Best Building Restoration 2009 | Memorial Hall at Steele Indian School Park | People & Places | Phoenix
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Best Building Restoration

Memorial Hall at Steele Indian School Park

Historically speaking, Phoenix is a young town. There are no Medieval castles or Colonial courthouses, and most of the historic properties that do exist here have fallen into disrepair or been long forgotten. That's why we were thrilled to see the city invest two years and over $5 million in the restoration of Steele Indian School Park's Memorial Hall, which stood vacant since the '90s. Built in 1922, the gorgeous brick building features Mission Revival-style architecture, arched windows, and huge interior ballrooms originally used for school assemblies. Much of the building's original character remains, from exterior bricks bearing the names of former students to the refinished hardwood floors. The city isn't a Grinch with the newly prettified space either — Memorial Hall is open for tours, private parties, and the 350-seat theater rents to local dance companies.

Best Repurposed Buildings

PaisleyTown at The Paisley Violin

Old buildings are torn down all too often in our neck of the woods. It's sad to watch bits of our history razed, especially when what appears in its place is often boring, ugly, or even worse, part of a corporate chain with an outlet on every corner. That's what makes PaisleyTown, the quaint village of outbuildings behind Grand Avenue's Paisley Violin, so special. These brightly colored little houses have quite a past. Constructed during World War II to house Italian and German prisoners of war, they've made their way to a quickly developing part of downtown. Loaded onto trucks and moved from their former home at 19th Avenue and McDowell Road, the cottages underwent the mother of all refurbs and fought their way through a year's worth of red tape to emerge all shiny and new. Even better, they've come full circle in their purpose. Instead of housing POWs, they now house emerging businesses. A hair salon, a gallery, a designer, and a vintage clothing store are but a few of the establishments giving new life to old buildings with a bellicose past.

Best Downtown Building to Poke Your Head Into

Sapna Café at Bragg's Pie Factory

Remember Sapna's Chillout Café at the downtown Phoenix Public Market? We do, because we'd actually wait in line there to taste an icy Grenada and some takeaway tahini-infused hummus. Now we go to Bragg's Pie Factory Building on Grand for the same tasty bites, but also because we love the funny, wedge-shaped interior of this groovy old structure. Owner Ana Borrajo has created a casual menu based in popular street foods from around the world, and she serves it up in a slice-of-pie-shaped glass enclosure, one of Phoenix's last examples of Streamline Moderne architecture. The Wi-Fi is free and the ambiance is unlike anyplace else. Glossy white walls hung with bright-colored Indian saris, smooth white cafe tables, leggy black chairs, and shiny stained-concrete floors all combine in a cozy slice of the past that's worth at least a peek.

Best Building That Looks Like Baked Goods

Islamic Community Center Mosque at ASU

No offense intended, but this place looks like a giant wedding cake. That is to say, a wedding cake frosted in yellow that's been bedazzled and covered in paste jewels. A wedding cake for a drag queen, maybe. Whatever you call it, the Islamic Mosque in Tempe is a favorite among locals who love unusual architecture. The Mosque, established just north of ASU's campus in 1984, is modeled after the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Its eight-sided structure features a minaret and a gold dome, which is something one doesn't see every day in Southwest cities. We love its glittery façade and its multi-textured exterior walls, which appear to have been hand-painted in a way that makes them appear almost tattooed. Check it out — and tell them Allah sent you.

Best Post Office

The Federal Building United States Post Office

We're in love with the downtown post office, plain and simple. It speaks to our fondness for old architecture, with its wide stone steps leading up to the front door, over which a giant lantern sways in front of an elaborate glass-and-grillwork doorway framed by concrete columns on either side. Inside we can't help but ooh and ahh over old (and rather cheesy) Southwestern-themed murals, commissioned in 1938 by the Fine Arts Section of the Treasury Department and painted by La Verne Black and Oscar E. Berninghaus. We usually make a beeline for the rows of ancient P.O. boxes, with their coppery metal doors, oversize keyholes, and little glass windows etched with gold and red numbers in an old-timey font. Built between 1932 and 1936, the two-story structure's maiden name is The Phoenix Federal Building, as its construction was part of a massive federal program undertaken in an attempt to forestall the Great Depression. The gorgeous Spanish Colonial Revival building, which opened to the public in 1936 and housed the city's main post office for more than 30 years, is the only federal building from the period still standing here. But even if it were surrounded by dozens of others, we'd still love the old P.O. the best. Arizona State University occupies much of the building now. Given ASU's bad track record with historic buildings, we plan to keep a close eye on one of our favorite Phoenix landmarks.

Best Post Office That Used to Be Something Else

North Scottsdale Post Office

It's a Phoenix thing: There are a lot of buildings here that just aren't what they once were. Our personal fave is Breuners. Oops, we mean the Scottsdale Post Office on Scottsdale Road just north of McDowell. Not long after Breuners went belly-up in 2007, the post office moved in and turned this former furniture store into a place where one can buy stamps or send a box of cookies to one's aunt in Pennsylvania. And, because Phoenix architecture is just weird enough that it's entirely likely that someone may very well have designed a postal station fronted with glass showroom panels and giant display windows, it works. The former Breuners' long, low, peaked façade and big, ugly wrought-iron chandelier over the door are perfect for a south Scottsdale public building. It's enough to make you go out of your way just to buy a shipping carton.

Best Elevator

Compass Restaurant, Hyatt Regency Phoenix

Arizona's best Roald Dahl-style "Great Glass Elevator" is at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Phoenix. It whooshes you skyward to the 24th floor, the home of the revolving Compass Restaurant. As you shoot up, it's fun to lean forward and place your forehead against the glass, giving yourself just a drop of vertigo. At the top, if you're feeling flush, grab a cocktail or bite to eat at the restaurant, which rotates slowly atop the hotel, giving you one of the coolest views of the Valley. Otherwise, just stand around like a looky-loo for a few minutes, and then enjoy the elevator ride back down again.

Best Bathrooms

Liberty Market

Heather Hoch
Apricot Glazed Chicken from Liberty Market

Can't afford that vacation to Italy you've been dreaming of? Us, either. But do you have enough gas money to get to Gilbert? If so, you're in luck. But be sure to guzzle something on the way, so you have a reason to use the loo.

Each of the five stalls at Liberty Market — restaurateur Joe Johnston's latest brainchild — reflects a different scene. There's an Italian adventure, complete with Vespa logos and streaming opera music. And there's a real men's room, with photos of hot rods and hot chicks, punk rock on the stereo, and (sorry, ladies) just a urinal. But wait, there's more. Behind door number three is an ocean motif. Don't think of it as a toilet. Think of it as an undersea getaway, with blue tile and a sea anemone light fixture. Another bathroom is built for the chef in each of us. The walls are lined with handwritten recipes and photos of Liberty Market chef David Traina doing what he does best. Don't forget to look up or you'll miss the whisks hanging from the ceiling.

Best Budget Boutique Hotel

Aloft

Kyle Lamb

The inclusion of an iPod-ready adapter for an in-room stereo is a hotel convenience not to be underestimated. Taking your iPod to the lobby bar and subjecting guests to your favorite Japanese tracks during Aloft's weekly DJ nights is added value we just can't put a price tag on. That's why we're up for staying at Aloft even though we live a skip away. Owned and crafted by W Hotels, Aloft packs enough swank to make this budget boutique hotel seem more like a Scottsdale club with beds than a motel near ASU. Amenities include a sweet pool, fire pits, and milk and cookies on demand. Have we found Heaven?

Best Bang for the Buck

Phx Bux

Waves were made in July when local artist/designer/anti-establishment thinker Joey Grether pumped out a local currency called Phx Bux. The small metal tokens are worth a dollar each and accepted by more than 20 independent businesses. The idea is to keep the money moving locally and draw the attention of consumers who may be tired of shopping at malls and eating at chain restaurants. The coins themselves are a work of art. Designed by Chadwick Rueling jewelry, the square token features an outstretched palm, signifying the reliance on artists' hands for their creations and the helping hands of our arts community. Trouble is, Phx Bux got so popular so fast that folks started hoarding the coins and making them into jewelry. Within the first month, we were hard-pressed to get more than one at a time from any of the businesses that still had any, making it pretty clear that demand for this currency is high.

Best Of Phoenix®

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