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History

History Douglas C. TowneJuly 6, 2022
The Downtown YMCA: Keeping Phoenix Fit Since 1892

The mission of providing a healthy environment for mind, body and spirit hasn't changed since the YMCA opened in Downtown Phoenix 130 years ago. Click here for more info.

History Fara IllichJune 2, 2022
New 25-Story Fairmont Hotel Coming to Jackson and First Streets

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Thunderbird Legacy Development announced the construction of a new 25-story hotel on the southwest corner of Jackson and First streets today. Scheduled to open in... continue reading. Click here for more info.

History Douglas C. TowneMay 19, 2022
1970s Backroom Politics Helped Establish Beloved Downtown Phoenix Park

The dilapidated 1895 Victorian mansion found an unlikely advocate in the late-Phoenix Mayor John Driggs, who helped put together the funding to rehabilitate the Rosson House in the mid '70s. Click here for more info.

History Douglas C. TowneMay 13, 2022
The Adams: A Downtown Hotel With a 125-Year Legacy

The Hotel Adams has been destroyed twice, only to rise from its ashes like the mythical phoenix bird at the northeast corner of Central Avenue and Adams Street. You may know it as the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel. Click here for more info.

History Donna ReinerMay 12, 2022
The Greatest Disaster: Downtown’s 1910 Adams Hotel Fire

A luxurious hotel when it was built in 1896, the Adams Hotel burned to the ground in 1910. The proprietor rebuilt a hotel at the same location and reopened it in 1911. It was eventually razed in 1973 to make way for a third hotel, the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown. Click here for more info.

History Douglas C. TowneMay 4, 2022
The Day a Phoenix Bank Sent Downtown Spinning

On April 29, 1958, those in Downtown Phoenix gazed upward in awe at the new advertisement towering over the city. Valley National Bank of Arizona unveiled its 35-foot octagon neon... continue reading. Click here for more info.

History Douglas C. TowneApril 22, 2022
Van Buren: The Street Where Phoenix Shined Brightest

In the 1920s, Van Buren Street became a national thoroughfare, and over the next few decades, a number of motels and mini-resorts cropped up catering to highway travelers. With colorful lodging options featuring fanciful names, lush landscaping, kitschy themes and huge neon signs, it became one of the nation's most dazzling roadside strips. Click here for more info.

History Douglas C. TowneMarch 31, 2022
‘A Passage From One Era To Another:’ Constructing the Central Avenue Underpass

Completed in 1940 to connect South Phoenix and downtown, the Central Avenue underpass has evolved into one of the city’s most notable wormholes. Click here for more info.

History Douglas C. TowneMarch 9, 2022
Hanny’s Historic Terrazzo Entrance, Display Windows Still Entice Downtown Passersby

Hanny's restaurant is an outstanding example of a classic terrazzo entryway, built in 1947. Click here for more info.

History Douglas C. TowneFebruary 17, 2022
Housing, Healthcare and Urban Renewal: The Life and Legacy of Father Emmett McLoughlin

Father Emmett McLoughlin championed affordable housing, equal access to healthcare and urban renewal for Phoenix's marginalized Black and Latino communities. Click here for more info.

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