First Baptist Church

Completed in 1930 to serve parishioners in central Phoenix before suburban expansion after World War II, this four-story church includes a roof-top garden, concrete and wood floors, diamond-patterned clerestory windows, Italian gothic motifs, three-pointed arch doorways, decorative cornices, stone columns, and a bell tower. While saved from demolition in 1992 from previous fire damage and despite the best intentions of its current owner, the building continues to lay dormant. (Photo source: Jim McPherson.)

August 2007 Update: Discussions continue between the property owner and other interested parties, including the City of Phoenix and Arizona State University, to find solutions to protect this site. A proposed new multi-story retail/residential development on the northwest corner of the block could impact the project.

Sun Mercantile Building

Designed by E.W. Bacon and constructed by Wells & Son, the 1929 Sun Mercantile Building is the first and only known warehouse built and owned by a Chinese-born businessman in Phoenix (Tang Shing). It is the last remaining building of the city’s second Chinatown. Developers of a hotel and condo project want to insert an 11-story tower inside the walls of this city-owned structure, listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and Phoenix Historic Property Register. After the City Council's unanimous vote on December 14, 2005 to allow the "facadomy," a dozen groups associated with the Save SunMerc Coalition filed an appeal in Maricopa County Superior Court. (Photo source: Steve Dreiseszun and Steve Weiss.)

September 2007 Update: Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Peter Swann issues his latest ruling on September 17, 2007. Related article in the September 19, 2007 Arizona Republic and related article in the September 26, 2007 Arizona Republic.