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Preservation Efforts Across PHXDowntown Phoenix is vibrant, booming with artistic and quirky culture. The murals throughout the downtown area add a unique quality to the area. Not only are the murals beautiful, but they tell a story. They provide historical sentiment and cultural vitality to a city like Phoenix. As Phoenix climbs in population, the construction of commercial real estate and businesses does, too.
I never realized how much urban development would be a part of my life as an artist," muralist Lauren Lee said. Three large, beautiful birds once perched on the green exterior of greenHAUS, amber eyes overlooking Roosevelt Row. Painted with bright colors of purple, blue, and pink, the birds were a distinguishable representation of life and culture in the Downtown Phoenix community for many residents.
The birds are no longer found on Roosevelt --- or anywhere, for that matter. Artist Lauren Lee painted the birds nearly four years ago, and the building, 222 E. Roosevelt Street, has since been torn down to make room for an incoming 111-unit apartment complex called iLuminate. GreenHAUS also was the home of some of the oldest known murals in Phoenix, which were painted by Arizona artist Ted DeGrazia in 1950. The building, which sat on the corner of Roosevelt Row, a district where warehouses and bungalows have been transformed into book stores, coffee shops and art galleries, was home to one of Phoenix's first drag clubs and later the venue of the mayor's re-election campaigns. It was deemed to be an artifact by Phoenix residents in and of itself. After the demolition plans of the building were released by the contractors, a community organization called "This Could Be PHX" issued a petition that called for the preservation of the building. The petition addressed the developers and city officials to reevaluate the demolition to include "adaptive reuse" of the building, as well as "[provide] a sustainable future for the oldest known downtown murals." Supporters argued against the demolition, seeing the murals to be a large contributing part of the arts culture community in Phoenix. "As downtown Phoenix grows into the busy walkable downtown area that we are hoping for, it would be a shame to rid the city of unique buildings and art such as the one at 222 E Roosevelt. Phoenix is constantly criticized for having 'no culture,' but one of the greatest cultural aspects of the city is the mural art," Lauren Fraijo, a supporter and signer of the petition, argued. Andrew Meister, who also signed the petition, argued that Phoenix needed to preserve history and re-use old buildings rather than "building generic structures." Several supporters agreed, arguing that murals like "Three Birds" contributes to history and culture in cities like Phoenix. Fraijo and Meister were two of nearly 1,600 supporters who signed the petition. However, the efforts were to no avail and the demolition continued as planned. Lauren Lee's "Three Birds" mural and DeGrazia's historical mural are not the first and most definitely not the last murals to be torn down along with the building in order to make room for commercialization in the Phoenix community. According to the Arizona International Growth Group, Phoenix is in the "heart of the fastest growing and most dynamic metropolitan area in the country." Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the U.S. and is forecasted to be the fourth by 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. As the population grows, the need for commercial real estate for businesses and residential homes does, too. Consequently, old, unused historic buildings are knocked down to make room for these commercial properties and the murals and art pieces that embellished their exteriors are torn down with them. Efforts have been made by the state to preserve murals and buildings that contribute to the art and historical aspects of the community. "Culture is what defines us as a people, as a community. Here in the Valley of the Sun, culture surrounds us in great variety," Jim Ward, president and CEO of the Phoenix symphony wrote in a letter to readers In Business Magazine readers. "Whether or not you enjoy the aesthetic benefit of the different art forms in our valley, you must value the impact that the arts have on our cultural economy. And a cultural economy is vital to our ability to attract and retain businesses and the human capital necessary to achieve our economic goals," Ward wrote. The Phoenix City Council adopted PreserveHistoricPHX, which is a comprehensive initiative to preserve the city's historic buildings using the Historic Preservation Bond. The plan includes incentive programs to preserve and rehabilitate historic resources. "Preservation of these resources fosters community pride, investment and redevelopment," the City of Phoenix website states. The Demonstration Project program addresses mural preservation specifically. "The program provides funding for exterior work that retains historic building materials and features, reverses inappropriate alterations, reconstructs missing historic details or otherwise returns a building to its historic appearance," the program's description says on the City of Phoenix's website. "I never realized how much urban development would be a part of my life as an artist," Lauren Lee said. "But that's the great thing about artists ---- we can paint again." SOURCES: Interview with Lauren Lee, Petition to Preserve the Murals by This Could Be PHX, U.S. Census Bureau Report, PreserveHistoricPHX, City of Phoenix's Website, The Demonstration Project, The Arizona International Growth Group, Jim Ward Letter to Readers |