RooPho Realty, LLC

610 E. Roosevelt St. #140 Phone: 602-224-0554

Chris F. Campbell, Urban Real Estate Specialist

Serving the Phoenix, Arizona Metro Area
Located in the Roosevelt/Phoenix Art District

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RooPho Realty FAQ: Phoenix Phacts

Did You Know Phoenix Had A Trolley From 1887 To 1949?

The system first used horse drawn cars and was converted to electrical power in 1893. The streetcars were very popular with the public and the Glendale interurban section was completed in 1911 and lines to Tempe, Mesa and Scottsdale were planned to be built. The streetcars remained in operation until 1948 when, after a carbarn fire, they were replaced by buses.

Streetcars had their shortcomings, for they were noisy, hot in summer and cold in winter, sometimes had flat wheels and the ride could be rough. They did however run every 10 minutes, and went everywhere worth going in their day for only a nickel. The Motto was “Ride a Mile and Smile the While.”

For more information, check out The Phoenix Trolley Museum website.

How Did Phoenix Begin?

Phoenix was originally home to Native Americans in ruins called the Pueblo Grande Ruins from 700 AD to 1400 AD. With little rain the former residents created 135 miles of canals to grow crops. The reason they left the Valley is unclear. Other Native Americans gave them the name Hohokam which means, “the people how have gone.”

Uninhabited for many years, in 1867, Jack Swilling of Wickenburg stopped to rest his horse at the foot of the White Tank Mountains west of Phoenix. Looking at the Valley from afar he could see the farm land. He created Swilling Irrigation Canal Company and began digging a cancel to diver the Salt River water to farm land. He followed the same canal system the Hohokam used.

By 1868, a small town had started called Swilling’s Mill. It was then changed to Helling Mill, then Mill City. Darrell Duppa suggested the name Phoenix since the new town would spring from the ruins of the former civilization. Phoenix was officially recognized on May 4, 1868.

Get the whole story at the City of Phoenix History webpage.

Some History Of The Westward Ho?

The Westward Ho was one of the biggest luxury hotels in the country when it opened its doors in 1928. It was a majestic and grand building with intricate embellishment and artwork adorning the walls and the rooms. It was 15 floors tall and stood at what was then a humongous 208 feet, holding the record for the tallest building in Arizona until 1960. At the time of its opening, the hotel charged an exorbitant $2 a night, while competitors charged 25 cents. A restaurant, operated on the 15th floor, offered a beautiful view of the city.

In 1949, a broadcast tower was mounted on top of the Westward Ho, and was leased by KPHO-TV until 1950. The tower itself added another 268 feet to the height of the already impressive structure.

Located in the central business district, the Ho attracted business people and politicians as well as vacationers escaping to the warm Phoenix climate in the winter. The hotel entered the limelight when President John F. Kennedy made a speech there during his presidential campaign. Several celebrities visited the hotel and the hotel itself has been featured in many movies. The high profile of the hotel led to many legends, myths and rumors.

In 1979, the hotel closed down due to a rapidly decreasing clientele and reopened as low-income housing for senior citizens in 1981.The Westward Ho still retains glimpses of its former splendor, with most of the architectural features intact. It was acquired by the Phoenix Preservation Partnership in 2003 and is now managed by the Property Management Group. It is a protected historic building.

The property now houses around 300 residents who are 65 years or older. They live in 289 studio and one bedroom apartments and one two-bedroom apartment. They come to live at the Ho after approval by the government and pay up to 30% of their incomes as rent.

The information above is from The Westward pHOenix website.

Contrary to popular belief, the Westward Ho does not appear in the opening sequence of Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho. In the original, the camera zooms in on the downtown Hotel Jefferson, which still stands, although in modified form. In the Gus Van Sant 1998 remake of Psycho, the camera zooms into a window on the 8th floor of the Westward Ho. But when Marion Crane (Anne Heche) leaves the room, the number on the door is 514.

How Was The Evans Chruchill Inaugural Tour?

Evans Chruchill Inaugural Tour in Downtown Phoenix

by Seth Anderson

See more by Seth Anderson at www.jsethanderson.com/

October 2011

Last Saturday a million events were going on in Phoenix. Since I don’t have superpowers (yet) I was unable to attend everything. I made sure to check out the inaugural Evans Churchill Interesting Interiors Tour because I knew I would be able to get into the Westward Ho, one of the only buildings in downtown I had never been in.

The Evans Churchill neighborhood is one of the oldest in Arizona, some of the sidewalks were poured in 1909, 3 years before Arizona was even a state. The area is named for the original two subdivisions that make up the neighborhood. The Churchill Addition stretches from Van Buren north to Roosevelt Street and is bound by Central Ave to 7th Street. It was primarily a middle class subdivision with Craftsman bungalow lining the residential streets. Many of those houses have been demolished. The Evans Addition came later and was a much wealthier neighborhood with larger home lots where the doctors and lawyers of Phoenix lived. Most of this neighborhood was destroyed to build the I-10 and Margaret T. Hance Deck Park in the late 1980s. What little is left over between the blighted lots is historically important to Phoenix and as is typical in Phoenix, little known or appreciated.

Today the neighborhood is undergoing a renaissance with the development of the downtown ASU campus, the Bioscience campus, many local businesses and award winning restaurants.

There were 12 stops on the self guided walking tour. First I headed to the Westward Ho. The 16-story, 208-foot hotel was completed in 1928 and was the tallest building in Arizona until 1960. It was the first hotel to offer air conditioning by using underground tunnels to cool air before circulating it through the hotel. In its day, the Westward Ho was the luxury hotel. Hollywood celebrities and powerful politicians stayed here often. The hotel closed in 1979 and reopened in 1981 as housing for low income senior citizens. When I win the lottery I’m buying out that contract, building a new, modern facility nearby and moving all the residents to Chateau Seth (working title), then converting the Westward Ho back to a hotel. Currently there is a debate about removing the the large transmitter antenna that adorns the building. It was installed in 1949 and was used by KPHO-TV until 1960 when the transmitter was moved to South Mountain. I like the antenna. It’s an iconic part of the skyline and I wouldn’t want to see it removed.

What Is Arizona's History?

The last Natvie Americans arrived in Arizona between 16,000 BCE and 10,000 BCE, while the History of Arizona as recorded by Europeans began when Marcos de Niza, a Francisan, explored the area in 1539. Coronado's expedition entered the area in 1540–1542 during its search for Cibola. Padre Eusebio Francisco Kinodeveloped a chain of missions and taught the Indians Christianity in Pimeria Alta (now southern Arizona and northern Sonora) in the 1690s and early 18th century. Spain founded fortified towns (presidios) at Tubac in 1752 and Tucson in 1775.

All of present-day Arizona became part of the Mexican State of Vieja California upon the Mexican assertion of independence from Spain in 1822. The United States took possession of most of Arizona at the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848. In 1853, the land below the Gila River was acquired from Mexico in the Gadsden Purchase. Arizona was administered as part of the Territory of New Mexico until it was organized into a separate territory on February 24, 1863.

Arizona was admitted into the Union —officially becoming a U.S. State — on February 14, 1912 making this year our Centential.

For more history, Click here.

Sunnyslope History?

The boundaries of Sunnyslope today are Northern Avenue on the south, to North Mountain range (or Cactus Road), on the north, and from 19th Avenue on the west, to the mountains to the east. Population of Sunnyslope today is approximately 40,000. The area is culturally diversified.

William R. Norton (left) is considered to be the founder of Sunnyslope. Reportedly the area was named from a moment back in time when Mr. Norton and one of his daughters were enjoying a buggy ride over the desert, north of the Arizona Canal, close to the North Mountains. His daughter looked at the sun shining on the mountains and exclaimed, "What a pretty sunny slope!." Mr. Norton liked the phrase and named the area Sunny Slope. The name was written as two words until after World War II. The photo on the right is Mr. Norton’s home which was built in 1907 on Central Avenue between Ruth and Alice Avenues.

Mr. Norton homesteaded many acres of this desert land around the turn of the century. He platted the first subdivision in Sunnyslope in 1911. It was known as the Sunny Slope Subdivision and its boundaries were from Central Avenue on the west, to Dunlap Avenue on the north and from 3rd Street on east to Alice on the south.

In 1919 Sunnyslope was a natural desert area with only four or five cottages on it. There were no roads, no electricity, no phones and no water—only cactus and sagebrush. Then many people from states back east were sent to Arizona for their health. With no irrigation north of the Arizona Canal, the Sunnyslope desert was a very dry area and was considered to be a good place to live for people trying to recover from tuberculosis or asthma.

Many of these people built tent houses or small cottages, planning to get well and then return to their old homes. Some people, however, liked the desert and decided to stay. Marguerite and Wm. Albert Colley were among those who stayed. They had come to the desert in 1919 because of the health of their son.

In 1927 the Desert Mission was established. This was a facility that provided medical, social, and religious needs of the people living in the community. Marguerite Colley, a practical nurse, and Elizabeth Beatty became known as the "Angels of the Desert”.

Four attempts were made to incorporate Sunnyslope as a town, but each time the issue was voted down. Some residents of the area were concerned about the taxes, and others felt that the Maricopa County government, that was serving them, was doing a good job.

In 1959 the City of Phoenix annexed the community of Sunnyslope along with many other valley areas. These areas became part of the City of Phoenix, but Sunnyslope has always retained its identity.

John C. Lincoln Health Network has been the largest employer of the community for many years. Along with excellent health care, it also provides many other services for the schools and organizations of the area. John C. Lincoln Health Network is continuing the work that the Desert Mission provided in the early years of Sunnyslope.

Through the decades, in Sunnyslope, there has been many small businesses, (mom and pop type businesses) that have served the community. Many organizations have provided guidance throughout the years in improving the neighborhood by working with the many government agencies

Source: Sunnyslope Historical Society, Click here for more information.

Mystery Castle?

Mystery Castle was the idea of Boyce Gulley, a Seattle native who came to the Arizona desert to escape the endless pain of tuberculosis. After being diagnosed in 1929, Gulley worried about the suffering his family would endure as a result of his illness, and more specifically, how his death would traumatize his daughter, Mary Lou. Seeing no other answer, he left without warning in the middle of the night and made his way to the arid heat of Arizona. Remembering the sand castles he built with his daughter, and her frustration at having the pulsing tide of the Pacific wash them away time after time, Gulley set out to build Mary Lou a castle that would last forever.

Using collected stones, rusted automobile parts, abandoned railway lines and whatever else he could scavenge from the town dump, Gulley began constructing what later became known as Mystery Castle. He fully anticipated dying before he finished the castle, but death eluded him for another sixteen years. As a result, when the family received word of his passing in 1945, Mary Lou was young woman of eighteen when she first learned of her Castle of Love. She and her mother moved in later that year.

Due to the nature of the building materials, Mystery Castle is an eclectic structure that gives the appearance of having always been part of the desert landscape. Native rock and abandoned artifacts from around the region make the architectural style difficult to classify. There are floating staircases of stone and many of the recycled boulders contain original hieroglyphics from the desert’s indigenous people. Interestingly, the interior of the castle contains both a chapel and a tavern. The castle displays 13 fireplaces in just 18 rooms and the pump organ found downstairs in the grotto is reported to have once belonged to Elsie, the colorful widow of Tombstone who buried six husbands in Boot Hill.

While Boyce Gulley appeared to be somewhat adept at structural engineering, plumbing and electrical wiring were not his specialties and consequently, the house lacked modern conveniences up until the 1960s. Still remaining on the property are some remnants of those early days, particularly candle and torch holders and the bright pink outhouse known to Mary Lou as “Pinky.”

Mary Lou Gulley continues to live in the home and will on occasion offer personal tours. However due to her age, docents for the most part lead visitors through the catacomb-like rooms and around the grounds.

Green Gables, 24th Street & Thomas?

You�ve probably driven past 24th Street and Thomas numerous times and never gave the building on the southwest corner much thought. It was once the Green Gables Restaurant, designed by Robert Gosnell, Sr., the same developer that did the Pointe Resorts and Communities. Green Gables was built in 1940 and to add some mystic, Bob Gosnell added stones from Northern Arizona and gave the building a medieval castle look. The restaurant became very popular and one of the favorite things was the fully armored medieval night riding on a large white stallion. When you drove into the parking lot, the mounted knight would motion to the driver and lead you to your parking space. It was great fun as a kid to see the knight and after dinner, the waiter would give us kids a metal toy knight on top of a stallion. Then, after dinner, there was a medieval themed miniature golf course. What a great way to end the evening.

What Was The Phoenix 40?

The Phoenix 40 was an exclusive and powerful white men trying to hold onto their power in changing times. The Phoenix 40 was only the tip of an iceberg of evil and corruption that sits deep in the DNA of the city and state. So go the tales, myths and realities long after the legendary group morphed into the benign and toothless Greater Phoenix Leadership. Yet the Phoenix 40 was never as dangerous as its critics feared nor as benign as it claimed to be, but it's an important touchstone in the city's evolution to the current unpleasantness.

The real Phoenix 40 was formed in 1974 by Arizona Republic publisher Eugene Pulliam, lawyer-civic leader Frank Snell and KOOL owner Tom Chauncey. They sent a letter to prospective members and 40 leaders.

It was a reincarnation of a much older, informal group that wielded serious clout. Together, the supported the Charter Government Committee, which stood for clean city government in a council-manager framework. Charter was run by these businessmen and it didn't lose a council majority for more than 25 years.

Every city had such an ole-boy network. And all were coming undone by the 1970s, certainly by the 1980s. Hierarchies were undermined by the social changes of the 1960s. Old business leaders passed away, followed by those who were less invested in the community, then caught up in the mergers and greed that undermined so many local economies. Pulliam was attempting to establish a new, slightly more inclusive organization that could keep what he saw as the city's progress going.

Pulliam and the others were starting to drink the first bitter cup of the winning of the Central Arizona Project and sprawl gone wild. But neither he nor most of the other Phoenix 40 could get beyond their Republican politics. Thus, serious school funding, land-use planning and transit were spurned. Even with a broader economy than metro Phoenix enjoys today, the big engine was population growth and its consequences would somehow take care of themselves in the future. They didn't, of course. And although the old leaders, including the Phoenix 40, lent their weight to many good causes, they lacked any vision commensurate with a city of this size. They failed to set Phoenix on a sustainable, diverse trajectory. One could argue they helped plant the seeds of the destruction and tragedies that followed. By the time city leaders tried to push a rail transit initiative in the 1980s, it was too late — the anti-tax, anti-government rhetoric that came out of the other sides of their mouths had been too effective.

The Phoenix 40 was an attempt to pass a torch but it dropped. Sharpies like Charlie Keating were the glamorous new "leaders." The group never quite recovered from the taint of the Don Bolles murder in 1976, the notion that somehow powerful men had been behind the bombing of the reporter. With the S&L crash, Wall Street's destruction of Dial (Greyhound) and the acquisition of the big banks, Phoenix lost its heavyweights and didn't develop new ones. The Phoenix 40 soldiered on, reinvented for more inclusion under Jerry Colangelo, but lacking its old weight and standing in a town of branch managers. Nothing seemed to matter except building more oceans of red-tile-roofs. The very notion of place was undermined, much less a city worth caring about. The good things business leaders tried to do were drowned by the urban ills caused by sprawl, low-wage jobs, too-fast population growth and criticism of self-dealing. Again, not until it was too late did the powers-that-be understand that the future of a healthy major city lay in such areas as great education, high urban quality of life, the technology economy, plenty of choices and tolerance.