Archive for the ‘architecture’ Category

February 04, 2013

In Search of the Perfect Coffee Shop in Portland: Sound Grounds

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I am starting a new series called Discovering PDX, where I will document my experiences as a newcomer to the City of Roses. This is the first installment of the series. My first order of business in Portland is to find the perfect coffee shop that I can work from, hang out and make new friends. To this end, I am on a mission to try different coffee shops until I find the perfect one. I have a point of reference, Lux Coffeebar, which was the perfect coffee shop for me in Phoenix and which ended up having a…

January 07, 2013

10 Best Things About Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet As my move date approaches, I’m starting to feel the sadness of leaving all the wonderful people and places of Phoenix. Though I am excited about my new adventures, I’m mournful about leaving behind my wonderful life here. I might complain about Phoenix, but the truth is, this city has given me the chance to realize my dreams and become the person I’ve always wanted to be. It’s nurtured me and my work and has been a home to me and I am forever grateful for that. Below are some of the things I consider best about Phoenix and…

December 20, 2012

The David Wright House has Been Saved! (For Real this Time)

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Tis the season to be jolly! After an epic 6-month long saga that has been nothing short of a roller coaster, the David Wright House is finally in good hands with plans in place to preserve it in perpetuity. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, the organization that first brought the threat of demolition to our attention, has come to the rescue! The preservation organization facilitated the purchase of the property by an anonymous benefactor that will transfer it to an Arizona nonprofit. The new owner will push forward a landmark designation by the City that will protect the…

November 27, 2012

Dear Architects, Please Stop Trying to Impress other Architects and Just Be More Human

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I ran into this quote today in my research for another article: “We are eager to share the shedkm ethos of clear, award winning, design led, deliverable space that transforms perceptions and works for the community.” – Hazel Rounding, Director of shedkm Architects Whaaaa? Nobody cares about “design-led, deliverable space that transforms perceptions.” This is mostly because nobody, except other architects, even knows what that means. Architects love to talk about how their work will positively impact the community but how could it if they can’t even find it within themselves to speak like regular human beings? I don’t…

November 13, 2012

With New Buyer Backing Out, Phoenix City Council Must Designate David Wright House Regardless of Owner Permission

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I had a feeling it was too early to celebrate. Many media outlets reported two weeks ago that a preservation-minded buyer had purchased the David Wright house from the existing owner – 8081 Meridian – who wanted to demolish it in order to build two McMansions on the site. This meant that the house was going to be saved for sure. Why? First, the new owner had no plans to demolish it. And second, the new owner would most likely give his permission for the city to put a landmark designation on the house. But alas, the Business Journal…

November 10, 2012

“Perspectives” offers deeper look at preservation, advocates greater need for architecture appreciation

by: Jennifer Gunther

Tweet In a multidisciplinary panel discussion held Monday night at the College of Design North building on the ASU Tempe campus, a group of design and development professionals shared their takes on the greater issues behind the ongoing push to preserve the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed David and Gladys Wright House in the Arcadia area of Phoenix. The discussion was moderated by Craig Barton, director of the Design School that is part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Speakers included practicing architect and ASU architecture professor Paul Zygas; director of the ASU Master of Real Estate Development program…

October 17, 2012

Free Historic Building Tours at the 4th Grand Avenue Festival and a Chance to Win Cupcakes!

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The 4th Annual Grand Avenue Festival is this weekend! It’ll run from 11 am – 8 pm, with an After Hours event from 8 – 10pm on Saturday October 20th! My favorite part of the festival is the Historic Commercial Building and Adaptive Reuse Tours. There are 3 awesome buildings on the tour this year: Phoenix Laundry and Dry Cleaning (now Milum Textiles), OS Stapley Hardware buildings, and 1205 Space (now housing John Coll P.L.L.C). The best part is that the tours will be FREE courtesy of sponsorship by the Phoenix Revitalization Corporation (PRC)! The tour promises to be…

October 04, 2012

Camelback East Village Planning Commission Almost Botches Recommendation for the Landmark Designation of the David Wright House

by: Will Novak

Tweet Today’s post is by contributing writer Will Novak: On Tuesday night (Oct 2nd) the case to recommend a landmark status historic overlay on the beautiful David and Gladys Wright home in Arcadia went before the Camelback East Village Planning Committee. If you weren’t there, be sorry you missed it; for a moment I thought it would turn into WrestleMania XXIX. Before going into detail about what happened at the meeting, a bit of an overview of City processes is needed. As you probably know, the City is divided up into 15 “Villages” each with its own Village Planning Committee….

September 28, 2012

Open House this Weekend and More Updates on the David Wright House

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Here are a few important updates on the David Wright House: 1. As a note of interest regarding the attitude of the current owner and his disregard for the public interest in his new acquisition, Jim McPherson reports that, “the current owner of the David & Gladys Wright House invited PHOENIX Mayor Greg Stanton and guests to tour the building and grounds today…the mayor and a few others from the State Historic Preservation Office, Planning Commission, and Historic Preservation Commission (stood) in front of the chain link fence. They couldn’t get in. The property owner did not show up. He did…

September 19, 2012

Historic Preservation Commission Unanimously Recommends Landmark Designatation for the David Wright House

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Yesterday afternoon as a full house with an electric atmosphere at the Historic Preservation Commission meeting at Phoenix City Hall, surprising many of the commissioners who’re used to seeing only a handful of seats taken at these meetings. Everyone was there for the landmark designation recommendation for the David Wright House. It’s a no brainer that the David Wright House is worthy of a landmark designation, but the rub lies in that the owner has not given permission for this designation. And in Phoenix, we don’t normally go through with a historic preservation designation without the owner’s approval due…