Downtown Phoenix

J. Seth Anderson · Jim McPherson · Suad Mahmuljin

ene 2012 · Arcadia Publishing

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On a bed of a primordial ocean floor and in a valley surrounded by jagged mountains, a city was founded atop the ruins of a vanished civilization. In 1867, former Confederate soldier Jack Swilling saw the remains of an ancient canal system and the potential for the area to blossom into a thriving agricultural center. Pioneers moved into the settlement searching for new opportunities, and on October 20, 1870, residents living in adobe structures that lined dirt streets adopted the name Phoenix, expressing the optimism of the frontier. For decades, downtown Phoenix was a dense urban core, the hub of agricultural fields, mining settlements, and military posts. Unfortunately, suburban sprawl and other social factors of the postWorld War II era led to the centers decline. With time, things changed, and now downtown Phoenix is uniquely positioned to rise again as a prominent 21st-century American city.

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Local historian J. Seth Anderson, photographer Suad Mahmuljin, and Arizona Preservation Foundation president and preservation advocate Jim McPherson gathered images from the Phoenix Public Library, Arizona State Archives, and collections from local historical societies and residents to show that downtown is more than just skyscrapers and parking lots; it was and remains a vibrant urban community.