How to look at historic buildings in Phoenix, Arizona


I just love looking at historic buildings. When I was a kid I wanted to grow up to be an architect, but I'm terrible at math, so that never happened. But I still like buildings, especially old ones.

The biggest challenge that I've found to looking at historic buildings in Phoenix isn't the lack of them (there are more than I could ever get to!), it's the confusion that people have about what I want to see. If that's you, you can be frustrated, too, and I may be able to help.

A typical historic building, whether it's been restored for display (like the Rosson House), or is just an old building that catches your eye, will have people around it. And those people will be puzzled as to what you're doing. Speaking for myself, I love to walk around a building, and see its structure, maybe imagine what Phoenix was like back when it was built, that sort of thing.

The problem that I've always run into is that people want me to go inside of a building, and either talk to them, or maybe look at the furniture. And don't get me wrong, I like talking to people, and I enjoy looking at furniture, but when I'm at a historic building I'd rather spend that time looking at the building.

People will follow me around, asking if I'm looking for the bathroom, and often they will hand me a piece of paper with information about the building on it. I try to be gracious, and thank them, but really I want them to stand aside. You really can't say that, so I have a few techniques that I use, the best one being to visit an historic building with a friend of mine who likes to talk to people, and look at furniture. I have a lot of friends like that, and when we're approached I wander off and they talk, and look at furniture.

Of course if it's just an old building that's actually still in use, you have to be mindful that just walking around looking at it looks kinda suspicious. If I do that, which isn't often, I stay very visible, and am aware that I'm being watched. I'm not slinking around, and I'm definitely not taking photos. I enjoy all kinds of historic buildings, and they don't have to be museum pieces to attract my attention.

Phoenix has wonderful historic buildings, and I just love looking at them as often as I can. When I stand outside of the Rosson House I'm transported back in time to when the 20th Century was still in the future, when you could see for miles and miles, when you could hear the trolley go by, maybe the striking of bells of a church. I can smell the desert, and feel the wind coming up from the Salt River Mountains. I hear horses neighing and dogs barking, maybe a roadrunner going by. The modern world fades away. And then someone walks up to me and says, "Are you looking for the bathroom?", and I just say, "Yes."

Photo at the top of this post: The Rosson House, which is at 6th Street and Monroe, Phoenix, Arizona.

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