Then & Now - A Tour of the DTPHX Development Through Historic Preservation

Within Phoenix’s 518 square miles, only 30 percent remains untouched by development. That was the backdrop of a presentation during Phoenix Community Alliance’s (PCA) Quarterly Member Meeting in March. The presentation detailed exciting Downtown development news and stats to a packed room of PCA Members inside the 201 East Washington building.  

During the event, Chris Mackay, the City of Phoenix’s Community and Economic Development Department Director, delivered an extended development forecast. These updates hinted at the announcements of projects on the literal horizon that would further transform Downtown. 

As more people and residential projects come to Downtown, developers have less vacant land to start from scratch. This brings unique challenges, but also rewards, when incorporating notable architectural structures into new projects. 

For Historic Preservation Month in May, these are the new projects by our PCA Members that enrich Downtown while integrating the designs of yesterday. 

Pratt-Gilbert Building Mixed-Use Project (1 W. Madison St.): 

As Downtown development pushes south into the Warehouse District and beyond, another sign of movement for the area will be an adaptive reuse and redevelopment project by PCA Member Aardex Corporation. The project balances a mixture of city priorities, such as historic preservation and prioritizing pedestrian infrastructure, throughout the site.  

In addition to the planned 14-story residential tower to the south, preserving the historic Pratt-Gilbert Building on the southeast corner of Central Avenue and Madison Street plays a significant role in activating the site with mixed-use applications.  

The project's first phase begins with peeling back the exterior stone cladding for storefront windows to make it more authentic to the 1913-era design. The final designs will also activate the building’s basement, a rarity for the climate. When completed, the revived historic building will become a fixture to lure people to the complex with its commercial offerings.  

The development agreement with the City of Phoenix includes a $1.6 to $2.2 million donation to the state Affordable Housing Trust Fund, as defined by the GPLET (Government Property Lease Excise Tax). 

Phoenix Forge (535 W. Van Buren St.):

The Maricopa Community Colleges District has owned the Stauffer Building since it was gifted to them in the 1960s. Until recently, the college system used the facility as a surplus storage warehouse until Gateway Community College activated it as a 17,000-square-foot makerspace, which opened in February 2021.  

Almost 2,000 members, some of whom travel as far as Tucson, utilize Phoenix Forge’s fully equipped facility that serves many functions, whether as a place to learn, practice a favorite hobby, or as a spot for entrepreneurs to grow their business. With an accessible $75 monthly membership, members can access the Makerspace’s woodworking, metalworking, jewelry making, 3D printing, textile stations, and courses to become proficient with this equipment.  

Yet, there’s a 7,500 square foot portion of the historic building that remains unused, which Gateway Community College plans to develop through a fundraising campaign.  

After a recent panel discussion on Downtown retail hosted by PCA’s Central City Planning & Development (CCPD) Committee, attendees were treated to a tour of their East Bay, which included projected Gensler renderings of how the space would transform. 

Within the future East Bay, people will be brought into the space with a coffee corner, flexible gallery space, a glass-blowing facility, and other advanced manufacturing areas. Over the next decade, the college estimates that $12 million in economic output will be created from this investment.  

To learn more about the East Bay fundraising campaign, contact Bruce Balfour, Phoenix Forge’s Executive Director, at bruce.balfour@gateway.edu. 

Saiya (802 N. 1st Ave.):

Layers of workers, construction equipment, and barricades have obscured historic preservation within the Saiya residential development. The former home of The McKinley Club, located at 800 N. 1st Ave., meshes well with the project, a massive 23-story, 389-unit complex built around it. 

A paseo connects multiple residential towers with ground-floor commercial applications, further integrating the historic building. PCA Member Shepley Bulfinch designed the 12,550-square-foot retail space to blend with the structure’s historic elements, such as an exterior courtyard.  

The Pemberton (1121 N. 2nd St.): 

In just under a decade, The Pemberton has flourished alongside the vibrant growth of the Evans Churchill Neighborhood. 

When True North Studio and principal Jonathon Vento acquired the Sarah H. Pemberton House in 2018, the historic 1920 building was dilapidated and vacant.  

Since 2021, they have curated local experiences and themed environments, using the historic house as an entry point to invite the community inside. Earlier this year, the venue reopened and was reimagined with more sensory experiences. A sample of these singular “zones” includes an Italian beach club, a Tokyo alley, and an Ibiza-style pool club, with themed food and cocktails to match. All the environments are linked by public art installations from 100 local artists. 

A future design phase will transform the Pemberton House into a 1920s Art Deco fine dining experience, providing respite during the sweltering summer. 

To learn more about True North Studio’s unique development practice and comparable Downtown projects, visit their portfolio. 

Seargeant-Oldaker House Mixed-Use Project (649 N. 3rd Ave.) 

LiveForward Development is going above and beyond to preserve the historic Seargeant-Oldaker House, a 1909 craftsman-style bungalow in the Roosevelt Arts District.  

The principals envision the structure and surrounding lot as a community “gathering spot,” integrating a residential project around the bungalow. To make the project feasible, they’re relocating the home to be closer to the curb, only moving it several feet from where it once stood.  

The home will be rehabilitated into a restaurant (in the vein of Cibo) by peeling back layers of interior modifications when it was a law office.  

This is one of several residential projects the firm is spearheading throughout Downtown. 

Sing High Building (27 W. Madison St.): 

To Billy Shields, the Sing High Building, named after the former Sing High Chop Suey House, is one of the last developable blocks in Downtown. 

According to Shields, a unique situation allows him and his business partner Rajan Hansji to act intentionally when adding a hotel to the site, which shares the same block with the nearby Aardex project.  

An architect is drafting plans to integrate a hotel similar in scale to their previous Marriott Residence Inn and Courtyard Downtown project. Because Hansji Corporation owns the historic building and adjoining parking lot, they have the luxury of moving slowly and deliberately. 

The Downtown building cycle and economy aren’t slowing down. 

To keep track of the non-stop changes, PCA’s bimonthly Central City Planning & Development (CCPD) Advocacy Committee meetings offer an evergreen snapshot of these and other updates. 

With new Vice Chairs Mark Stratz and Ashley Harder, who represent unique developer perspectives in real estate and historic preservation, CCPD is the best place to connect with peers and understand difficult-to-navigate issues and building challenges. 

To learn more about which Advocacy Committee best fits a Member, contact Patrick McDaniel, PCA’s Advocacy Director, at pmcdaniel@dtphx.org.