Phoenix Arizona a World Class City

New York City fills its visitors with awe, its soaring buildings and striking land marks make it one of the top echelon cities in the world. Chicago is a hive of activity, a center of business and is one of America’s most photographed cities. Boston is the city of firsts, steeped in the history of a fledgling nation.

Luhr Tower in Phoenix Arizona

#1 Luhrs Tower

We begin with a building that has caught the eye and crooked the necks of people since its completion in 1929, the Luhrs Tower. Built by George Luhrs, this Art Deco building is located on the southeast corner of 1st Avenue and Jefferson Street and is used primarily as a business center with shops and restaurants on the ground floor.

Lurhs Tower Phoenix Arizona

For 75 years the Luhrs Tower has demanded the attention of both visitor and resident with its stylish swagger stepping out of the early 20^th century. Whether this impressive example of early Phoenician architecture is photographed from divergent views or in varied lighting, it will always jump out of the viewing screen or lift off the paper when the print has dried.

#2 St. Mary’s Basilica

Skip three blocks north-west of the Luhrs tower and arrive at “The Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” commonly referred to as St. Mary’s Basilica.

Saint Mary’s Basilica Downtown Phoenix.

Lush Grounds of St. Mary’s Basilica in Phoenix

Saint Mary’s Basilica is a gem in the heart of the greater Phoenix area. Completed in 1914, this tribute to history is home to Arizona’s largest stained glass windows collection. Its clean lines and beautiful grounds make it a wonderland for anyone holding a camera.

Founded in 1881 St. Marys’ has had a continual presence of Franciscan Friars since 1889 and is the oldest Roman Catholic parish in the Phoenix area.

St. Mary’s Basilica from Van Buren Street in Phoenix

Prior to his 1987 visit to Phoenix, Pope John Paul II raised St. Mary’s to the level of basilica. To this day, St. Mary’s is the only basilica in Arizona and only the 32nd in the United States. Occupying a two block area south of Van Buren Street and east of 3^rd Street, St. Marys’ is surrounded by exciting venues on all sides.

#3 The Orpheum Theater

Originally opened as a 1,800 seat theater in 1929, this lavish Spanish styled theater played host to stage plays, motion pictures and a multiplicity of vaudeville acts. Through the years, the theater has had numerous owners and undergone several name changes. In the 1940’s the Orpheum was owned by Paramount Pictures and named “The Paramount.” In the 1960’s the name was changed to “Palace West” when purchased by the Netherlander Organization. A local Mexican family, the Coronas, leased the Palace West in the late 70’s and used it to host Hispanic events.

The Orpheum Theater Marquee in Phoenix

In 1984, prodded by the Junior League of Phoenix, the building was purchased by the City of Phoenix and in 1985 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The theater we enjoy today emerged from a $14 million dollar restoration project in 1997. The opening performance of “Hello Dolly” took place on January 28, 1997. Today the Orpheum Theater is home of the Phoenix Metropolitan Opera and is host to a variety of entertainment acts throughout the year.

# 4 The Westward Ho Building

Westward Ho Building in Downtown Phoenix

Currently owned by the Phoenix Preservation Partnership, a Rhode Island-based group of investors, this building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. (Westward Ho)

Formerly known as Roosevelt Hotel, the Westward Ho is a 16-story building 208 ft. from ground to roof with a 240 ft. roof-top tower which was added in 1949. Originally constructed to broadcast KPHO-TV, the first television station in Phoenix, today this tower is used primarily for cellular service.

Built in 1928 the building functioned as a hotel until early 1980 and in 1981 it was converted to subsidize housing for the elderly. During its heyday it hosted Presidents, movie stars and a host of foreign and domestic dignitaries.  Elizabeth Taylor is said to have rented a suite on a year round basis and historians will enthusiastically tell you the story of Roy Rogers riding his companion (horse) Trigger through the lobby and up the steps to the second story.

# 5 The Chase Tower

Chase Tower Phoenix Arizona

Whether you are capturing the Sheraton Hotel or a host of other buildings in the picturesque reflections of her majesty or shooting Chase Tower from one of the buildings many good sides, the results never ceases to amaze. The Chase Tower (formerly known as Valley Center and Bank One Center) rises 483 feet into the desert sky. Built in 1972, it is the tallest building in the state of Arizona and a shutter click from any perspective will yield a postcard worthy picture.

Chase Tower

We could walk on to the Herberger Theater, Phoenix Convention Center, Chase field and US Airways Center, both old and new City Hall buildings just to name a few and continue to create stimulating memories of the artistic and functionality combined in the buildings comprising the great city of Phoenix, Arizona.

CityScape Tower 1 Sunset

# 6 City Scape Center Tower 1

Today, I’ll leave you in a hub of downtown activities, a development containing shops, restaurants, lodging, business centers and entertainment venues, a key area in the continued growth of the downtown area through the real estate recession of the early twenty-first-century, City Scape center.

CityScape Office Tower 1

Upon opening in 2010, Tower 1 became the first of two mid-rise towers to anchor City Scape. This mixed-use tower hosts retail shops, an athletic club, banking and a host of businesses including lawyers, insurance and healthcare. Whether it is adorned for a special event such as Super Bowl XLIV, or blending into the desert sunset, this majestic chameleon will render even the casual observer wide-eyed.

Downtown Phoenix may be but a babe in the evolution of American cities but today it is an emerging and flourishing destination mixing rich history with a fresh architectural perspective.

Panorama of Downtown Phoenix, Arizona