❄ Sculptural Architecture of Nicholas Sakellar ❄ New Life for Prescott's Henson Construction ❄ A Vicarious Trip to Mid-Century Scottsdale ❄ Phoenix Trotting Park's Past and Future $4.99 Winter 2016
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E.L. Farmer Co. "Raises" Celebrity Theatre
❄ Zoning in on Phoenix Planning ❄ Casa Grande "Signs" On
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Publisher William Horner Billy@arizcc.com Editor Douglas Towne Douglas@arizcc.com Contributing Writers Larry Bonoff Heather David Michelle Dodd Buddy Escapule Trevor Freeman Sharon Girulat Ian Kraft Patricia Lee Dino Sakellar Catherine Slye Luke Snell Daryl Williams Production Manager Laura Harley Laura@arizcc.com Magazine Consultant Chuck Runbeck Chuck@arizcc.com Publisher’s Representatives Shane Addington Shane@arizcc.com Tom Hogarty Tom@arizcc.com Rick Lafond Rick@arizcc.com Barry Warner Barry@arizcc.com Advertising 602-931-0069 Arizcc.com/advertise.html
Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community… Then & Now 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 © 2016 All rights reserved.
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Michelle Dodds
Sharon Girulat
Heather David
Trevor freeman
Meet the Staff Michelle Dodds – Writer Article on page 38 Favorite AZ Restaurant: Forno at Third Avenue and Roosevelt because I love Italian food and the restaurant is surrounded by wonderful historic buildings! First job: My first professional job was a second grade teacher in a Catholic school. I loved preparing the kids for their First Holy Communion. New Skill to Learn: Computer artworks/graphics. Favorite Holiday: The Fourth of July because I love to celebrate the greatness of this country and watch fireworks! Goals to Accomplish: To be a pet therapy volunteer in hospitals, nursing homes and schools when I retire. I would also love to travel to each National Park.
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Heather David – Writer Article on page 42 Favorite AZ Restaurant: Frank & Lupe’s Mexican followed by ice cream at the Sugar Bowl! First Job: Junior Volunteer at the Humane Society. New Skill to Learn: Adobe Illustrator. Favorite Holiday: Christmas. Goal to Accomplish: Publish next book MOTEL CALIFORNIA (expected Spring 2017).
Sharon Girulat – Writer Article on page 50 Favorite AZ Restaurant: Taste of Italy in Goodyear because it’s run by a New Yorker who makes every dish and creates a warm family environment with great fresh food, New York Italian style! First job: Financial Consolidation Specialist at age 16 in 1962. New Skill to Learn: Other than to keep my mouth shut? I think I'd like to 'unlearn' a few... the plate overflows! Maybe, learn the 'art' of self-preservation! Favorite Holiday: Christmas -all year long! Goals to Accomplish: Activate BenefitAll, a charitable program to enable great charities to serve more. Trevor Freeman – Writer Article on page 46 Favorite AZ Restaurant: I love Four Peaks Brewing Company! First Job: Delivering telephone books (a bad idea in the Phoenix heat). New Skill to Learn: Learning to drive a manual transmission. Favorite Holiday: Thanksgiving, because it is all about family and food. Goal to Accomplish: Would like to climb the "Seven Summits of Phoenix" at my own pace, not in the same weekend but in the same year. Winter 2016
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Editor’s Column: More than a Big House: Casa Grande - Douglas Towne Construction Around Arizona: Projects • People • Practices Back When: Phoenix’s Playhouse - Douglas Towne Plowing the Cutting Edge of Construction: Evert L. Farmer - Douglas Towne Phoenix’s Theatre of “Stars” and “Celebrities" Larry Bonoff Phoenix: A Tale of Two Cities and Zoning Ordinances - Michelle Dodds Arizona Time Machine: Part 1 - Mid-Century Scottsdale - Heather M. David Ready to Answer the Call to Post: The Phoenix Trotting Park - Trevor Freeman L'Hippodrome de Phoenix: Envisioning the Future of the Phoenix Trotting Park - Sharon Girulat Architect’s Perspective: Nicholas Sakellar, FAIA: Mid-Century Modern - CN Dino Sakellar, AIA Digging Through the Archives: Prescott’s Henson Construction Co. - William Horner Bid Results - Bidjudge
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Front Cover Promoter Buster Brown holds the brochure for the Phoenix Star Theatre, now called Celebrity Theatre, as it's being built by the E.L. Farmer Company, 1963.
Winter 2016
Editor’s Column
More than a Big House: Casa Grande Douglas Towne
I
Railroad, building tracks eastward from and veered westward through Mesa, California, stopped because of hot weather Phoenix, and Buckeye before dropping and a lack of supplies at the site in 1879. south to Gila Bend and continuing west to The settlement was renamed Casa Yuma. Grande in 1881, in an attempt to create a Arizona Highway 84, also known as the link to the world-famous archeological site Tucson-Casa Grande Highway, provided a 20 miles away. The gateway to the national direct path to Casa Grande and then monument, however, turned west to Gila Bend. became the Town of As so often on the roadside, This shortcut for traffic Coolidge, founded the cryptic word is a private between Tucson and San adjacent to the ruins in Diego was completed by joke and is the original 1925. 1930 and saved The City of Casa motorists many miles owner’s name, “Yates,” Grande grew with the and hours bypassing spelled backward. completion of Arizona Phoenix. Highway 84, a short cut along U.S. Highway Superseded by Interstates 8 and 10 in 80. A major coast-to-coast route, U.S. the 1960s and 1970s, the former highway Highway 80 meandered through Arizona retains some of its historic ambiance. in the 1920s. From Tucson, the route went One of the city’s unique features is the north through Florence to Apache Junction sign atop the Casa Grande Bulk Plant that
Image courtesy of U.S. National Park Service
t might be the Southwest’s original roadside attraction, causing travelers for more than six centuries to stop in awe. Casa Grande is archeology’s “Big House,” an ancient four-story complex built by the Hohokam civilization around 1400 and abandoned a half-century later. The buildings were constructed of caliche, a natural concrete containing about 25 percent lime with added clay, sand, and small rocks. Wooden logs support the roof and slab construction (see associated article, page 28). Officially preserved since 1892, Casa Grande was designated a national monument in 1918. There are archeology wonders of a more modern kind in the nearby City of Casa Grande. The community of 50,000 was unceremoniously founded as Terminus when the Southern Pacific
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roadside, the cryptic word is a private joke and is the original owner’s name, “Yates,” spelled backward. Another roadside relic is the S.S. Blinky Jr. The Casa Grande “ship” is a mimetic structure constructed in 1946 as a gas station and automobile salesroom for Wilson Motors. The design honors the son of the original owner, C.J. “Blinky” Wilson, who was serving in the Navy during World War II. An inmate at the Arizona State Prison in Florence designed this Modernestyle building, which currently navigates as the Ark, aka Noah’s Attic Gift Shop. These historical elements provide a link to the city’s past and are important
features in revitalizing the downtown business district. “The Casa Grande Historic Preservation Commission has plans to showcase 37 vintage signs that have the potential of becoming local landmarks,” says Chairwoman Marge Jantz. “We hope to get the entire community as excited about this development as the commission is.” Opposite page, top left: Road map of Casa Grande area, 1935. Bottom: The Florence Stage at the Casa Grande Ruins, 1888. Top left: Cotton’s Wonder Bar, 2006. Top right: Boots & Saddle Motel, 2006. Bottom: Casa Grande Bulk Plant, 2016.
Images courtesy of author
spells out the city's name. This identifier was part of a low-technology navigation system that allowed aircraft pilots to steer by rooftop signs. Roofs were painted with the name of a local airport with an arrow pointing in the airport’s direction. Started by the Civil Aeronautics Administration in 1926, there were more than 13,000 rooftop signs by 1941. On the West Coast, many were painted over because of fears they could aid potential Japanese air attacks. By the 1950s, navigation charts and radio made these signs mostly obsolete. Cotton’s Wonder Bar, is a kidneyshaped sign constructed as McNatt’s Wonder Bar in 1942 and illustrates the post-World War II evolution of commercial signs. Before the 1940s, signs were typically traditional rectangular designs that conveyed simple messages. With the postwar proliferation of signs, these outdoor advertisements evolved into dynamic abstract shapes. Many businesses of the era adopted Western themes including the Boots & Saddle Motel. The sign includes a “Thunderbird” motif and an expressive arrow with chasing lights that beckon travelers towards the 1944 accommodations. The Se-Tay Motel, which opened in 1948, gives the impression of being a Native American greeting, perhaps borrowed from the nearby Tohono O’odham tribe. As so often on the
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Construction Around Arizona
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Construction Around Arizona
Projects ∙ People ∙ Practices
Restorative Construction at the Franciscan Renewal Center Patricia Lee
T
he Franciscan Renewal Center is both resourceful and resource-efficient in creating houses of worship. Initially, 65 years ago, there was a converted bar of a lodge, followed three years later by a community "chapelraising" fueled by burgers, beans, and beer. On January 3, 2016, the center had the twelve
groundbreaking for a 17,050 squarefoot church, designed to be certified Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). If certified, it will be the first religious building in Arizona and only the 15th in the United States to achieve LEED certification. “I’m particularly proud that we are able to produce a building of unique architectural and artistic merit,” said Fr. Joseph Schwab, OFM, Executive Director of the center. “With our architect, Westlake Reed Leskosky, and general contractor, Haydon Building Corporation, we are building a church that speaks of our
present technology for many generations to come.” The new church is the result of a successful fundraising campaign and will seat up to 800 people. Completion is scheduled for the summer of 2017. Little could Franciscan friars Fr. Owen da Silva and Fr. Victor Bucher imagine such a facility when they discovered the Kachina Winter 2016