Progress + Preservation = Modern Phoenix's Message Comes Across Loud and Clear

Victoria Vargas, M.A., R.P.A., is a cultural resources Principal Investigator at Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd. in Tempe. She designs, conducts, and directs architectural history, historic preservation, and archaeology projects; she is also a writer and historic house enthusiast.


The 4th Annual Modern Phoenix Home Tour and Expo, held last weekend (April 5-6), was an engaging tour through the architecture, minds, services, and products of those on the forefront of Mid-century Modern (MCM) design and preservation in Phoenix. Modern Phoenix Neighborhood Network ( www.modernphoenix.net), co-founded by Alison and Matthew King, were the main organizers of the event, which had a Progress + Preservation theme this year. The Expo, held at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, was well-attended and served as a nexus where visitors and MCM enthusiasts gathered to chat, walk through the booth exhibits, attend lectures and workshops, and connect with the Modern Phoenix tribe. Booths included everything from MCM vintage furniture to contemporary modern flooring, from solar panel distributors to contemporary interior designers. Tables with Phoenix and Scottsdale historic preservation office staff provided information to the expo visitors. Although the exhibits were wide-ranging in content, there was a common thread that wove through them all: a love for MCM design and a contemporary modern lifestyle and the desire to preserve notable MCM neighborhoods and buildings. Walking through the high-energy Expo you could overhear discussions about the benefits of Marmoleum flooring versus (shudder) wall-to-wall carpet, exclamations over the enchanting curve of a modern style lounge chair, shared war-stories of weekend DIYers' MCM home rehab projects, and appreciative little noises over a friend's mini cactus garden made in one of the workshops.

The talks and workshops were a popular feature of the weekend. John Jacquemart's presentation on "Researching Your Mid-century Modern Home using Primary Sources" was a great introduction on the subject for many attendees who were eager to learn where to find information about their own homes and neighborhoods. Jacquemart, a historian, provided numerous leads, including tips on library research of old newspaper ads and supplements advertising the development of MCM neighborhoods, old city directories to find the names of who once lived at a given address, and more information about the architects and builders responsible for the design and construction of these historic neighborhoods. Jacquemart's love of history and architecture was evident with his broad smiles and chuckles when recounting particular successful research adventures of his career and he cheerfully admonished the audience, "research takes time! A lot of time!" It's clear from his talk that for the dedicated, such historic research into our homes, neighborhoods, and the architects and builders behind them is extremely gratifying, but such gratification is not instant - it takes long hours often with little result, creative thinking, patience, fortitude...and, according to one audience member, lots and lots of coffee.

Debbie Abele's "Modern Scottsdale" presentation on Saturday afternoon provided a fantastic overview of MCM architecture and historic preservation in Scottsdale. Abele, the Scottsdale Historic Preservation Officer, explained the process in detail as to how she and her colleagues selected the five Scottsdale MCM historic neighborhoods (out of a pool of 103 post World War II developments) they recommended should be listed on as historic districts on the local and national historic registers. Two of the districts were successfully listed on the National Register before Proposition 207 was passed, which effectively stopped Scottsdale historic register listings in their tracks. Prop 207 provides a legal means for suing the city should the owner of a home feel that the listing of their property results in the potential for lost income. An example is someone who buys a home in a neighborhood with the plans to update, expand, and overhaul the property to increase its value. If the neighborhood is listed on the local, state, or National registers, certain alterations to the property may not be permitted under the City's historic preservation ordinance. Under Prop 207, the owner now may sue the city for lost profit. Many city councils, such as Scottsdale's, have decided to forego any future historic register listings for fear that they might be sued under the provisions of Prop 207. Abele's passion for the historic preservation of significant MCM buildings and neighborhoods was clear and contagious to the audience as was her frustration with the negative effect of Prop 207 on preservation efforts. Her closing words said it all, "I hope that one day we will have the tools again to preserve and protect them."

The home tour was certainly a highlight of the weekend. A number of Modern ranch homes designed by Charles Schreiber for Allied Homes in the Village Grove neighborhood in Scottsdale were open to the public during the walking tour on Sunday. Walking the neighborhood was almost like walking back through time to the 1950s post World War II era - but, it was all delivered with a contemporary, updated twist. These are not homes stuck stubbornly in the past like historic museums, but instead are current-day expressions of an active 21st century neighborhood with new life and the best of the past still intact. What was most striking during the walking tour was the coherence of design throughout the neighborhood and within each of the homes' interior design as well. De-cluttered, but not sterile or too spare; the historic details were preserved, but were accented with contemporary touches that brought the homes to life. Most of all, a contemporary palette of bright colors were in evidence in most of these homes, bright leaf greens, fire engine reds, beach worthy aquas, sunny yellows, and tangerine oranges all set against crisp, clear whites - no monochromatic design schemes for these homeowners - and a touch of whimsy and humor were evident throughout. Each home had the stamp of its current owners - an antique typewriter here, a 50s souvenir ceramic orange sugar bowl, or cake stand with picture-perfect iced cupcakes there. Yet, respect for the original design was clear in each home on the tour. The materials were honest: concrete, stone, wood, glass, metal; and the clean lines of the original architectural details were intact and highlighted.

These home owners exemplify the best of current historic preservation efforts - saving the past by adapting it to the present and breathing new life into these older buildings and neighborhoods. Rehabilitating a historic building instead of knocking it down is recycling at its best. Recent Prop 207 legislation may not facilitate listing all these beauties on the local or national registers, but the kind of grass roots, real life preservation exhibited at Village Grove and promoted by the Modern Phoenix organization is what will save these treasures. A loved and restored building with ongoing use and relevance - and active preservation proponents protecting it - is one that will be spared from the bulldozers of new development. Alison and Matthew King and their Modern Phoenix tribe went all out this past weekend to be sure that visitors to the Progress + Preservation weekend walked away with that bit of information tucked into their memories. That’s how you inspire and grow grass roots efforts; and it was well done, very well done.