Relaxing at the King's Rest in the 1940s, Phoenix, Arizona


Time-travel with me to Phoenix in the 1940s. We're relaxing at the King's Rest, which is at 801 S. 17th Avenue, which is 17th Avenue between Van Buren and Buckeye Road, or back in the 1940s just along along the highway. The highway takes a sharp turn at Van Buren and goes all of the way to Apache Junction, by the way.

As of this writing, the King's Rest is still there, and is called Las Casitas. But the glory days of the old highway are long over, and it puzzles modern day people like me, who have difficulty imagining that 17th Avenue was an important highway. But it was.

It's a sunny day and feels good to relax out in the sun on the lawn. There are sun umbrellas on the table, but I don't really need it, I just tipped my fedora slightly to the southern sun. It's winter, and it's seasonably cool, but luckily the King's Rest is Air Cooled if I want to come back in the spring or summer. There are other people out there enjoying the day. Some are chatting, some are just marveling at the clear desert air. It feels great out here.

There's a steady stream of cars going by on the highway, and I can hear the train, which is just north of here. This really is a nice place. The architectural style is Mission Revival, and it's kept up very nicely. I mean, look at that neatly trimmed hedge, and is that a Saguaro cactus there?

Thank you for relaxing with me.

Looking north on 17th Avenue towards Buchanan in the 1940s, Phoenix, Arizona.




Listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Reference number 87001882. Last restored in 2006.
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