Attachment B - Staff Report - Z-111-25-7.pdf

City of Phoenix — Formal (2025-12-03)

Extracted text (via pymupdf) 14267 characters

Staff Report: Z-111-25-7
October 17, 2025
*REVISED
Historic Preservation Commission
Hearing Date:
October 20, 2025
Central City Village Planning
Committee Meeting Date:
October 20, 2025
Planning Commission Hearing Date:
November 6, 2025
Request From:
DTC-Downtown Gateway (.28 acres)
Request To:
DTC Downtown Gateway HP (.28 acres)
Proposal:
Historic Preservation Overlay for KPHO
Building
Location:
Approximately 250 feet south of the
southeast corner of 1st Avenue and
McKinley Street
Owner:
First Studio LLC
Applicant:
City of Phoenix Historic Preservation
Commission
Representative:
Kevin Weight, Principal Planner
Staff Recommendation:
Approval
Background
In April 2025, staff received a request from Julia Taggart, President of the Sunnyslope
Historical Society, to consider the subject property for HP zoning. In July 2025, Ms.
Taggart provided an Ownership Authorization Form and Proposition 207 Waiver signed
by the owner, First Studio, LLC and, staff completed an historic property inventory form
for the subject property. On July 14, 2025, the HP Commission initiated HP zoning for
the subject property.
History
In 1948 John B. Mills, the majority owner of the Westward Ho Hotel, joined three Texas
oilmen in forming the Phoenix Television Company. Mills, along with R.L. Wheelock,
W.L. Pickans, and H.H. Coffield applied to the Federal Communications Commission for
authorization to operate what would become the first television station in Arizona. The
original plan for the station was for it to be located atop the Westward Ho Hotel, but
ATTACHMENT B

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after inspection by a DuMont Corporation engineer it was deemed unsuitable and,
instead, the broadcast tower was mounted to the top of the Westward Ho. This resulted
in Phoenix Television purchasing land for the studio building, which was next door to the
Westward Ho, from the Roosevelt Council of the Boy Scouts of America in August 1949.
Designed by T. Lawrence Milligan, construction of the 53-foot by 152-foot, two-story
masonry block box building with flat roof and parapets began the following month, and
by November 1949 the KPHO studio was broadcasting test patterns. The building was
designed with two studio rooms as well as two broadcasting rooms and offices. The
start of broadcast television in Arizona was December 4, 1949. Arizona Governor
Edward Garvey and Senators Ernest McFarland and Carl Hayden appeared on camera
as part of the dedication program. This was a pivotal moment in Phoenix media and
cultural history. As the sole television station in Phoenix, KPHO carried all four
broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, NBC and DuMont Television. The transformative
medium of television had a profound impact on Phoenix media and culture.

Even with all four television networks, the demand for content outpaced the ability of
networks to provide it. This need in the emerging medium of television fueled a
pioneering mindset that drove the creation of innovative locally produced programming.
An example of this was the Lew King Ranger Show. Originally a weekly live talent show
staged at the Fox Theater, it transitioned to radio in 1947 and with the need for content
debuted on KPHO in 1950. Lew King helped launch the careers of singers Tanya
Tucker, Marty Robbins, and Wayne Newton, to name a few. King clearly influenced the
careers of hopeful artists, and he also impacted the cultural landscape of Phoenix. Over
200,000 children signed up to be a Ranger on Lew’s show. The title came with a badge,
a membership card and a sworn obligation to be a good citizen.

As other Phoenix stations were licensed beginning in 1953, KPHO began losing
network affiliations, and as a result, had a pressing need for even more broadcast
content to stay competitive. KPHO purchased a cartoon package in 1954 with the idea
of presenting a children’s show but couldn’t find a host. Hosting duties were turned
down by multiple KPHO personalities. Finally, a man named Bill Thompson who has
been working split shifts between the KPHO art department and studio crew appealed
for an opportunity to host. KPHO’s Program Director Bob Martin had seen Thompson’s
character Wallace Snead appear on KPHO’s Golddust Charlie show and relented.
What Thompson ultimately developed became a mainstay of Arizona popular culture for
decades.

At its outset, the show It’s Wallace? incorporated not only the cartoon package, but also
Bill Thompson’s skewed sense of humor. Thompson realized a one-man show would
not be sustainable for himself in the long run and he asked another studio employee,
Ladimir Kwiatkowski, to join him in front of the camera. Thompson bestowed the
nickname Ladmo on Ladimir, thus beginning the partnership of Wallace and Ladmo. In
1960, a recently discharged member of the US Army and son of vaudeville parents,
named Pat McMahon decided to visit Phoenix. McMahon pursued an announcing job at

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KPHO and was able to watch the show in person. One day Bill Thompson asked
McMahon to join Wallace and Ladmo for a bit. Thus, the trio was born. McMahon
brought a plethora of characters to the show, which added a frenetic depth to an already
creative show, that ultimately became The Wallace and Ladmo Show in 1970. With its
iconic Ladmo Bags and humor that never talked down to kids, the show became a
cultural touchstone for Arizonans, both young and old.

*The Wallace and Ladmo Show was the type of innovative programming that helped
shape the post-war community identity of Phoenix, particularly that of Phoenix children,
and had an impact that is still felt today. One child impacted by the show was filmmaker
Steven Spielberg, who said in an interview, “I lived in Phoenix Arizona for over a
decade, and I watched them every day, and even when I grew up and was supposed to
be too old to watch them, I still watched them, because they were very hip. They
always kept abreast of the times. They were Saturday Night Live before Saturday Night
Live. They were Second City before Second City.” While KPHO moved its operations
from the 631 N 1st Ave building to one along Interstate 17 in 1971, the show continued
to run on the KPHO network until filming its final episode in December of 1989.

*With the relocation of the KPHO studio in 1971, the building at 631 N 1st Ave became
home to several radio stations before being acquired by Ken Easley and Randy Murray
in 2002. The building has since become a shared multi-use office space, home to a
variety of creative entrepreneurs including video and audio production.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for HP overlay zoning and listing on the PHPR are set forth in
Section 807.D of the City of Phoenix Zoning Ordinance. To qualify, a property must
demonstrate significance in local, regional, state, or national history, architecture,
archaeology, engineering, or culture, according to one or more of the following criteria:

A. The property is associated with the events that have made a significant
contribution to the broad pattern of our history;
B. The property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past;
C. The property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method
of construction, represents the work of a master, possesses high artistic values,
or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may
lack individual distinction; or
D. The property has yielded or may likely yield information integral to the
understanding of our prehistory or history.

In addition to the significance requirement, the property must also be at least 50 years
old or have achieved significance within the past 50 years if it is of exceptional
importance. The property must also possess sufficient integrity of location, design,
setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association to convey its significance.

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October 17, 2025 - Revised
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Evaluation

Criterion A - Historic Events/Trends

*The KPHO building is significant under Criterion A at the local level in the area of
Communication and Entertainment for its association with KPHO-TV, Arizona’s first
television station. The building provided studio space and broadcasting rooms first for
live and subsequently prerecorded programming in front of studio audiences. The
period of significance dates from 1949, when the building was constructed, to 1971,
when KHPO moved its operations to a building located along Interstate 17.

The KPHO-TV studio was pathbreaking as the first television studio to transmit
television programming in Arizona. As new stations entered the market, KPHO shifted
to develop its own programming creating award winning local shows that left lasting
impacts on the community and local popular culture, such as the Wallace and Ladmo
Show. These television broadcasts provided shared cultural referents for many
Arizonans during the post-war era and fostered a greater sense of community.

Integrity

Remodeling took place which covered the casement combination windows, but in 2002
the property was purchased, and restoration work began. The original window openings
on the west façade were restored and windows installed. The footprint of the building
has remained largely unchanged since initial construction, and the 2002 remodel
restored important components to the primary façade, resulting in excellent integrity.
The KPHO Building retains sufficient integrity to clearly convey its significance.

Boundary Justification

Section 807.E states that, when applying the evaluation criteria in Section 807.D, the
boundaries of a historic district should be drawn as carefully as possible to ensure that:

1. The district contains documented historic, architectural, archaeological, or natural
resources;
2. The district boundaries coincide with documented historic boundaries such as
early roadways, canals, subdivision plats or property lines;
3. Other district boundaries coincide with logical physical or manmade features and
reflect recognized neighborhood or area boundaries; and
4. Other non-historic resources or vacant land is included where necessary to
create appropriate boundaries to assist in meeting the criteria in Section 807.D.

The proposed HP zoning boundary encompasses .28 gross acres. It has been drawn to
include the subject property in its entirety as well as the adjacent portion of the right of

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way, as is customary in rezoning cases. The proposed boundary contains the
documented historic resources and follows parcel lines and street monument lines as
much as possible.

Findings

The rezoning request Z-111-25-7 to establish Historic Preservation (HP) overlay zoning
for the subject property should be approved for the following reasons:

1. The property meets the significance, age, and integrity requirements for HP
overlay zoning set forth in Section 807.D of the Zoning Ordinance; and
2. The proposed boundaries meet the eligibility criteria outlined in Section 807.E.

Stipulations

None

Writer
Helana Ruter
September 30, 2025

Exhibits
Sketch Map (1 page)
Aerial (1 page)
Site Photos (2 pages)
Archival Photos (4 pages)
Newspaper Articles (2 pages)

¯
0
0.04
0.07
0.02
Miles
CENTRAL CITY VILLAGE
COUNCIL DISTRICT: 7
APPLICANT'S NAME:
APPLICATION NO:
GROSS AREA INCLUDING 1/2 STREET
AND ALLEY DEDICATION IS APPROX.
MULTIPLES PERMITTED
CONVENTIONAL OPTION
* UNITS P.R.D OPTION
REQUESTED CHANGE:
FROM:
TO:
DATE:
REVISION DATES:
AERIAL PHOTO &
QUARTER SEC. NO.
ZONING MAP
* Maximum Units Allowed with P.R.D. Bonus
8/12/2025
Z-111-25-7
City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission
Z-111-25-7
0.28 Acres
QS 11-27
F-8
DTC-Downtown Gateway ( 0.28 ac.)
DTC-Downtown Gateway HP ( 0.28 ac.)
DTC-Downtown Gateway
DTC-Downtown Gateway HP
218
218
N/A
N/A
S:\Department Share\Information Systems\PL GIS\IS_Team\Core_Functions\Zoning\sketch_maps\2025\Z-111-25-7.aprx
VAN BUREN ST
7TH ST
24TH ST
CENTRAL AVE
BUCKEYE RD
I-17
MC DOWELL RD
7TH AVE
19TH AVE
16TH ST
40TH ST
LOWER BUCKEYE RD
I-10
Z-1-10
Z-1-10
Z-1-10
Z-1-10
Z-1-10
Z-1-10
Z-1-10
Z-1-10
Z-1-10
Z-1-10
Z-1-10
1-10
Z-1-10
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
DTC-Downtown
Gateway HP
DTC-
Business Core
HP
DTC-Business Core
DTC-Business
Core
DTC-Roosevelt
East
DTC-Evans
Churchill
West
DTC-
Downtown
Gateway
TC-
osevelt
st HP
DTC-
Downtown
Gateway HP
DTC-
Roosevelt
East HP
DTC-
Downtown
Gateway HP
DTC-
Evans Churchill
West HP
DTC-
Roosevelt
East HP
CENTRAL AVE
PIERCE ST
FILLMORE ST
MCKINLEY ST
2ND AVE
1ST AVE
1ST ST
FILLMORE ST

KPHO Building (now First Studio)
631 North 1st Avenue

Proposed Historic Preservation (HP) Zoning Overlay shown in purple