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VOLUME 9 ISSUE 2

$5.99 Mar-Apr 2020 Serving Contracting Firms and the Arizona Community. . . Then & Now

A to Z Equipment Rentals & Sales Celebrates 60 Years The “Hare-y” Story of Greyhound Racing in Arizona Coolidge: A City That “Cottoned” to Twangy Music Men’s Construction Fashion Through the Years A-1 Beer: AZ’s “Hometown” Adult Beverage

Arizona’s Timeless Magazine

A look at pop culture and contracting in Arizona

Cruising Central: Park Central Mall’s Evolution

Wallace and Ladmo

Pat McMahon’s Take on the Iconic Phoenix TV Show

Pat McMahon Filming at Empire Machinery

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From The Editor - Going to the Dogs Douglas Towne Construction Around Arizona: Projects • People • Practices Back When - The Theatre’s Name Isn’t Paramount Douglas Towne A to Z Equipment Rentals & Sales Celebrates 60 Years Wallace and Ladmo: Pat McMahon’s Take on the Iconic Phoenix TV Show - John Bueker Here Comes the Rabbit! The “Hare-y” Story of Greyhound Racing in Arizona - Jay Mark Coolidge: A City That “Cottoned” to Twangy Music Jim West Fedoras, Fobs, and Feathered Hair: Men’s Construction Fashion Through the Years William Horner A-1 Beer: Arizona’s Preferred Mid-Century Adult Beverage - Douglas Towne Building on the Past - 1963: Mesa House is a “Bonanza” Architect’s Perspective - Celebration of Life Facilities Doug Sydnor, FAIA Digging Through the Archives - Construction Memorabilia - William Horner Bid Results - Bidjudge Advertising Index

Front Cover - Wallace, Pat McMahon as “Gerald,” and Ladmo (l-r). Insets - Pat McMahon as “Captain Super” appearing in an Arizona Office of Tourism film shoot at the Empire Machinery equipment testing grounds, 1976.

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Images courtesy of Ted Thompson, and Empire Machinery

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hink of our March/April issue as a mid-morning break at the construction site. We’ve decided to emphasize the “community” part of our name, briefly idle the big yellow machines, and focus on how Arizonans entertained themselves during the post-World War II boom years. We’re calling it the “Pop-Culture” issue, and we lead off with The Wallace and Ladmo Show, which was TV made for kids that adults loved. Other topics include the “Phoenix Sound” created by pioneering musicians Lee Hazlewood, Duane Eddy, Jimmy Delbridge, and Waylon Jennings in Coolidge, a town known more for its nearby cotton fields. To liven up the party, we toss in greyhound racing and A-1 beer. It sounds like a good time to me! The magazine doesn’t get entirely away from its roots. But we cover construction with a twist through photo essays illustrating how workers dressed (I can’t quite get myself to label it “fashion”), and the mid-century memorabilia contractors produced. My favorite of all these fun topics was Top: Tucson Greyhound Park, 1953. Top inset: JR’s Ripper, 1985. Right: Paddock Bar, 1986. Right inset: Cross Roads Drive Inn, 1986.

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going to the dog track at the Tucson Greyhound Park during the mid-1980s. I was a student at the University of Arizona, and a few times each semester, my friends and I ventured to South Fourth Avenue in the small municipal enclave of South Tucson. Word of the impending outing would spread throughout my dorm, Babcock Inn. By dusk, the gamblers and the curious, packed into vehicles: Lono’s red Volvo, Mary’s vintage 1964 Chevy, Cathy’s Mitsubishi Cordia, or my AMC Hornet. While the destination was only five miles away, it

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Author

Douglas Towne

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From the editor: Going to the dogs

was a whole other side of the Old Pueblo. Our first stop was the appropriately-named Paddock Bar, a watering hole located a few blocks from the dog track. This dive bar was the evening’s appetizer: it featured cheap drinks, 25-cent pool, and sold greyhound racing programs. Although some considered South Tucson a bit rough, we never had any issues at the Paddock. Whether it was our good nature—or just good luck—is hard to say. The greyhound park was our next stop. A parking-lot fronted the Spanish-looking grandstand outlined in green neon that faced east towards the track. A few of us made sophisticated wagers, trying to reap big bucks by hitting the daily double or a

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quinella. Most of our group, however, was content to limit bets to simple $2 tickets, especially on crowd-favorite JR’s Ripper, who won a world-record 143 starts at the track before retiring in 1985. I spent more time people watching than dog analyzing at the greyhound park. Men dramatically outnumbered the women, and some, it appeared, could ill-afford to wager money in such a manner. My favorite memory is chatting with a gal, who would have looked more at home at a Shakespeare lecture than at a dog track. The coed intently studied her greyhound program, examining the lineage and race histories of the dogs as if they were tea leaves that only she could decipher. When I asked who would win the next race, she responded, “I don’t know.” But her tone seemed to indicate that she had figured out which pooches would triumph in the subsequent races. I never caught up with her to test my hypothesis. After the races finished or when our funds had taken a big enough hit, we’d head to our favorite spot for a late-night snack at the Cross Roads Drive Inn, across Fourth Avenue. I vividly recall ordering a pitcher of beer, five frosted glasses, and our Mexican-food entrees. The waitress placed the cold adult beverages on a tray that hung from the driver’s window. I instinctively knew that this “convenience” was not going to last. These outings inspired some of us to joke about becoming greyhound owners or changing our college major to Race Track Industry, a program only the UofAZ offered. But these were just fanciful thoughts; we were just young adults having fun exploring the world—and we were blissfully ignorant of the racing industry’s dark side. Back then, there was no mention of mistreatment of greyhounds or sometimes unscrupulous track owners. Things have changed in South Tucson since those halcyon days. The Paddock closed in the 1990s and reopened as the Saint Charles Tavern in 2015. Artisanal cocktails are now on the menu, and forget about a game of billiards for a quarter. The Tucson Greyhound Park, which had operated since 1944, had its last live greyhound race in 2016, as Arizona outlawed the sport. The Cross Roads was converted from a drive-in to a restaurant, but at least its vintage neon sign remains. It seems a night on South Fourth Avenue just isn’t what it used to be. But few things stay the same. Hopefully, the magazine’s first pop-culture issue will bring back some fond memories for you too. arizcc.com

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Projects . PEOPLE . PRACTICES

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA

when the first city planners designed the north/south access. They wanted both a grand promenade and a central business district. “In my opinion, Central Avenue historically has always been Phoenix’s main street,” Derek D. Horn, local historian, says. “It was considered the central spine of the city. Everything radiated off of Central. It

Cruising Central – Then & Now Jason Morris f you grew up in Phoenix, you’re likely familiar with the cultural activity of cruising Central Avenue. For decades before the advent of social media, teen entertainment in the Valley often turned to motoring along Central. It was a way to meet other teenagers and find out where the parties were. It was a place to see and be seen and show off your wheels, even if it required spending the night driving up and down the same road. The iconic Park Central Mall, Phoenix’s first shopping mall, was a focal point on the strip given its large parking lot, which offered ample opportunity for hanging out. Central Avenue’s significance goes back to how Phoenix was laid out initially, Top: Artist’s rendering of the redeveloped Park Central Mall. Right: Park Central Mall under construction, 1956. arizcc.com

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was where city growth started and originally, it was a location that attracted money and power in Phoenix for a long time.” One of the first transitions for Central was when the city council in the 1950s decided to allow skyscrapers outside the downtown core. This decision allowed for the slow, steady construction of high-rise

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CONSTRUCTION AROUND ARIZONA Projects

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buildings north on Central, stretching the business district for miles. Many thought this decision detracted from downtown’s ability to remain viable. It would take decades of stops and starts before the central business district realized the type of volume to create the downtown we see thriving today. For many years, the focus was on mid-town as the center of commerce. Now, it appears, we are finally seeing both downtown and midtown come in to their own with separate character, tenants, amenities, and attractions. Central Avenue’s Renaissance My firm, Withey Morris, has had more than 20 projects along Central over the last several years. Most recently, we have been fortunate to work on both the redevelopment of Park Central Mall as well as the creation of The Central Park adjacent to Steele Indian School Park. The Central Park is an iconic and massive $1 billion project comprised of a mixed-use development that pays homage to Steele Indian School Park’s history and

culture and, will ultimately be a prominent gateway to uptown Phoenix. The planned development will feature six high-rise towers that include apartments, condominiums, office space, a retirement community and retail space. Park Central Mall is transforming into a work/live/play and arts destination that includes Creighton University, a nine-story apartment project and a 10-story parking garage that will hold 2,001 vehicles. Even the recreated/updated iconic Park Central entry sign is installed and operating, serving as a beacon for the revitalization of the long-neglected site. With the advent of light rail, we’re seeing billions of dollars of redevelopment along Central, rising home prices and a much more pronounced developable area – from the warehouse district all the way to Camelback Road. Not only has a business address at Central Avenue become desirable, but it’s turning into a desirable residential address. It has all the components you need for prolonged success – great

educational institutions, healthcare, and transportation.

Balancing Old and New Redevelopment of Central is about balance between old and new. An equal amount of planning and effort goes into preserving older structures and points of pride, such as museums, as there is in creating new focal points. Instead of standalone uses such as retail, office or housing, we are now seeing the rise of “Mixed-Use” projects which allows the public to live, work, and play in the same well-designed block. Today, we are truly seeing the best of the old and new. If local residents of yesteryear cruised Central today, I think there would be general amazement about its progress, and at the same time, there’d likely be enough familiarity. Hopefully, they’d think it was done well and it was done right. It kept the best of what was there and continues to preserve some amazing structures while at the same time permitting a whole new transportation network and amazing redevelopment opportunities. Central Avenue really is a good example of how Phoenix develops best. Jason Morris is a founding partner of Withey Morris PLC. Experienced and effective, his dynamic presentations at public hearings on behalf of his clients prove that an attorney can be both personable and tenacious. Throughout his career, he’s practiced exclusively in land use, government relations, zoning, and administrative law.

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Top left: Rush-hour traffic facing south along Central Ave., late 1960s. Top right: Park Central Mall neon marquee along Central Ave., 1957. Left: Artist’s rendering of the redeveloped Park Central Mall. arizcc.com

Arizona Contractor & Community

Mar/Apr 2020