Author Archive

June 11, 2012

Help Save this Extraordinary Frank Lloyd Wright House Under Threat of Demolition!

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet We are one of the few places on earth from which Frank Lloyd Wright chose to work. It is a huge point of pride for our region that one of the most famous architects that ever lived designed so many significant buildings here. In 1950-52, he designed and built a house for his son David on 5212 E. Exeter Rd. It is a remarkable house, not only compared to most houses of the era, but even compared to other Wright buildings. Neil Levine, an imminent Wright scholar says about the house: The Gladys and David Wright House is one…

May 08, 2012

Interview with Jim McPherson and J. Seth Anderson about Downtown Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Recently I interviewed Jim McPherson and J. Seth Anderson about their new book – Downtown Phoenix – published by Arcadia Publishing about the history of downtown Phoenix. (Suad Mahmuljin, the third co-author of the book, could not be present for the interview.) Below is our conversation: Photo Credit: A shot of my autographed copy of Downtown Phoenix. Photo by the author.

April 05, 2012

Pedal Craft PHX – Where Art Meets Bicycles

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet April is Bike Month here in the Valley of the Sun and there are some wonderful events happening to celebrate bicycles and the people who ride them. One of the most visually appealing and fun parts of Bike Month will be Pedal Craft PHX, an event that was founded by Sustainability Manager Jonce Walker and Graphic Designer Jon Ashcroft. Pedal Craft PHX will take place on Friday, April 20, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Kitchen Sink Studios Gallery, 828 North Third Street. Admission is free. One unique part of the exhibit will be the showcasing of inventive bike…

March 29, 2012

Infinite Space, the Architecture of John Lautner

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet John Lautner was a big man who practiced architecture in big gestures. He could not draw very well, or very pricisely I should say, so he drew with a thick pencil in large, sweeping gestures. He then left it up to his staff to figure out the details. He is best known, among midcenturymodernophiles (a term I just made up), for the Chemosphere House, and next perhaps the Elrod House in Palm Springs. But after having watched the movie Infinite Space, the Architecture of John Lautner, I have a feeling that he would not be satisfied in knowing that…

March 08, 2012

Louis Sullivan: The Struggle for an American Architecture

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The story of Louis Sullivan isn’t just important for architecture, it’s an important part of American history. He was many years ahead of his time, he continually broke new ground and he was, undoubtedly, an original. His most ardent dream was to establish a decidedly American architecture. At the time he came on the scene as an architect in Chicago in the late 1800’s, the zeitgeist was to emulate European architecture. This young nation didn’t have a voice of its own yet when it came to the art of buildings and it still deferred to Europe to tell it…

March 05, 2012

An Interview with Jon Talton about the Future of Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Jon Talton, a Phoenix native and an Arizona Republic columnist at one time but now a resident of Seattle, doesn’t pull any punches on his blog Rogue Columnist. He is the author of the Phoenix-based David Mapstone Mysteries, The Pain Nurse, first of the Cincinnati Casebooks and the thriller Deadline Man. His new novel is South Phoenix Rules. Talton is often criticized for being too negative about Phoenix, but it is his underlying love for the city that drives him to expose this place’s reality as he sees it – complete with a rich history, misguided dreams of unlimited…

February 21, 2012

Daniel Arreola on Latino Urbanism

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The Latino Urban Form lecture is this tomorrow!! We have an amazing panel who will talk about a relatively new and increasingly relevant concept called Latino Urbanism. To give you an idea of what Latino Urbanism is about, I asked each of our three speakers to give us their thoughts on it in a short interview. You can find my interviews with Kevin Kellogg or James Rojas here and here, respectively. Today I’m featuring the final interview with Daniel Arreola, a professor at ASU who teaches about Mexican Ancestry Populations in Phoenix. The lecture will take place on Wednesday…

February 20, 2012

James Rojas Explains Latino Urbanism

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The Latino Urban Form lecture brought to you by Women Design Arizona and Blooming Rock is this Wednesday!! I have asked each of the three speakers to give us a short rundown of Latino Urbanism and its significance in the community we live in. Today I’m featuring a short interview with one of our speakers, James Rojas, the founder of Latino Urbanism and a transportation planner at the City of Los Angeles. The lecture will take place on Wednesday February 22 at 6pm at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market. Tickets are $5 and you can buy them here. All ticket…

February 15, 2012

Kevin Kellogg on Latino Urbanism

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Next week, the Sustainable Communities Lecture Series, brought to you by Women Design Arizona and Blooming Rock, will present a lecture on Latino Urban Form featuring three great thinkers on the subject. James Rojas, a transportation planner at the City of Los Angeles, is the founder and foremost authority on Latino Urbanism in the country. Kevin Kellogg, who has been featured and has written for this blog several times, is an architect and urban planner who has hands-on experience with Latino urban planning and design. And Daniel Arreola is a professor at ASU who teaches about Mexican Ancestry Populations…

February 14, 2012

What YOU Want to See in Arizona’s Next 100 Years

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet It’s Arizona’s Centennial today, a day to celebrate the last 100 years of our state founding. For me, today’s also a great day to pause and lay claim to the future we want for our state. To that end, I asked YOU, through Facebook, Twitter, this blog and the Blooming Rock newsletter, what you’d like to see in the next 100 years in Arizona. There were definitely themes to people’s responses, and so I’ve broken them down into categories, to help us better see what’s important to people today. Here’s what you said: Renewable Energy/Solar Power: Rocco Meneguale: I…