Final PHX

Gary Parsel digs old-school Phoenix so much that he's spent the past decade depicting the city's vintage houses and buildings in hundreds of acrylic paintings as a way to "capture its history and character before it disappears." We asked for some of his favorite places.

Fontenelle Lofts

"Gosh, the Fontenelle has a great legacy, and it's interesting how they remodeled it. It's got real character — like something you'd see in another city, or something from a certain time, because you certainly don't see that kind of architecture nowadays."

St. James Hotel

"It's all boarded-up and closed now, and it won't be long until it's torn down. Lost its favor, I guess, as things changed. I really like the brick façade and the Spanish Revival architecture and [the] stories it tells just by being there."

Veterans Memorial Coliseum

"I had to do a painting of the Coliseum before something was done to it, because you know it's gonna get razed someday. It's such a landmark, and there's such a great history behind it. I saw Three Dog Night there once."