In the late 1950s, about the time Downtown Phoenix started its decline as the city’s main shopping location, a young financier decided to build up its financial infrastructure. David Murdock,... continue reading. Click here for more info.

Downtown Phoenix wouldn’t be the same without Kimber Lanning. As the owner of Stinkweeds Records and Modified Arts, she firmly established herself as a fierce amplifier of all things local.... continue reading. Click here for more info.

A few blocks west of Downtown Phoenix stands a striking, one-story Beaux-Arts style red brick building surrounded by lush, landscaped grounds. The architectural gem’s impact was far more significant than... continue reading. Click here for more info.

In 1912, when radio and vinyl records were in their infancy, and live performances were the norm, Joshua W. Dawson established the Dawson Music Company in Phoenix. A winter visitor... continue reading. Click here for more info.

For almost a quarter of a century, Arizona’s most prominent party was held every spring at Montgomery Stadium at the northeast corner of Seventh and Van Buren streets. From 1926-1955,... continue reading. Click here for more info.

When Bill Baker and his mom ventured to Downtown Phoenix to watch a movie in the 1930s, they had a specific routine. “There was always a double feature playing,” Baker... continue reading. Click here for more info.

The 1956 opening of the Sahara Motor Hotel was a madhouse. Thousands filled its courtyard, overflowed onto adjacent streets, and packed the roof of the First National Bank building’s garage... continue reading. Click here for more info.

Downtown Phoenix’s economical lodging alternative, the Friendship Inn Motel, was once regal accommodations, at least by the sound of its original name. The Imperial 400 Motor Hotel featured a thrifty... continue reading. Click here for more info.

Bill Baker is one of the few people who can visualize Downtown Phoenix stretching back to the Great Depression in the late 1930s. “Downtown was where people went for most... continue reading. Click here for more info.

In the early 1960s, Phoenix residents complained about living in a desert—a cultural desert, that is. While Tucson, Albuquerque, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles had impressive performance halls... continue reading. Click here for more info.