The buildings are still there, in Phoenix


One of the most common things I hear from people who have lived in Phoenix for a long time is that "everything is gone". You know, all of the old buildings, all of the old neighborhoods. Of course, I beg to differ, and I have a tendency to say, "yeah, it's still there", which surprises a lot of people.

Yesterday I posted a photo that a friend had found of Motorola in the 1960s. The building that I'd heard of, which was on McDowell and 52nd Street, has been gone for a long time, way before my time, and so I just looked through my files for the address, and posted it.

To my delight, I was wrong! A sharp-eyed observer on my Phoenix page not only pointed out (very politely, I may add) that the address that I posted was incorrect, there was a link to a map and the words "the buildings are still there". So I immediately jumped onto Google maps, and sure enough, the buildings are still there!

I guess you can't blame me for being cynical, although I'd like to think that I'm the most optimistic person about Phoenix out there. I've found a lot of old buildings. But if I don't, I just shake my head, and accept the progress.

In spite of previous statements that I've made like "Phoenix pretty much tears down its old buildings every twenty years", it simply isn't true. There's a lot out there! I've found lists of historic properties, and those lists go on, and on.

Image above: The Granite Reef Center of Motorola in the 1960s, McDowell and Granite Reef Road, Scottsdale, Arizona. The view is looking east from 82nd Place. 82nd Street between Hayden and Pima. Yeah, the buildings are still there.

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