A newsletter for Fairview Place Residents
DECEMBER 2000
Online Edition
Contact:
e d i t o r @ f a i r v i e w p l a c e . o r g
Neighborhood Meeting
NO MEETING this month. Instead, come to the
Neighborhood Holiday Party!
Sunday, December 17, 2000
2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Valley Garden Center
You are invited on Sunday afternoon December 17 to the Fairview Place Neighborhood Holiday Party from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Valley Garden Center on 15th Avenue, south of Palm Lane.
If you can, come early and lend a hand with setting up. You don't have to call or sign up, just come on over and join in on Sunday, the 17th.
The party is a pot luck affair, so bring one of your favorite dishes to share.
If you don't cook, come and help in other ways. We especially need eaters! (And that's not a typo.)
Be sure to be there for the Fabulous Fairview Raffle. Neighbors have already donated some very nice prizes. For example, Vintage Interiors (on McDowell Road east of 7th Avenue) has donated a beautiful vintage stained glass window, which could be yours if you have the winning ticket. There will be a $100.00 cash prize too.
The raffle will take place at 3:30 p.m. and you must be present to win. Raffle tickets will be cheap! (Only a dollar!) Brenda Loman is coordinating raffle prizes. There's still time if you'd like to donate something; just call Brenda (256-7594) to let her know.
Raffle ticket sales will help defray costs of the party. You'll be pleased to know that, heeding your comments from other raffles, this one will be short and sweet...and it also means there will be bigger winners because we are combining some prizes into bundles.
Remember that bears like parties too. Bring a new teddy bear or other plush toy to donate, and Marge McCue will see that they get to the police department to help in their work with abused children.
Holiday Party chairperson June Lundy of 16th Avenue and her committee have been busy making this Party a wonderful experience for you and your family and guests.
So mark your calendar right now and be sure to be there and enjoy! You will be so glad you did.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
by Phil Gordon
Phoenix City Councilman - District Four (which includes Fairview Place)
I love Phoenix's historic buildings. I am dismayed when even a dilapidated old warehouse is lost to new development, and I am incredibly excited each time I see the signs of renovation of an old home. I wasn't always such a devoted preservationist. My friend, former Mayor Terry Goddard, is largely responsible for the enthusiasm I feel today. At his request, I helped a number of like-minded Phoenix residents draft the city's Historic Preservation Ordinance, which has since helped to preserve and restore more than 20 historic neighborhoods, and countless individual buildings.
Once the ordinance was in place, and with the encouragement of the city of Phoenix, I began my own personal efforts to save a piece of Phoenix's history. I purchased the Corpstein Duplex, located at 4th Avenue and Roosevelt. The day I first looked at the building, the roof and walls were crumbling and it was completely full of debris and filth. Everyone I talked to said the building simply could not be restored. Today, the duplex is the home of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. I was hooked.
My next venture was the Evans House located at 11th Avenue and Washington. Once its rehabilitation was complete, it received the 1989 Governor's Award for Historic Preservation (editor's note: since renamed the Arizona Heritage Awards), and has been in continual use ever since. While I am no longer in the business of purchasing fantastic old buildings to rehab, I still get excited when I talk to people who do. And I still cringe when I hear others say that such buildings can't be saved, that they aren't economically viable projects, that demolition and new construction is the only answer. Why, then, are the lovely buildings at Heritage Square among our tourists' first destination? How do preservation detractors explain away the fact that homes in historically designated neighborhoods are commanding the highest price per square foot at sale? And, finally, I want to ask why on earth we would want to destroy our past?
Once gone, it can NEVER be replicated.
I believe that Phoenix is at an important crossroad today. More and more of our buildings are being demolished, or are at risk of being lost. In fact, the Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission has named 11 historically significant buildings as being endangered in order to draw public attention to this crisis. The list includes buildings I know you have heard of or read about recently, like Grace Court School and the Santa Fe Freight Depot. I know some of you have a personal connection to other buildings on the list, like the remaining Phoenix Union High School buildings or St. Mary's Elementary School. The point is, though, that in order to survive, these wonderful buildings need your voice. Make a clamor. Call the media and ask for better coverage of the state of historic preservation in Phoenix. Call your elected officials to voice your concern about the precious resources we are losing and ask for their commitment to saving them. And don't ever give up!
Special Note:
The clock is ticking on a number of downtown schools. Demolition permits have been filed for the Monroe School, four Phoenix Union High School buildings and St. Mary's Elementary School. On September 19th, the Capitol Mall Legislative Commission voted to deny the demolition permit for Grace Court School. An environmental report of Franklin School indicated that it is feasible for rehabbing.
Courtesy of Arizona Foundation for Preservation and Willo News
See photographs
The Fairview Place Blue Ribbon Award is presented quarterly to a neighborhood homeowner who has improved or maintained their home in an attractive way.
This month's award goes to Barry Prather, owner of the charming English Cottage at 1614 North 15th Avenue.
This Tudor-style cottage was built in 1936 as the residence of Mr. Evans, one of the home builders of Fairview Place.
The walls are poured concrete, with the exterior faced with tufa stone which was quarried near Pinnacle Peak. The large tree in the front yard is an original planting dating back to the home's construction.
Barry has been carefully making repairs while keeping the cottage's 1930's look intact. Recent improvements include painting the eaves, windows and roof vents, and adding plants and a split-rail redwood fence give the home a fresh look.
Installing the used-brick driveway has been Barry's largest project so far, and was accomplished with the help of family and friends. Where the driveway meets the house, two lion statues on either side of the entrance arch greet visitors at the doorway.
As a Blue Ribbon Award winner, Barry receives a gift certificate from The Southwest Gardener Shop on 15th Avenue south of Thomas.
Congratulations to Barry Prather for making his home a genuine asset in Fairview Place.
Recently a suggestion was made to hold only four neighborhood meetings a year. It was agreed to do so, and beginning in January of 2001, meetings will be held every three months instead of every month.
Furthermore, it was suggested and approved that the meetings take place right in Fairview Place at neighbors' homes. Several folks already have offered their home for a meeting, so that policy also will be put into practice next year.
Although the January meeting may still be held at the Encanto Park Boat House, meetings after that are expected to take place at a home in the neighborhood. Please check this newsletter carefully for meeting location information next year.
And speaking of this newsletter, The Outlook newsletter will continue to be published monthly as usual.
Call the steering committee member from your block (see contacts at bottom of
this page) and let them know your thoughts and ideas. They love to hear from their neighbors.
Your neighbors on the steering committee have served our neighborhood for the past year.
Let's acknowledge and thank them for a job well done.
In January it will again be time to select new steering committee members who will represent their street.
Please give serious thought to serving. It would be ideal to have two folks from each block so that all areas of the neighborhood are well represented.
If you talk to the present committee members, they will tell you that it has not been demanding and it is a good way to meet your neighbors. Consider doing your part in this way to help Fairview Place be the great place to live that it is.
Then come to the January meeting.
In response to our story on palm tree berries last month, we congratulate the folks on 16th Avenue, north of Palm Lane. 16th Avenue resident and landscape specialist Ron Peoples helped his neighbors find a professional trimmer for their palm trees at a reasonable price. Several neighbors joined together and received a low group rate.
And the results look great. Every effort toward tidying up helps our neighborhood look better and better. Thanks to these neighbors who joined together. Now what could you and your neighbors do in your section of Fairview Place?
Phoenix Historic Coalition December Meeting
This month only, the Phoenix Historic District Coalition meeting will be held on the second Thursday (December 14) at the same time and place. (For details, see the back page of this newsletter.)
This is as convenient as it gets: The next BOPA (batteries, oil, paint, and antifreeze) collection event is 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on December 7, 8 and 9 at Encanto Park. Seize this chance to get rid of toxic materials that are not permitted in the weekly collections.
Despite the hoopla surrounding its arrival, Y2K has been a nice quiet year.
Fairview Place continues to be a great place to live. Folks here are friendly and helpful, making us a neighborhood in the true sense of the word. A recent special program on KAET-TV Channel 8, describing development and growth in the Southwest, said that the ideal format for a good neighborhood was one like that of the 1930 era. Well, what do you know--we have it right here.
At our monthly Neighborhood meetings during the past year, a number of guest speakers provided information on architecture, gardening and landscaping.
We learned more about our important neighbor, the Valley Garden Center, in a newsletter article written by Jill Tench of 15th Avenue, then in October we heard from Bill Carls, who is charge of groundskeeping there at the Valley Garden Center.
In May, Joy Tevis of 15th Avenue hosted a meeting in her back yard, prompting many people to ask if we could meet in neighbors' yards more often. The steering committee agreed, and has decided to arrange that in 2001. (Watch this newsletter for more details.)
And not least: Thanks to the many home improvements that continue to enhance our area, it has been a very good year!
Bearing Up
So far this year, 146 new bears have been donated by generous Fairview Place residents, bringing our neighborhood's all-time total to 1,146 teddy bears and other soft toys.
The Holiday Party on Sunday, December 17 is an especially good opportunity to add to Fairview Place's ongoing effort to donate new bears and other plush toys to the Phoenix Police Department for their work with abused children.
Dear Editor,
I am a new neighbor in Fairview Place. I moved here to be in a close (neighbor wise) neighborhood. I also love the historic. I have been able to attend just one meeting but am already serving on the decorating committee for our Christmas party.
Anyway, I would like to see a list of services to help restore and maintain my home. I need a handyman, concrete, land-scaping, window pane replacement, electrician, etc. I thought maybe my neighbors could recommend these services that they have used.
Also how about a list of restaurants or local merchants that my neighbors would recommend?
Your website is great and am looking forward to a discussion forum or could the neighbors list their e-mails on the site to connect with each other?
Thanks again,
Chris
17th Avenue
Newsletter editor responds:
We plan to include a feature like this on the neighborhood's website in the near future. Currently we are working on a design that helps ensure that it does not become commercialized. In the meantime, let's help Chris out: Please send your suggestions and recommendations via email to editor@fairviewplace.org (or via regular mail to our P.O. box) and we'll forward them to Chris.
The Outlook newsletter
Thank You to all the folks who produce and deliver the Outlook to your door each month.
The newsletter helps provide information to you and your neighbors.
If you have an interest or item to share, contact the newsletter staff:
Email to
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e d
i t o
r @ f
a i r
v i e
w p l
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Editorial and Production Team
Patrick Neary 256-2511
Marsha Losh 271-4750
Gerry McCue 253-5579
Marge McCue 253-5579
Distribution Manager
Pia Jones 253-0845
Advertising Manager
Jocelyn Sheppard 340-8815
email to
:
a d s @ f a i r v i e w p l a c e . o r g
Steering Committee
15th Avenue
Jill Tench
252-1356
Joy Tevis
258-4013
Laurel Avenue
Marge McCue
253-5579
Jennifer Wadsworth
252-8977
16th Avenue
David Huber
252-7998
June Lundy
253-3697
Jocelyn Sheppard
340-8815
Mary Jean Wrobel
256-7497
17th Avenue
T. D. Rice
254-4811