Get Your PHX - A Whole New Way to Experience Phoenix
  • Home
  • Our Blog
  • About Us
  • Contact
Get Your PHX - A Whole New Way to Experience Phoenix
Home
Our Blog
About Us
Contact
  • Home
  • Our Blog
  • About Us
  • Contact
Art, Blogroll, Life, Profiles

Colonial New England in Phoenix

Donna Reiner, a local historian and a good friend of Get Your PHX, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about what came before us. We use her services when we list properties of historic significance to help us tell the stories behind the homes.

We are happy that Donna is allowing us to re-publish some of her articles on a monthly basis. If you or your business ever needs a historian, let Donna know at laydeescholar “at” hotmail.com.


In 1916, a group of Phoenicians came together and decided to establish a church following the tenets of the Congregational Church. And thus, by midsummer of the following year, the First Congregational Church of Phoenix was formalized and purchased some property on the northeast corner of Second Street and Willetta.

church

A church building was finally built on this property in 1923 in the Mission Revival Style. A style that was quite popular for homes and other small commercial buildings in Phoenix at that time.

The congregation grew and the church building began to feel the stress of being “crowded.” While the need to expand was there, the money was not. But that did not diminish the wishes of the members of the church nor the pastorate.

By the late 1930s, the congregation was ready to proceed; but the question of whether to expand the current building or build a new one arose. One voice, that of Dr. O.A. Smith, the pastor of the First Congregational Church in Nogales, supported a new style. He felt that a different and distinct style would attract the numerous Phoenix winter visitors and new residents, especially those from the Midwest and the East. He strongly proposed the New England or Colonial style for the building that now serves the congregation.

The membership agreed and plans were drawn by Harry Pierce, an architect from Los Angeles. The simplicity of the colonial exterior and interior features would stand in sharp contrast to the Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture so common in the nearby residences and commercial buildings.

Whether it was the design of the building that helped increased the size of the congregation may not be that significant, but it did grow. So, by 1952, the building was expanded without destroying its unique Colonial features under the direction of local architect, Harold Ekman.

However, what most Phoenicians do not realize is that the prominent steeple is not the original one designed by Pierce. Ekman designed this large feature which was completed in December 1953. Roger Brevoort, a local historian/preservationist explained, “The addition of the steeple…complet[ed] the architectural image of the classic New England meetinghouse with the tall spire that had been envisioned by the congregation, and Dr. Smith, in the 1930s.”

The progressive congregation hired Weaver and Drover, a Phoenix firm, to design a master plan for the rest of the site in 1956. What you see today with the courtyard, breezeway, and low midcentury education buildings arose from that plan.

May 1, 2019by phxAdmin
Art, Blogroll, Life, Phoenix News

Center for the Arts Needs Volunteers

The Phoenix Center for the Arts is looking for volunteers for the V-Week events, from Feb 4th – 10th, as well as help with their front desk.

40 hours of volunteer work will earn you one free class of your choice.

For the V-Week events, the Center is looking for help for various shifts and tasks. V-Week events will lead up to presentations of the Vagina Monologues in both English and Spanish.

The events will be held at the Center’s downtown Phoenix campus at 1202 N Third Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

This second annual event seeks to delve deeper into conversations and movements that society has largely avoided or suppressed in the past.

For the front desk volunteer, the Center asks for:
– Minimum 2 month commitment
– Completion of front desk volunteer form
– Age 18+

Front desk volunteers are the primary support system for our Patron Services department and, therefore, are required to posses a certain basic skill set which includes computer proficiency, telephone/communications skills, and customer service procedures. 

If you are interested in volunteering for this position, please contact Kelly Fitzharris with any questions: 
k.fitzharris@phoenixcenterforthearts.org
or 602-254-3100 x309

February 4, 2019by phxAdmin
Art, Blogroll, Events General, Life

Oh My Ears

If you are in to experimental music then this four-day music festival at the end of January might be right for you.

This year is the sixth year of the Oh My Ears (OME) festival, organized by Elizabeth Kennedy Bayer. OME seeks to give space and opportunities for composers, performers, and ensembles from all backgrounds who present works by living composers. 

The event features an award-winning guest composer, Sarah Gibson.

Gibson is a composer/pianist who has been called “a serious talent to watch” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). Her works have received honors such as the American Composers Orchestra Underwood New Music Readings, Victor Herbert Ascap Award, NFMC Marion Richter American Music Composition Award, and first place in the Percussive Arts Society Composition Contest. Her left-hand piano concerto was selected as a winner of the University of Southern California’s new music for orchestra competition and was premiered with Sarah at the keyboard. She has received commissions from the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Summer Music Festival And School, L.A. Signal Lab, the Bennington Chamber Music Conference, Soprano Lindsay Kesselman, among others.

Festival schedule on the OME website here or on their Facebook page. 

December 31, 2018by phxAdmin
Art, Blogroll, Design, Life

Holidays in Phoenix

Holiday

First Avenue looking north from Washington (1941)

Donna Reiner, a local historian and a good friend of Get Your PHX, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about what came before us. We use her services when we list properties of historic significance to help us tell the stories behind the homes.

We are happy that Donna is allowing us to re-publish some of her articles on a monthly basis. If you or your business ever needs a historian, let Donna know at laydeescholar@hotmail.com.


 

By the time December rolls around, it has generally turned “cold” in Phoenix. And that cold seems to foretell the coming of WINTER and the various holidays so many of us enjoy.

As a child, my family looked forward to a trip to San Francisco and seeing the decorated tree looming up inside the center of the City of Paris Department Store and all the other store decorations.

As a confirmed resident of Arizona, and Phoenix in particular, I look forward to how our array of cultures have chosen to celebrate their special winter holidays.

First there is all the baking which fills homes with tantalizing aromas. Stollen, gingerbread houses, potato latkes, fruitcakes, plum puddings, sugared nuts, fudge, and other assorted candies. And then the cookies. Dozens and dozens of Hanukkah cookies, decorated gingerbread people, and holiday specific shaped cookies.

Holiday

Bill Sims Studebaker Window Display (1940)

My daughter learned from her German host family that it was not Christmas unless you made at least SEVEN different varieties of cookies. But we must not forget the various main courses of brisket, ham, turkey, goose, lamb, pheasant, or perhaps fish. Whatever your preference, someone is cooking it on that special day.

Yet, what would a holiday be without the decorations? Dreidels, menorahs, big and little, fancy and basic wreaths, trees, garlands, lights, luminaria, and oodles of scented candles. What one might decorate may depend on the holiday being celebrated or the available bush or cacti in one’s yard. The Phoenix Zoo has its annual Zoolights. Tempe, Phoenix, Glendale, other communities across the valley have their own special evening of light displays. Your neighbors may go simple or all out on their homes.

Of course there is music in Latin, Spanish, English, German, Russian, and dozens of other languages. Many get into the spirit by seeing “The Nutcracker,” attending a “Messiah” sing-a-long or watching old movies.

Holiday

Cacti lit in front of the Arizona Packing Company (1952)

To add a bit of warmth, December is the time to start the fire indoors and out.  Of course, those Maricopa County no burn days often place a damper on the fun of many “pyromaniacs.”

Yes, December is a time to gather with friends and family. To share the highs and lows of the year. To remember those who have passed in the preceding months. But most of all, December is the final month of the year where we can celebrate the joy of all the holidays with others.

Donna Reiner is the co-author of three books on Phoenix history.

 

 

Holiday

The Rialto Theatre (1943)

December 5, 2018by phxAdmin
Art, Blogroll, Life

Retailer of the Year

retailerIn my capacity as state representative for this district and along with my seat-mate Lela Alston, we were thrilled to nominate one of our favorite local retailers (and regular Phoestivus vendor) Practical Art (owner Lisa Olson) for the Retailer of the Year award from the Arizona Retailer’s Association.

Lisa has been a great asset to the community. Practical Art focuses on featuring the work of local Arizona artists.

I first met Lisa almost 10 years ago when we hosted one of our monthly Get Your PHX events at Practical Art Those events were designed to introduce folks to attractions, spaces and businesses that they might not have ever seen before. We wanted to support local businesses at a time when the economy was in the dumps, while giving folks in the community an insider’s view of these folks.

Lisa and Practical Art also gives back to the community by hosting Pie Nights and special exhibitions, which raise more than $10,000 per year for local charities.

At a time when people gravitate to purchasing gifts on line, Rep. Alston and I felt that it was crucial to support a business that really supports our community.

I made a point at the award ceremony, sponsored by Walmart, to make mention that every dollar you spend at a local business results in 30% more of your money going to the local economy and tax base. What can I say, we are proud members of Local First Arizona and I could not help myself!

The story behind how Lisa came to own Practical Art is particularly touching, as well. But I’d like to encourage you to read about that here and here.

Congratulations Lisa!

 

December 4, 2018by phxAdmin
Art, Events General, Life

Grand Avenue Festival 2017

Grand Avenue FestivalThe Grand Avenue Festival is an annual thing that has grown over the last decade or so.

Its been nice to see it grow organically, as more businesses grow along Grand, but in a way that still respects the arts and local businesses that make the street what it is.

So, for your information, be sure to put the 2017 Grand Avenue Festival on your calendar. The theme this year: “undersea madness.”

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                         Contact: Sahar Mitchell

Production Agency for Participatory Arts

Phone: 602-615-0899

Email: strangefamilycircus@gmail.com

 

Undersea Madness: The 12th Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts

(Phoenix, AZ) Grand Avenue Arts & Preservation, Strange Family Circus and PAPA, LLC are proud to present the 12th Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts at 6pm on

November 11, 2017. For over a decade, PAPA has brought the community together to celebrate artistic expression in downtown Phoenix. As a free, family friendly event, the parade is a unique pedestrian and bike procession based 100% on audience participation. This year’s theme, “Undersea Madness” will bring out local pirates, mermaids, sailors and pineapple dwelling sponges to Historic Grand Avenue. For a fourth year, the Grand Avenue Festival will bookend the procession.

PAPA is open to all; marchers do not need to register to march unless they plan to compete for prizes. Participants who choose to compete must check in by 5pm at PAPA Headquarters near Bragg’s Pie Factory, 1301 N W Grand Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85007. Contest prizes are broken into five categories: best costume, best float, best decorative bicycle, best kids or pets entry and best group effort. Keeping with PAPA’s policy to promote an ecologically friendly event, participants must be non-motorized.

The public procession lines up at 6pm. The parade, lead once again by local Taiko drummers Fushicho Daiko, will travel from Bragg’s Pie Factory southeastward on Grand Avenue from McKinley. The procession will end at Grand Ave and Polk where it will egress into the backyard of Unexpected Gallery, 734 W Polk Street, Phoenix, AZ  85007 for after hours festivities. As part of the Grand Avenue Festival, participants are encouraged to come early and stay late for the art, music, food, make-and-take crafts, fashion shows and other fun events.

The Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts unites the arts with the greater community by providing an open-to-the-public, mobile expression of downtown Phoenix life. The free, family event is presented by the Production Agency for Participatory Arts, LLC. PAPA is a New Times Best of Phoenix winner.

Who: The 12th Phoenix Annual Parade of the Arts (PAPA) at the Grand Avenue Festival

When: November 11, 2017, Procession at 6pm.    

What: Public procession – 2017 Theme “Undersea Madness”

Where: Bragg’s Pie Factory, 1301 N W Grand Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85007 (With procession on Grand Ave)  

For more information, visit www.phoenixannualparadeofthearts.com, strangefamilycircus@gmail.com

Follow us on facebook, twitter or call 602-615-0899 for more information.

Images available upon request

 

###

October 2, 2017by phxAdmin
Art, Events General, Life

Community-Art d’Core

SAVE the DATE: Thursday, March 10, 2016ADGala-2016-470

Artlink, City of Phoenix, Downtown Phoenix Inc., and Hance Park Conservancy invite you to the “Art d’Core Gala”

NEW Co-Host and Venue!

Y’all know that the arts is an economic driver, especially in downtown Phoenix. Art is a big reason why so many people want to live in Cenpho.

I plan to be there!

Held under–and among–the stars in Hance Park, this fourth annual celebration spotlights the significant contribution that arts and culture plays in creating a dynamic urban core.

The Art d’Core Gala is hosted by Artlink Inc., the City of Phoenix, Downtown Phoenix Inc., and Hance Park Conservancy. The festivities will include music and dancing; fabulous food and drink; a special toast by Mayor Greg Stanton; and an eye-popping virtual tour of the Hance Park Master Plan.

Please RSVP Here

 

February 3, 2016by phxAdmin
Art, Events GYP, Life

January 2016 Get Your PHX: Durant’s Never Closes

Durants Never Closes Banner

When I heard that a movie was made about our own Durant’s restaurant and bar, I had to act quickly. The director was thinking of hosting the world premier in Scottsdale.

Not over my dead body. Nothing against Scottsdale, but is Durant’s in Scottsdale? Was this restaurant, which was the scene of many political deals, schemes and even plans to assassinate reporter Don Bolles in 1976 not located in Phoenix?

I immediately got on the phone with Kendall over at Local First Arizona, our Get Your PHX event co-conspirator, we found great partners with the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel and Edison Midtown (now under construction steps away from the original Durant’s (Official).

We are putting together a star-studded, red carpeted premier event that respects the history and tradition of Phoenix on January 21st , 2016 at the Renaissance. The premiere screening of the film will take place January 21st in the ballroom of the Renaissance Downtown Hotel. The event starts at 6pm with a pre-party mixer and the screening will begin at 7pm.

Tickets will be sold online ONLY until January 17th. Your name will be on a will call list. Tickets must be purchased on computers, mobile devices are experiencing issues.

Watch the trailer for Durant’s Never Closes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXZQBsHevkg

Check out some of the press for the film: http://www.durantsnevercloses.com/press/

 

And here’s a little more history from you, thanks to Kendall over at Local First:

Jack Durant first opened his famous, (or infamous?), steakhouse, Durant’s, in 1950 at Central and Virginia Avenues, and remains frozen in time with red leather booths and server staff donning red vests. Durant’s quickly became a favorite hotspot for movie stars and sports icons; a place where you’d find John Wayne, Joe DiMaggio and Clark Gable enjoying steak and martinis.

Owner Jack Durant was no shy character in Phoenix’s history with rumors surrounding his ties to mobster Bugsy Seigel when he was a teenager to the murder of Arizona reporter, Don Bolles, which Durant was said to have been planned right in his restaurant. “It’s not like anything else in Phoenix because you know it feels like you walked into ‘Goodfellas,’ basically,” said Valley filmmaker Travis Mills of Running Wild Films.

The film, Durant’s Never Closes, centers around the legendary Jack Durant, a restaurateur, ladies’ man, and mysterious gentleman who maintained many connections to the mafia. Based on the play by Terry Earp and the book by Mabel Leo, tells his story during one day at his restaurant. Tom Sizemore stars as Jack Durant along with Peter Bogdanovich and Phoenix’s own, Wayne Rainey.

“Durant’s was the spot for the movers and shakers of Phoenix,” said Mills. “Celebrities, politicians, mobsters, they came and they made business deals here.”

From the backwoods of Tennessee, to the world of Vegas at the time of Bugsy, and finally as the owner of his famous steakhouse, Durant is a legend and dynamic character, at once charming, powerful, and dangerous…

December 30, 2015by phxAdmin
Art, Life, Phoenix News, Profiles

Encanto-Palmcroft Book Published

EncantoBookOur very own matriarch of historic preservation and president of the Encanto Citizens Association, G.G. George has written a book that you will be able to get signed at an up-coming Get Your PHX event.

As a founder of the Association, G.G. fought in the 1970s to stop the Papago Freeway from impacting central Phoenix neighborhoods. She initiated the movement to have the Encanto-Palmcroft neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

G.G.’s Co-Author, Leigh Conrad, is the former manager of the Arizona history collection at Scottsdale Public Library. She served five years on the Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission and assisted the Coronado Neighborhood Association with its application for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Encanto-Palmcroft neighborhood in central Phoenix was created in the twilight of the “City Beautiful Movement,” a philosophy that supported beautiful surroundings to promote moral and social order. Palmcroft was developed in 1927 by prominent Phoenix booster Dwight B. Heard and William G. Hartranft, father of the parks system. Encanto, “The Enchanting,” was founded by Lloyd C. Lakin and George T. Peter in 1928. These custom Period Revival homes were styled as bucolic refuges from the bustle of downtown when the city limits ended at McDowell Road. Even into the 21st century, this neighborhood maintains its integrity and significance due to the participation of residents who realize its historic importance.

For more information please call 602-252-3151.

Book signing schedule:

Saturday, May 17 – Barnes and Noble, Metrocenter Mall, 1-4 p.m.

Sunday, May 18–Antiques on Central, 5037 N. Central-Uptown Plaza, 1 – 3 p.m.

May 2, 2014by phxAdmin
Art, Life, Phoenix News

Where Art & Hotel Collide: Sept 6-8

Ben Bethel, one of the most visionary hotel owners in the United States, has done it again. 

On the first weekend in September 20+ Phoenix artists will collide with The Clarendon Hotel to form ARTELPHX.

We’re turning The Clarendon Hotel and Spa into a living art exhibition with dozens of artists featuring performance art, building projections, a laser tunnel, dance, and the conversion of hotel rooms into art exhibits.  It’s going to be truly amazing.” ~ Ben Bethel, Owner+General Manager

Bethel knows a fair bit about innovative concepts like this. He’s been declared “America’s Most Innovative Hotelier” by Hotel Business and “One of ’10 to Watch’ ” by the International HotelWorld Conference. With preference given to artist pop-up art that includes innovative designs and multi-media installations, and with many featuring live performances, sound, and video, and exterior projections going into the mix, this is an event not to be missed.

And before you tell your friends about this great event, don’t forget to mention that in the next few weeks, The Clarendon is getting a new spa. Is this a big deal, you ask? It’s so sweet, this new spa, that Bethel is changing the Hotel’s name to The Clarendon Hotel and Spa.

The full-service spa features five treatment rooms, including three
treatment rooms large enough for romantic couples massages.  Guests
can elect to have their services performed in one of The Clarendon Hotel and Spa’s poolside cabanas, gorgeously located next to the 60 foot-wide, glass, water wall, or on the rooftop SkyDeck overlooking the city skyline and surrounding mountain ranges. Tod Miller, the founder of Beyond Massage Therapy, is their Spa Director. He’s been featured on “Shark Tank” and “The Doctors”, has competed in several dozen Triathlons and specializes in something called BodyWalking.  The Spa is open from 9am to 6pm daily, but all services are available 24 hours a day.

The final unveiling of the Artel Phx exhibit at The Clarendon Hotel and Spa is scheduled for…


When:

Exclusive V.I.P. Preview –
Thursday, Sept 5, 2013 – 7pm to 10pm

Public Unveiling –
Friday/Saturday, Sept 6 & 7, 2013 – 7pm to 10pm.

Where

401 W Clarendon Avenue, Phoenix 85013

If you want to buy or sell, please give me a call at 602-456-9388 or email me at ken@getyourphx.com.

 

September 4, 2013by phxAdmin
Page 1 of 41234»

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

We keep your data private and share your data only with third parties that make this service possible. Read our Privacy Policy.

Thank you! Please check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Categories

  • Art
  • Blogroll
  • Design
  • Editor's choice
  • Events General
  • Events GYP
  • Fashion
  • Featured
  • First Time Home Buyer
  • Homes
  • Life
  • Light Rail
  • Live
  • Market Analysis
  • NeighborhoodVideos
  • Phoenix News
  • Photography
  • Photoshootings
  • Profiles
  • Public Policy
  • Renovation
  • Renting
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Sustainable Living
  • Tips
  • Uncategorized



© 2015 copyright GET YOUR PHX ® // All rights reserved // Privacy Policy