Perry Lodge, Cascade Motel, and Holiday the diploma. “I always wanted to work in the family business,” he confesses. “After graduation, I got married and started full Top: A & B Sign Company crew in 1954: Ben time. They gave me four days off for the Merserseau (right) and Arnie Wieweck (next honeymoon but I had to hurry back to do to Ben).

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winds, so I went back to Prescott and returned the next week to finish it.”

One favorite stop on the Mother Road was Seligman, where the company still services signs at the Route 66 Motel, the Supai Motel, Black Cat Bar, and Copper

Images courtesy of A & B Sign Co. and Author

Bottom left: Hassayampa Inn, Prescott.

Bottom right: A & B Signs reinstalling the sign.

Top right: Hotel St. Michael sign.

to remove it, there was enough of a community outcry that it was later reinstalled by others as a Prescott landmark.

The company’s service area includes the Verde Valley, Sedona, and Route 66 from Holbrook to Kingman. In Cottonwood, the company maintains The View Motel sign, which is owned by the niece of the late comedian Lucille Ball. The company has created beautiful signs in Sedona for the Matterhorn Motel and Oaxaca Restaurant. Working there is a challenge, however, because of the city’s stringent sign restrictions.

In Flagstaff, they still do work at the Motel Dubois and Monte Vista Hotel. “I would go up with a 100-foot crane and work alone on these signs,” Perry says. “I also worked east of the city on the Two Guns Shell sign that was illuminated with 12-volt car headlights, 15 lamps to the circuit, and the red neon at Twin Arrows before it became a casino.”

Route 66 was also the setting for one of Perry’s wildest sign installations, at a service station in Winslow. Heavy winds forced him to wait until sunset to start. “I went up on the crane and began using a welding rod to attach the letters,” Perry recalls. “But the winds picked up again, so I used vice grips to help secure the sign and went to bed around midnight. The next morning, there were 70 mile-per-hour

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Apache Lodge. “That was the end of an era of the big sign days, all done in the 1950s and 1960s,” Perry recalls. “Neon was the sign illumination of choice then.”

Many signs built or serviced by A & B Signs, however, didn’t have such a bright future. “Some really beautiful signs were destroyed; no one understood their significance or value,” Perry laments. “At the Navajo Lodge, we maintained for umpteen years the sign featuring a headdress of a Navajo Chief. Every stick of that was neon in a different color. Now, onehalf of the sign is in an antique mall on Cortez Street. Kuhles Salvage took it down and cut it in half.”

Another impressive neon display was at the Owl Buffet, a former bar in the 200 block of West Gurley. “I kept a beer sign from it and sold it for two thousand dollars,” Perry says. “The bar’s sign itself was worth way more than that, as it was a double-faced image of an owl in full color neon. It was heartbreaking to rip it down and throw it away.”

One partial preservation success was the sign for the Senator Drive-In, an outdoor movie theater that opened in 1950 along Senator Highway south of Prescott. Although A & B Signs was hired

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Cart Restaurant. At the latter business, they even helped out one of the waitresses. “We were long-time friends with May McMichael, who was one of the original Harvey Girls in the Havasu House restaurant in Seligman,” Perry says.

“I helped take care of her when she retired to Prescott.”

Perry’s favorite installation occurred in the nearby town of Clarkdale at the 10-12 Lounge. After a fire, the owner contacted A & B Signs to reconstruct a neon sign without having any noticeable structural supports. “Since they had to rebuild the roof, we put a sleeve into the building holding a strong pipe,” he says. “We manufactured the sign with a

square tube so that it slid onto the pipe.

Those are the details that made my business thrilling, innovative, and mentally challenging.”

Making neon signs look clean without having guide cables that marred the view became a priority for Perry.

“My dad was of the era that cables were ok, but I was of a newer era,” he reflects.

“The Keller Williams sign across the street from the St. Michael Hotel in Prescott is an example of a pristine appearance.”

Reflecting upon his profession and passion, Perry is optimistic about the resurgence of his favorite advertising medium. “Neon is downplayed nowadays but I don’t think it should be,” he says.

“People will want it again because it’s so

“That was the end of an era of the big sign days, all done in the 1950s and 1960s…Neon was the sign illumination of choice then.”

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unique. I hope neon comes back and that I’m around to work with it.”

An example of the recent rebound in neon’s appeal is The Motor Lodge in Prescott. When the new owners, Brian Spear and Joe Livingston, set out to create an unforgettable roadside accommodation, an evocative neon sign was high on their list. They turned to A & B Signs.

“It was nice to work on The Motor Lodge’s new sign since my father manufactured an earlier sign at the motel,” Perry says. “Brian and Joe really appreciated what we did with the sign.

They knew what they wanted, we produced it, and we’re really impressed with what they’ve done with the place.”

Top left: Apache Lodge sign, Prescott.

Top right: Navajo Lodge, formerly in Prescott.

Winter 2015

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T

he medical offices are gone and the bank vault is empty, but the Professional Building is once again a place of wellbeing and riches. After being vacant for more than two decades, the landmark Art Deco skyscraper will reopen in December as the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Phoenix.

The hotel will combine ornate historic ambiance with modern comforts including valet parking, a fitness center, rooftop terrace, and 170 well-appointed guest rooms.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to restore this iconic building to its original glory,” Steve Schlundt, chief operating officer of CSM lodging/residential, says. “We are committed to preserving its beauty and grandeur, and in creating a truly unique experience for our guests.” Minneapolisbased CSM Corporation purchased the

The loud pounding of rivets into the girders interfered with luncheons at the nearby Hotel Adams, which precipitated numerous complaints.

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Below: Professional Building under construction, 1931.

Below right: Bank Executives Earl Bimson and W. R. Hafford during the fallout shelter era, late 1960s.

long-vacant property in December 2013 and began renovation in early 2015.

The landmark building was first envisioned by members of the Maricopa County Medical Society in 1930. The medical community sought the creation of a centralized health care center for Valley residents. Concurrently, Valley National Bank of Arizona, then called the Valley Bank and Trust Company, wanted to relocate to property it owned at the southeast corner of Monroe Street and Central Avenue, which it had acquired in 1907 for $63,000.

Valley Bank obtained commitments from medical professionals to lease space in the proposed building. The Los Angeles architectural firm of Morgan, Walls & Clements was hired to design the structure. H.H. Green of Phoenix, who designed the YMCA building and Heard

Museum, was the local architect assigned to the project. Final plans for the 12-story building were completed in January 1931.

The construction contract was awarded to the L.E. Dixon Company of Los Angeles, which had built other local structures such as the Security Building and the Adams Hotel addition.

To prepare the site for construction, existing structures on the property were razed, including an early Phoenix landmark, the twostory Central Building.

During excavation for the new building’s basement, workers encountered Hohokam artifacts and shallow groundwater, which was pumped out into the city sewer. Even after dewatering, there were still excavation concerns about the ground caving in beneath the adjoining Golden West Hotel, according to documents from the Phoenix Historic Preservation Office.

The Kansas City Structural Steel Company supplied the building’s framework. Steel girders were surrounded by reinforced concrete to fireproof the building. The loud pounding of rivets into the girders interfered with luncheons at the nearby Hotel Adams, which

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1931. The Valley Bank opened for business in the new building on February 23, 1932.

The Professional Building featured many lavish and modern touches. The elevators were embellished with marble facades and engravings. Hallways had metal lattice designs. It was the only building in Arizona to furnish individual linen towels in the restrooms; more than 86,000 towels were used in 1936. An electronic bell tower system was located on the roof for ringing out the time, music, or announcements. The basement garage could hold 90 cars.

Image courtesy of CSM

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precipitated numerous complaints. After the last of 65,000 rivets had been hammered into place, the construction crew unfurled a sign that read, “The riveting has been completed! You are glad and so are we!”

Originally, the structure was to be called the “Valley Bank Building.” Because so many financial institutions had failed and left their customers in the lurch during the Great Depression, the bank directors wanted to focus attention on the building’s medical tenants. The medical community renamed it the Professional Building. It was to become the most important health care center between El Paso and Los Angeles.

The Streamline Moderne building, featuring storefronts on the first floor and 11 stories of offices, was constructed at a cost of $1 million. A central tower rises from a two-story base; there is a wing on the western side of the building.

The Valley Bank occupied most of the building’s lower three floors; medical offices for physicians, dentists, and laboratories were located on the upper floors. The building’s first tenant was the Santa Fe Railroad ticket office in December

Operating the building was a challenge, initially. Doctors and dentists were affected by the Depression like everyone else, and it was difficult for some of them to pay their rent. Occupancy rose from 74 percent in 1932 to 95 percent in 1935. By 1937, more than 4,500 people were observed using the building in a single day. The main complaint with the building was its air conditioning system.

After only a handful of years, technology had progressed rapidly and the system was outdated.

Valley Bank prospered in the state, growing to 51 branches in Arizona by the end of the 1950s. This success led to a $250,000 addition to the Professional Building in 1957. The P.W. Womack Company constructed another floor to the western wing that was designed by Los Angeles architects Stiles O. and Robert O. Clements. Featuring floor-to-ceiling glass walls, the added 4,500 square feet was used for executive offices, private dining facilities, and conference rooms.

The Myers & Leiber Neon Sign Company was hired to install a landmark 49-foot Valley National Bank sign to the top of the building, which was thought to be the largest rotating neon sign in the country [see the “Digging through the Archives” column on page 72].

The Valley Bank moved next door to the newly completed, 40-story Valley Center building in 1972 and the Professional Building began its slow decline. The 1932-era building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993, but, ironically lost its last tenants

Top left: Valley National Bank President Earl Bimson poses in front of the Professional Building, 1968.

Right: Artist's rendering of the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Phoenix. www.arizcc.com

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to redevelop the building into the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Phoenix.

CSM has previously transformed a 19th century train depot in Minneapolis and a 1920s Milwaukee department store into hotels. Their Phoenix hotel will offer a similar authentic historic experience with modern amenities. Ryan Companies is the general contractor for the project, working with Elness Swenson Graham (ESG) Architects. Historic Consultants, a company specializing in revitalizing historic structures, is overseeing the restoration to

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soon afterwards. The historic building sat empty and continued to deteriorate for more than two decades.

Plans to transform the Professional Building into the Hotel Monroe, a 150room boutique hotel slated to open in 2008, failed during the Great Recession.

The property was sold to Minneapolisbased hotel developer CSM Lodging for $7.9 million in 2013. The company negotiated a $30 million loan with the Phoenix Community Development and Investment Corporation the following year

Jean Kasitch

James Bagshaw

Rental Manager jean@pacwesttrading.com

Rental Account Manager jbagshaw@pacwesttrading.com

480-258-4818

602-723-6838

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retain the building’s designation on the national register.

From the outside, the hotel will look nearly identical to its predecessor, with its limestone façade, grand entryway with decorative grills above the doors, and Art Deco architecture. Inside, the hotel’s common areas will feature the same renowned style, from its 24-foot ceilings and ornamental bronze elevators to intricate wrought ironwork, rich colors, and interior columns. The former bank lobby is being restored to its original splendor and will serve as the main reception area for hotel guests.

A surprise touch is the redisplay of one of the building’s long-lost features. “Brad Hall, a Phoenix history buff, had the original brass sign that was displayed on the exterior of the building,” CSM Vice President of Operations Rob Hall says. “He generously donated the sign that reads ‘The Professional Building,’ to the project, and we’re incorporating it into the lobby.”

The renovation is preserving one of Phoenix’s most beautiful buildings and offering new downtown lodging options.

“From the moment they enter our doors, our guests will feel as though they have stepped back in time,” Afsaneh Torres, director of sales and marketing for the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Phoenix, says. “With the resurrection of this building, we are helping to preserve an important piece of our history for both locals and visitors to enjoy.”

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Image courtesy of the Cox family

Jaycee Rodeo Queen with Forrest Cox, January 1961.

Forrest Cox at Luke Field, May 1943.

From Hero to Homebuilder:

T

he year was 1943 when a severely wounded fighter pilot named Forrest M. Cox was sent to Luke Air Force Base to recover following his service in World War II. Although just 26 years old, the energetic Carollton, Illinois native had already lived a lifetime of adventure – traveling to Africa in search of gold and to Sumatra and Java mining for copper and lead, and into Britain’s Royal Air Force (RAF) where he fought with the Dutch and Chinese air forces before transferring to the U.S. Army Air Corps in New Delhi, India.

He also shared his life with a quiet and bookish classic beauty named Phebe, who he grew up with, pursued and later married.

“I think he just had an adventurist’s soul,” said Cox’s daughter Hilda Cox. “He said he liked the life of a pilot.”

And he was good at it too. Flying the legendary Hurricanes and Spitfires in combat against the German Luftwaffe in Europe, Cox reached the rank of squadron leader, logged

more than 3,000 flying hours and was credited with downing 17 enemy planes to become a highly decorated and accomplished airman.

During one operation, Cox was shot down and forced to land in China. The experience left him with lifelong injuries, which many people never knew he suffered.

Hilda, who now lives in Tempe, and her brother Eugene “Gene” Cox, of Phoenix, remember the large percentage of lung their father lost and the long, deep scars that ran down his chest, back, and leg. “He probably had seven feet of scars,” Hilda recalled.

Still, the wounds didn’t stop their bright and determined father from doing what he loved – both in his career and in his life.

After briefly moving back home to Illinois, Cox and Phebe fled the snow and settled in Arizona.

Forrest and Phebe at Bell Helicopter School, November 1960.

Gene and Hilda Cox, 2015.

And it’s a good thing they did, because Cox went on to become one of Arizona’s most prolific homebuilders in the 1940s and 50s in Phoenix.

It was a career that found him as much as he found it. After buying a parcel of land in the mid-1940s near Camelback Road and Central Avenue, Cox started building a modest home for his family. “Before he could even finish the project, a buyer came along and made him an offer,” Gene said.

Cox sold the house and used the funds from the sale to then build two more houses, only to discover those sold quickly too. “He made money at that and said ‘This could work,’” Gene recalled.

Cox ultimately founded Forrest Cox Homes and went on to develop a neighborhood near Uptown Plaza in central

Image courtesy of author

Images courtesy of the Cox family

Actress Betty Grable and Forrest Cox at training field in Glendale CA prior to RAF deployment, spring 1941.

Phoenix, some homes in Eloy, tracts in Scottsdale, and approximately 5,000 houses total over the course of his career.

He was also one of only two people in Arizona permitted to own and fly a personal helicopter – a shiny Bell chopper which he stored in the backyard of his home at 5620 North Fourth Street. “He loved that helicopter,” Gene said.

“He said he wanted it to advertise his homebuilding business,” added Hilda, “but I think he just wanted it.”

Ironically, Cox survived some of history’s most dangerous military air battles, but it was a routine leisure flight in his beloved helicopter that ultimately cut his life tragically short.

In 1961, 45-year-old Cox and his friends C.W. “Bill” Laing and Carl A. Wilfert were returning home from a trip searching for Indian artifacts up in the mesas when tragedy struck. “It was night and he hadn’t come home yet, so

both Mom and I knew something was wrong,” Hilda said.

Their fears were confirmed when they learned that their father’s helicopter had gone down in a fiery crash near the Verde River.

Authorities determined an unmarked power line was to blame and the helicopter’s skids became tangled in a high tension wire. The crash sent a shock wave through Arizona and shined a spotlight on the importance of marking power lines – often done today with large orange balls – so they are more visible to pilots.

“When he died, he was at a very high point in his career,” Gene said.

Forrest Cox Homes General Manager Fred Godwin and Sales Manager Kermit Butler kept the operation going in the short term, but a Greece-based company named Cyprus Mining ultimately purchased the company from the Cox family. “We were very lucky because two or three years later, it was a horrible recession,” Gene said.

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Forrest in Jay Dee Parker's jeep, 1959.

Still, Hilda knows her father – always one step ahead – would likely have overcome the recession just as gracefully as every other challenge he faced in his life. “I have n o doubt he had something else on his mind,” Hilda said.

“He had the touch.”

During the Forrest Cox Homes years, Gene said everybody knew someone who lived in one of his father’s homes. Many of the buyers were veterans and their families.

“My Dad had a personality of just being able to go into a group and meet people,” Hilda said.

Their mother Phebe, who is 97 years old, was always more of the quiet one, but stood by her husband’s side and helped care for the family, Hilda said.

Phoenix resident Britt Burns grew up on the same street as Gene and Hilda and fondly recalls the outdoor adventures and happy memories with Forrest Cox. “I just knew him as kind of like another Dad to me and a great guy,” Burns said. “He was kind of a man’s man. He’d take us hunting and fishing and he was a tinkerer and built a go-cart for Gene and I. We got to help build it and drive it too.”

Both Burns and Cox’s children said they knew Cox suffered serious injuries, but he never really let on to just how bad his health issues were or how deep his emotional scars were from the war. “When he was selling homes right after the war, a Japanese couple wanted to buy a home,” Hilda recalled. “He felt so horrible, but he just couldn’t sell it to them.”

The Cox family Christmas card photo, 1960.

Images courtesy of the Cox family

A friend, Forrest, and Gene hunting (l-r), 1959.

He also couldn’t eat Brussel sprouts or rice, Hilda said, because he was forced to eat so much of it while in China.

Both Gene and Hilda recall how meticulous their father was about every single home he built. Although he died when they were 16 and 14 years old, the two share many memories of walking through developments with their Dad, inspecting houses, and watching the talented craftsman which built each home.

Gene ultimately followed in his father’s footsteps, founding his own company, Cox Homes and developing more than 6,000 homes anchored by shopping centers and mini storages throughout Arizona, California, and Nevada. Hilda became a special education teacher at North High School in Phoenix.

Both said they feel fortunate to have had a father like Cox. They hold his memories in their hearts and carry his work ethic with them in their lives.

“He was a very good father,” Hilda said.

“He was the right person in the right time in the right place,” added Gene, “and he was willing to take risks.”

Dry wall construction at Cypress East, February 1963.

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Images courtesy of the Cox family

Lido 14 sailboat in artificial lake at Scottsdale Heights for model homes display, 1960.

New model homes at Cox Meadows West, east of I-17 and Cactus Road, August 1961.

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Building the Dream: Tucson’s Postwar Housing Boom Carlos Lozano

M

ore people flocked to Tucson in the 1950’s than to Oklahoma in the Land Rush of 1889. They came here to live the American Dream: a big new car with tail fins, a job in the Cold War defense industry, a “Leave it to Beaver” family, and of course, a ranch house in the suburbs. The 50’s Dream Home was turned into reality by a postwar “army” of builders popularizing new techniques that are still used to this day.

THE BOOM The economic boom following the Great Depression and World War II affected every aspect of culture including the birth rate. But Tucson’s population was exploding far beyond the “baby boom.” Americans were migrating into the Sunbelt and Arizona was a favorite destination, surpassed only by California.

From 1950 to 1960, Tucson’s population grew an astonishing 368 percent, 57 percent faster than Phoenix.

AUTOPIA The suburban dream was an Autopia, made possible by stylish, affordable cars and cheap gas. After World War II, Tucson began an aggressive annexation campaign that nearly quadrupled its area by 1960.

Most of the growth spread eastward, along wide thoroughfares. Sprawl created a commuter culture served by businesses catering exclusively to drivers.

Drive in, drive up, and drive through concepts were applied to restaurants, theaters, dry cleaners, branch banks, and liquor stores. Tucson even had a drive-in church. Consumers drove to the new supermarkets, shopping centers and malls that were rapidly replacing the downtown pedestrian shopping experience.

Developers included space for churches, schools, and shopping centers, but not sidewalks.

CHOOSING A DREAM Income generally determined location. The first affluent subdivisions were located just east of the University of Arizona. These were popular with faculty and other professionals who did not want to commute long distances.

Image courtesy of author Carlos Lozano

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Left: Skyline Country Club Estates.

Top right: Craycroft Village cartoon.

Right: New Pueblo Constructors at Orange Grove Manner housing development, 1961.

Winter 2015

Image courtesy of author Carlos Lozano

Affluent housing then floated up to the foothills of the Catalina Mountains, offering breathtaking views, cooler temperatures, cleaner air, but almost no shopping.

Meanwhile, working and middle-class development pushed eastward, along the flat, wide commercial corridors, whose food, drink, shopping, and entertainment would define the city in the 50’s and 60’s.

The deliberate planning and architectural consistency of the new developments was pleasing to some, compared to the disorganized hodgepodge of many pre-war eclectic neighborhoods. There was variety to choose from, but it was subtle. Buyers could choose from several floor plans, with differing orientation on irregular lots, along curving, limited-access internal streets.

Most developments featured landscaping which celebrated the Southwest, or at least the warm climate.

These ranged from virtually untouched desert lots to crushed granite yards showcasing exotic, tropical plants and trees from around the world. Some preferred to “bring Indiana with them” so a few developments featured limited lawns and hedges. Inside the home, more choices were available from bathroom style to the very latest in built-in kitchen appliances.

Developers understood the need to design specifically for Tucson’s climate and landscape, and hired architects like Quincy Jones and Cliff May to integrate the indoors with the outdoors. Overhangs and wide slabs pulled the indoors outside and open-floor plans with extensive use of glass, sometimes floor to ceiling, brought

the outdoors in, providing spectacular views and flooding the interior with natural light.

Most of all, it was the patio that blurred the line between inside and out.

The typical Modern ranch house had no front porch, parlor, or basement, but more than three quarters of Tucson homes had a covered patio or slab, encouraging the

postwar generation to be the first to embrace the backyard as a part of the home. This trend coincided perfectly with the mid-50’s introduction of the iconic, round, black Weber grill.

The secret agenda of these clever design innovations was to make the houses feel larger than their roughly 1,200 square feet, allowing prices to be affordable.

Similarly, by omitting sidewalks and curbing, streets followed the natural topography and were cheaper to build than a cut-and-fill grid pattern.

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BUILDING THE DREAM The Depression and World War II combined to stifle home building for more than 15 years, resulting in a severe nationwide housing shortage.

The response was a postwar construction boom, fueled by GI Bill/FHA/VA-backed mortgages, rocketing to 1.5 million annual home starts.

A typical large Tucson development often had the following lifecycle. A

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developer, possibly backed by California investors, was attracted to the city by relatively cheap land. Property was acquired from a speculator, whose purchases leapfrogged eastward, intentionally ahead of annexation, to avoid municipal regulation. The developer would then borrow against the land to obtain additional capital to build. They partnered with a builder who, due to the boom, had grown large enough to handle planning, platting, design, construction, and sales.

Webb and the original intention was to build 3,000 homes, the largest development between Dallas and Los Angeles. Building, however, ceased at 750 homes. There are many reasons for these shortfalls, but the result is that Tucson’s developments are relatively small, fitting the scale of the modern city.

the supply chain and logistics of modern builders was similar to strategies used by the Army to move soldiers and supplies overseas.

DON’T DREAM TOO BIG Luckily, the big dreams of Tucson developers didn’t all come true, falling well short of excesses like Levittown, NY or Daly City, CA. Overall, between 1945 and 1975, 640 subdivisions were platted, but only 244 were actually built to the majority of their planned capacity. A notable example of underbuilding is Pueblo Gardens. In 1948, Roy Drachman sold the land to Del

Images courtesy of author Carlos Lozano

DREAM BIG To produce low-cost housing and take advantage of economies of scale, more is better, and fast is better. The principles are timeless, but the technologies and applications were recent. A postwar pictorial in LIFE magazine dramatically compared the supply chain and logistics of modern builders to similar strategies used by the Army to move soldiers and supplies overseas.

Some economies of scale included discounts for large purchases of building materials, allowing suppliers to massproduce products, lowering prices even more. A fast build-out allowed discounted mass delivery of materials to the site and employed a large, well organized work

force who perfected the same repetitive tasks, similar to a Detroit auto assembly line.

An assembly line was actually achieved, in Tucson, by Lusk, one of the most prolific home builders of the 1950s. They were able to produce certain components of a house in an off-site factory, for delivery as a prefabricated unit, ready for installation. These mass production techniques kept home prices low, attracting even more buyers. Many of today’s familiar building techniques were born or popularized in the postwar housing boom.

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THE LEGACY When we look back at the postwar Dream Home from today’s standpoint, what do we see? ● Foremost, the Dream was not available to all. Deeds commonly included “whites only” Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&R’s), and lending was often discriminatory, finally ended by the Fair Housing Act of 1968. ● The Dream was marred by fear of nuclear war, evidenced by backyard bomb shelters. ● For many, tract housing is synonymous with sprawl and “cookie cutter” monotony. ● Most recently, the suburban commuter lifestyle has been criticized as environmentally unsustainable.

Still, it’s undeniable that, at the time, these developments fulfilled an affordable need, and popularized innovative new designs and technologies. They represent an important time in Tucson and many homes are worthy of preservation, both individually and together as historic districts.

Top: The Wilmot Vistas development offered several versions of the Perfect Arizona home Types (PAT).

Left: William Wilde-designed custom homes built by the Algin Construction Company.

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Constructing Phoenix: The Homes & Son Saga John Bueker

S

o much Phoenix construction history, indeed Phoenix history itself, is intertwined with the enterprise of a single local construction firm that it is difficult to know quite how to do justice to their story in the small space afforded a mere magazine article.

The ongoing saga of Homes & Son Construction Company has its roots in the pre-World War II era at Luke Air Force Base, where I.G. “Pete” Homes made the acquaintance of Del E. Webb. The two men were paired as carpenters in the mid1930s, and when Webb started his own construction company in 1938, Homes was hired as the first employee. Ten years later, Webb encouraged his friend to start his own construction business. “Pete, from now on, I’m not taking any jobs in Arizona that run less than a million dollars,” Webb informed his friend. “You know our customers, so start your own company and you take them.” And so he did.

Ironically, it wasn’t long before Homes & Son were securing their own projects in excess of a million dollars. For the first two years, Pete ran the general contractor business out of his own home with his son, Ralph, before moving the company headquarters to 14th Street and Bethany Home Road. Pete would go on to become president of Associated General Contractors.

Pete’s brother, A. Glen Homes, joined the firm in 1949, working with Pete as a foreman, superintendent, and general superintendent, and finally joining the office staff in 1959. However, the modern era of the Homes & Son story actually begins when Glen’s son, Fred, joined the Homes & Son organization.

Fred Homes worked for the company as a laborer during his school years at

North High and Arizona State University, officially joining the firm full-time in 1961.

None of his education and experience was sufficient for his Uncle Pete, however, who decreed that “no one can come into this organization without a journeyman carpenter’s card.” Fred therefore spent the next four years of his life in a carpenter apprentice program. The combination of Fred’s education, training, and experience would pay excellent dividends in the years to come.

Over the next 10 years, Fred Homes would become immersed in the complex world of daily construction operations at Homes & Son. In 1964, he began his involvement in the business management role as Senior Estimator, and a mere decade later, in 1975, he assumed ownership of the firm as CEO and President.

The father-son tradition of Homes & Son then extended into the next generation. Fred’s son, Russ, received his degree in Construction Management from ASU in 1987. Russ became president of the

Uncle Pete decreed that “no one can come into this organization without a journeyman carpenter’s card.”

Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Top left: Fred and Russ Homes, 2014.

Top right: Artist rendering of Ciné Capri theater, 1965.

Opposite page: Artist rendering of Valley National Bank and A.J. Bayless, Grandview Plaza, 59th Ave and Camelback Road, 1959.

Bottom left: Homes & Son construction workers at Scottsdale Boys Club, 1959.

Bottom right: Francis Xavier Church, 1960.

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Winter 2015

firm in 2001 after working as a laborer, superintendent, and then Project Manager for 12 years. Russ has also perpetuated the long-standing business philosophy of Homes & Son, which focuses on the maintenance of a “relationship-oriented business.” A direct, personal relationship with all clients is maintained throughout the entire construction process, a fundamental secret of the firm’s enduring success.

The versatility of this construction firm has been nothing less than astounding, encompassing projects ranging from countless mundane spot jobs to the development of local architectural masterpieces.

From classic local restaurants to major shopping centers, churches, hospitals, theatres, and more, Homes & Son has done it all, many times over.

The construction of the Cine Capri Theatre at 24th Street and Camelback Road in 1965 remains one of Homes & Sons’ best loved and most highly regarded projects in the Valley. The design was conceived by architect Henry George Green of New York City, in conjunction with the Phoenix firm of Haver, Nunn & Jensen, and Bill Homes.

The 16,500 square-feet theatre featured a majestic pair of colonnades flanking both sides of the structure and a portico formed from ten pre-cast concrete columns, each weighing 7 tons. Inside the auditorium, three-and-a-half miles of antique gold fabric covered the proscenium and walls, with 800 luxury high-backed seats facing the screen. Many long-time local residents can still wistfully recount their experience standing in long lines wrapped around the Cine Capri when Star Wars made its exclusive year-long run there in 1977-78.

Sadly, as is so often the case in the Phoenix area, increasing property values doomed an iconic architectural and

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cultural landmark, and the Cine Capri was demolished in 1998. A year-long petition

campaign that collected more than 260,000 signatures failed to save the theatre. A high-rise office building now stands in its place.

The building of the renowned West Plaza Shopping Center at 35th Avenue and Bethany Home in Phoenix provides a splendid example of Homes’ extensive history of shopping center construction.

An early pioneer in the large multi-business shopping centers that would become commonplace in the Valley, West Plaza comprised 185,000 square feet on 40

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Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

acres. The center was one of the first projects on which Fred worked as a teenager in the late ‘50s. Like many of the centers constructed by Homes in the ‘50s and ‘60s, West Plaza was anchored by an A.J. Bayless grocery store. Homes & Son even built the Valley National Bank building at the shopping center.

Homes & Son was also a major player in the restaurant construction scene in the 1960s and ‘70s. The iconic riverboat restaurant Copper Belle at Camelback Road and 16th Avenue was one of their creations. When the French cafeteria-style eatery Caf’ Casino came to Arizona in the mid-‘70s, Homes & Son constructed the

original location in Scottsdale. The success of this project prompted Caf’ Casino to select Homes & Son as their construction manager and general contractor for two more locations of the restaurant, one at Metrocenter and the other near the Cine Capri.

The Homes construction firm has left their mark on the design and construction

of some notable Valley places of worship.

In 1957, the company built an important addition to the First Methodist Church at Central and Missouri avenues, a beautiful example of mid-century modern design.

But perhaps their finest gem is the beautiful St. Francis Xavier Church at 4715 North Central Avenue. Conceived in a Spanish-revival style by architect J. Earl

CORING AND SAWING ARIZONA’S CONCRETE SINCE 1987 CORE DRILLING CONTROL JOINTS CURB CUTS & REMOVAL

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TRAFFIC CONTROL LOOPS CONCRETE SAWING GREEN SLAB SAWING

Winter 2015

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Trudeau and built in 1958-59, the church seats 1,300 people beneath a seamless poured concrete dome topped with a Celtic cross. The remarkable façade above the front entrance features 16-foot cast stone statues of the famous missionaries Father Kino and Father Serra standing alongside St. Francis.

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Yet amid all the architectural splendor and prolific construction achievements of Homes & Son, perhaps the sweetest job of all for Fred Homes personally was the company’s routine 1972 renovation of Madison School #1 at 16th Street and Missouri Avenue. This was the landmark elementary school that Fred himself attended, and so he approached this

particular project with a distinct mixture of pride and nostalgia.

One of the first things Fred did on the work site was to throw a rock through one of the old windows. “That was something that got me sent to the principal’s office as a student, and now here I was doing it as part of my job,” he recalls with a laugh.

Across page: Construction of the Sears store at Town and Country shopping center, 20th St. and Camelback Road, 1960s.

Top left: Paving by Black Contracting Co. at the Valley National Bank, Grandview Plaza, 59th Ave and Camelback Road, 1960.

Top right: Homes & Sons sidewalk stamp, 1953.

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T

Images courtesy of author

he cornerstone of the Yavapai County Courthouse was placed on October 19, 1916. Imbedded in the stone was a copper box that served as a time capsule to be opened in 100 years.

In preparation for the capsule’s unveiling at the Centennial celebration, the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors commissioned Otwell Associates Architects to direct a three-year $5.6 million rehabilitation of the structure in 2012. The project was completed this year and resulted in an enhanced appearance and environment for one of Prescott’s most famous buildings.

The granite neo-classical structure is Yavapai County’s third courthouse. The first was a simple frame structure on North Cortez Street, created after Prescott was named by President Abraham Lincoln as the Arizona Territorial Capital in 1863. The second courthouse was a Victorian brick design built on the Courthouse Plaza in 1878, a year before Doc Holliday and Big Nose Kate came through town on their way

seventy

Architect’s Perspective: Rehabilitation of the Yavapai County Courthouse William Otwell, AIA to Tombstone. Because of its isolated location and brick construction, it survived the fire of 1900, which destroyed all but three nearby buildings.

The current courthouse had its beginnings when the Board of Supervisors received 26 entries in a design competition for a new facility in 1915. The chosen submittal was created by architect William Bowman of Denver and built for $250,000.

The second courthouse was razed to make room for the current structure in 1916. Gravel walkways, trees, and a bandstand were added to the Courthouse Plaza, which was laid out by Robert Groom in 1864.

This landscape design still exists today with the walkways rendered in concrete poured in the 1930s.

The courthouse has withstood the test of time. When the author moved to Prescott in 1974, it housed the entire Yavapai County government, including the Sheriff’s office and jail on the top floor.

The building’s original drawings have survived and are unusually detailed. They reveal the specifics of the poured concrete

structure, clad with nine inches of native granite, glazed terra cotta facing at the upper parapet, and steel frame roof trusses topped with precast concrete slabs for the roof deck.

In 2002, the Board of Supervisors commissioned my firm to prepare a Building Condition Assessment Report on the courthouse. The report analyzes the structure and various systems within the building, with recommendations for treatment and rehabilitation.

Six years later, the City of Prescott planning staff used the report as part of its submission to the American Planning Association’s inaugural “Top Ten Public Spaces in America” program. The Courthouse Plaza was listed in the top ten along with Central Park in New York City, Union Station in Washington, D.C., and the Santa Monica Pier in California.

The three-year rehabilitation of the Courthouse faced many challenges. So as not to interfere with the court’s activities involving more than 100 judges and staff, all work was performed after hours, on weekends, and during the summer. The latter allowed for maximum daylight and avoided freeze-thaw conditions during construction.

Phase one involved infrastructure, including reconstruction of the sewer system and rerouting of the storm water runoff from the sanitary sewer to city streets, as Prescott lacks a storm sewer system. This work was designed by Kelley/Wise Engineering and performed by Al Miner.

Mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems were upgraded in phase two.

These systems included a boiler in the basement for heat, occasional window air conditioning units, and split air

At the 2015 Arizona State Preservation Conference, the project received the Governor’s Heritage Preservation Award.

Winter 2015

Images courtesy of author

Opposite page, top: Renovated courtroom.

Opposite page, bottom: Architectural rendering of Yavapai County Courthouse.

This page: Yavapai County Courthouse.

conditioning systems with no outside air.

The electrical system and backup generator in the basement were out-ofcode.

The new HVAC system uses LG Minisplits concealed on the roof behind the parapet. The variable refrigerant flow and CO2-activated fresh air system have radically improved comfort and efficiency.

Only three percent of buildings in the United States have this energy saving configuration. The original roof, which had never been insulated, was removed. A new metal roof was installed to match the original and has an R-48 rating. Tiglas Engineering Associates, Haines Engineering, and Otwell Associates Architects designed this portion. The contractor was Bowen Construction.

Phase three was the restoration of the exterior and interior of the original courtroom. The most difficult task was the stabilization and lifting of the granite staircases on all four sides of the building.

During original construction, a full basement was excavated. The stairways were laid on shallow footings on uncompacted fill and settled over time.

Helical coils and pressure grouting were used to stabilize the stairs, and concrete stringer beams were repaired. The original courtroom was restored with improved acoustics.

The exterior granite was cleaned and the terra cotta was re-glazed with a new product. The original chimneys were reconstructed.

Otwell Associates Architects, Sterling Madison Lofquist, and Frost Structural Engineering designed this www.arizcc.com

final phase.

Concord Construction completed the work along with Arizona Repair Masons.

The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors and court system were very accommodating during the entire process.

At the 2015 Arizona State Preservation Conference in June, the Board received the Governor’s Heritage Preservation Award

for the project. This effort by Yavapai County keeps the courts downtown and preserves the continued use of an important building in Arizona history.

The only question left to answer is what the time capsule buried in the cornerstone will contain?

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Rendering by arist Reese Turner of the proposed Valley National Bank sign, 1957.

Glen Guyett, 2015.

The sign skeleton tied down until completion, January 1958.

Top:

William Horner

S

uperb sign design is not only about readability and attractiveness; it can also, on rare occasions, be the difference between life and death.

Such was the case with the 35-foot-tall Valley National Bank sign that was installed atop the Professional Building in downtown Phoenix in 1958. Heralded as the country’s largest revolving sign, it was visible to airplanes 10 miles away. The octagon sign featured the bank’s blue and yellow eagle symbol, whose 49-foot wing span turned out to be a lifesaving feature for one maintenance worker.

The mammoth sign was an apt symbol of the Valley National Bank’s success after

World War II. The bank grew with the state and had 51 branches across Arizona by the late 1950s. Each office displayed the company’s bird of prey, but none quite so dramatically as the main bank office in the Professional Building in downtown Phoenix.

In recognition of their financial success, the bank added a glass-enclosed, executive penthouse to a wing of the Professional Building in 1958. And to leave no doubt about the bank’s presence in Phoenix, the company envisioned the addition of a rotating sign on an adjacent upper roof.

The Valley National Bank selected Myers & Leiber Neon Sign Company, then Arizona’s largest sign firm, to construct the advertisement. In the process, the bank’s symbol received an update from famed designer Glen Guyette, who worked for the sign company.

“I had to redraw it; the eagle looked more like a chicken,” he recalls.

Constructing the 26-ton sign atop a 12-story building was a complex process.

The sign’s steel frame was fabricated by the Allison Steel Manufacturing Company in Phoenix. Three colors of vitreous porcelain enamel panels with six-foot-tall letters made in St. Louis composed the sign’s face. “It was one of the few porcelain signs ever put up in Arizona,” Guyette says.

Lighting was provided by 18 millimeter white and gold neon tubing, with the eagle outlined in gold. The illumination was controlled by an electric eye and timing device.

Trial run of the rotating sign a few days before dedication ceremony, April 22, 1958.

Seventy two

Winter 2015

Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Sign installation, January 1958.

To power the rotating sign, a one horsepower motor drove a 15-to-1 reduction gear with a double sprocket to two chains around a 12-foot diameter bull wheel. The sign turned at 1.5 revolutions per minute. The revolving mechanism was controlled by an anemometer to prevent overloading during high winds. “When the wind blew, the sign would turn into the wind and the motor would stop,” Guyette says. “The wind pressure on that sign was amazing; it was three stories high.”

The resulting sign, perched more than 220 feet above the sidewalk, was groundbreaking enough to be featured on the June 1958 cover of the sign industry magazine, Signs of the Times. Valley National Bank held a dedication ceremony that was broadcast by radio and television stations on April 29th, 1958.

The eagle’s lofty perch became a haven for pigeons, which left a mess for workers who came to service the sign’s lights and mechanical gear. One such technician was Glen Zwick, who went to work as an electrical apprentice for the Myers & Leiber Neon Company in 1958.

Normally, several employees worked together to maintain the sign. “It had to be stopped and tied down, otherwise it would sway in the wind and catch you off guard,” Zwick says.

The sign was so large that workers accessed it using a trap door and interior ladder. The outer perimeter consisted of a channel housing neon tubes. “One afternoon I decided to service the sign by myself,” Zwick recalls. “After climbing through the interior of the sign and out the top hatch, I inched my way across the octagon. Due to the pigeon droppings, I lost my footing and started sliding down the side of the sign.” www.arizcc.com

The sign dedication ceremony included (l-r) Art Myers, Valley Bank Property Manager Warren Kyle, Executive VP of Valley Bank James E. Patrick, and Bill Leiber, April 29, 1958.

Panicked, Zwick tried to grab the sign’s outer channel. Although unsuccessful, he managed to slow his fall enough to have a controlled crash and not tumble off the eagle’s extended wing. “I sat there shaken, trying to regain my composure,” Zwick says. “I eventually made my way back up to the hatch and left the site. I never returned again without a helper.”

The Valley National Bank’s eagle stood sentinel over Phoenix for a mere 14 years.

The bank moved across the street into the newly constructed Valley Center building in 1972. That same year, Myers & Leiber was hired to remove the bank sign atop the Professional Building. In the process, Phoenix lost one of its most recognizable landmarks.

Glen Zwick, 2015.

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Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community

Pedestrian overhang temporarily installed

by P.W. Womack during construction of the addition, March 1958.

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Winter 2015

9/23/2015 Road Recovery Rehabilitation Sunland Asphalt $9,433,000 9/24/2015 Tangerine Basin Mitigation Rummel $990,683 9/25/2015 Nogales Tucson Hwy Ames $39,973,369 9/25/2015 Prescott Ash Fork Asphalt Paving & Supply $1,218,602 9/25/2015 Mesquite Littlefield Northway Fisher $10,427,000 9/29/2015 (CMAR) Chase Field Caliente $3,900,000 9/30/2015 Region 8 North Sewer Extension GRG Construction $687,812 10/1/2015 2015 2016 Fall Overlay Asphalt Paving & Supply $399,099 10/2/2015 Arizona Canal Path Valley Rain $1,866,868

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10/6/2015 Water Main Rehabilitation J Wise $1,236,105

10/30/2015 City of Avondale Combs $1,560,582

10/8/2015 Road Improvements Rittenhouse 5D Mining $743,015

11/2/2015 Lakeshore Drive Widening Earth Resources Corp $888,526

10/8/2015 CDBG Roadway Improvements MR Tanner $517,000

11/3/2015 Skunk Creek Landfill Drainage Redpoint $387,515

10/9/2015 Various Rural Roads Intermountain West $842,842

Highway Progress Winter 1960

10/21/2015 (CMAR) Adult Detention Facility Oakland $22,500,000 10/23/2015 Continental Ranch 12A and 12B Sunland Asphalt $856,651 10/26/2015 (CMAR) Light Rail Extension Sundt $162,000,000 10/27/2015 Union Avenue Waterline Replacement DPE $145,648 10/29/2015 Mountain View Road Sanitary Sewer Sunland Asphalt $148,235

The Arizona Highway Department’s Road Construction Bulletin showed 43 projects totaling 185 miles, and worth $35,296,507 under contract for the latter part of 1960.

20 mi. of seal coating, Hope-Parker Hwy Paul C. Helmick $42,795 23 mi. of seal coating, U.S. 89 B.L. Gustafson $34,293 I-40 HWY and bridge work Wallace & Wallace Const. $1,405,172 Widening U.S. 60-70 in Globe Hagen Const. Co. $94,330 6-span concrete bridge over Growler Wash Royden Const. Co. $86,601 14.5 mi. of seal coating, U.S. 80-89 M.M Sundt Const. Co. $35,293

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