Posts Tagged ‘adaptive reuse in phoenix’

September 27, 2010

Imagining a New Phoenix Using Old Buildings: A Case for Adaptive Reuse

by: Victoria Vargas

Tweet While I’m traipsing through Brussels, Bruges, and Berlin this week, the Blooming Rock blog will be featuring guest posts from some of my favorites writers and thinkers in Phoenix. Today’s post is by Victoria Vargas. Victoria is a writer, historic preservationist, archaeologist, and lover of small dwellings. She blogs at Smaller Living about the adventure of living small in a (very) big city. “There is probably no action authorized by local governments more singularly fiscally irresponsible than the demolition of a historic building for a surface parking lot.” Donovan Rykema in The Economics of Historic Preservation (2008, revised edition)…

August 27, 2010

10 Things You Should Know about the Upcoming Parking Lot at the Sahara Hotel

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet 1. The City used funds from the Downtown Phoenix Hotel Corporation to buy the Sahara building. Apparently part of this deal was the temporary use of the site as a parking lot for the Sheraton Hotel. This is the “done deal” City Manager David Cavazos was talking about. 2. When several community members suggested the lot become a park or a green space, Jeremy Legg, the City applicant for the parking use permit, mentioned the Civic Space Park is just a block away. Wait, so we can have TOO MANY green spaces, but never enough parking lots? 3. The…

July 27, 2010

Dan Semenchuk’s Photographs Capture the Heyday of Beef Eaters

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The Beef Eaters building on 300 W. Camelback is awaiting its new destiny. In its heyday, it was a happening dinner spot in the Valley, complete with a gorgeous bar, lots of comfortable booth seating, a community room, a huge kitchen that could serve several restaurants and a cellar basement. From the outside, it’s difficult to see the character of the building. I’ve been known to say that this building isn’t anything special architecturally. But when I saw these photographs by Dan Semenchuk, I got a new appreciation for the place. Dan captures the stories and the life that…

June 22, 2010

The Delightful Design of Giant Coffee

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Giant Coffee is finally open! It opened in May in fact and it’s a big hit with this coffee shop-loving architectural writer. I first went to Giant last Sunday to meet friends Aaron Kimberlin and John Jacquemart. I was absolutely delighted with it at first glance from my car. First, I give Matt Pool, owner of Giant (along with Matt’s Big Breakfast and The Roosevelt) a big thumbs up for locating his coffee shop near McDowell and Central. This corner, significant because of the Phoenix Art Museum, needed a serious injection of the coolness factor. And Giant, along with…

April 12, 2010

A Review of Modern Phoenix’s Panel Discussion on The Restaurant Revolution

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I enjoyed attending the various events last week set up by Modern Phoenix. The entire week-long series of events was immaculately organized by Alison and Matthew King and their team and was well-attended as always. I didn’t have a chance to go to all the events, but this week I’ll post my thoughts on the events I did get to attend. Let’s start with Thursday night’s Panel Discussion on The Restaurant Revolution hosted by David Tyda. The panel comprised of: Wendell Burnette of Wendell Burnette Architects – Project: St. Francis Restaurant Peter Koliopoulos of Circle West Architects – Project:…