Posts Tagged ‘Jim McPherson’

June 27, 2012

A Visit to the David Wright House Reveals a True Masterpiece in Great Condition

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet There has been a lot of talk about the David Wright House as of late. You may even be sick of hearing about it. But the battle to save it is far from over. Yesterday I had the privilege of going to tour the house which I had heard was in quite a state of disrepair. But our tour proved otherwise. Many of us remarked at how well the house has withstood its 61 years and how it remains in great condition. The new owner, John Hoffman, who is the center of what I’m sure is some unwanted attention,…

June 18, 2012

A Preservation Victory: Frank Lloyd Wright House No Longer Under Threat of Demolition

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet The decision to initiate a historic overlay and landmark designation process for the David Wright House at the Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday June 12 came surprisingly quickly. Only Zoning Attorney and former Phoenix Historic Preservation Commissioner Grady Gammage spoke, though many others had prepared remarks in support of the motion to help save the historic landmark from possible demolition. Among the attendees and those who had prepared to speak were some heavy hitters on the local architecture scene including Eddie Jones, Wendell Burnette, Phil Weddle, Jack Black, and Matthew Salenger. Gammage spoke eloquently, emphasizing that the Commission wasn’t…

March 12, 2012

Bow Ties and Boutique Business in Phoenix

by: Feliciano Vera

Tweet Today’s post is by a new contributing writer to Blooming Rock, Feliciano Vera, an entrepreneur in real estate and finance. Jim McPherson does not know how to tie a bow tie. Lingering over the antiqued wood display table at Mercantile, he brushes aside that fact and ushers us closer, in an almost conspiratorial manner. “Look,” flipping over one of the many bow ties. “This tie was originally made from another that was sold at the Broadway. And that one over there was a tie from Goldwaters.” Clutching a purple and white checked sample, my eye is drawn to another…

March 01, 2011

Marking the 1-Year Anniversary of Places, Spaces and Faces Community Dinner

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet I can’t believe it’s been one full year since Places, Spaces and Faces Community Dinner was started! We started off small, but with fantastic participation at a quality venue, setting the standard for future events. Kathleen Bartolomei, one of the original founders, had a brilliant suggestion at the first dinner which has helped sustain the dinners every month since. She installed the tradition of voting for the best cook in the different categories (sweet, savory and later drinks) and the winners would help organize the next dinner. “Built-in sustainability” she called it and boy she was right! As the…

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 09, 2010

Saving the Sahara: Calling the Community to Undo a “Done Deal”

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet According to the Arizona Republic article today by Emily Gersema, Ramada Inn in Downtown Phoenix Days from Demolition, the $700,000 demolition of the old Sahara Hotel, currently a defunct Ramada Inn, is scheduled to happen later this month. Before we go into why this building is important and why it’s worth saving, let’s first visit the reason why it’s being demolished: The City of Phoenix is planning a $700,000 demolition to make room for overflow parking for the Sheraton Downtown Hotel while there are loads of empty lots all around downtown that would work just as well, not to…

June 08, 2010

Jim McPherson – ‘Demolition Should Be the Last Resort’

by: Jim McPherson

Tweet As I mentioned yesterday, there was some strong disagreement in the historic preservation community about my post Why Not All Buildings Should be Saved. It’s important to hear all points of view on this subject and have a constructive discussion about it. Below is Jim McPherson’s point of view about the Leighton Knipe house and historic preservation in Phoenix. Jim is a respected leader in the community. He serves on the board of the Arizona Preservation Foundation and is the winner of the 28th Annual Governor’s Heritage Preservation Grand Award. He reminds us that we already have a strong…