Attachment A - Exhibit A - Second Draft PreserveHistoricPHX.pdf

City of Phoenix — Formal (2025-12-03)

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Histoic Presevatio Plan | 2025
Histoic Presevatio Plan | 2025
Preseve
Preseve
PHX
PHX
H I S T O R I C
2
ATTACHMENT A - EXHIBIT A - SECOND DRAFT - October 23, 2025

Preseve
Preseve
PHX
PHX
H I S T O R I C

Cover images courtesy of Larry Mischler
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Mayor
Kate Gallego
City Council Members
District 1: 
Vice Mayor Ann O’Brien
District 2: 
Councilmember Jim Waring
District 3: 
Councilmember Deborah Stark
District 4: 
Councilmember Laura Pastor
District 5: 
Councilmember Betty Guardado
District 6: 
Councilmember Kevin Robinson
District 7: 
Councilmember Anna Hernandez
District 8:  
Councilmember Kesha Hodge Washington
City Manager’s Office
Jeffrey Barton, City Manager
Alan Stephenson, Deputy City Manager
Historic Preservation Commission
Tricia Amato, Chair
Francesca Miller, Vice Chair
Dan Garcia
Chad Gestson
Dan Klocke
Christina Noble
Brenda Thomson
Keely Varvel-Hartsell
Planning & Development 
Department
Joshua Bednarek, Director
Historic Preservation Office
Helana Ruter, Historic Preservation Officer
Kevin Weight, Principal Planner
Jodey Elsner, Planner II
Maura Jackson, Planner II
Emma Collins, Planner I
Cletus Montoya, Planner I
Bridget Collins, Secretary III
City Archaeologist
Christopher Schwartz, Ph.D.
Editing and Layout by City Clerk 
Department
Printing, Design & Mailing Services
Acknowledgments
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Contents
Acknowledgments................................................................................................ 3
Contents...............................................................................................................4
Land Acknowledgment.........................................................................................5
Executive Summary .............................................................................................6
Purpose of the Plan ..............................................................................................9
Public Benefits of Historic Preservation............................................................ 10
Legal Basis for Historic Preservation ................................................................ 12
Preservation in Phoenix: A Timeline.................................................................. 16
Phoenix Historic Preservation Program............................................................23
Plan Accomplishments and Evolution................................................................32
Current Preservation Planning..........................................................................39
Moving Forward (Vision Statement).................................................................48
With Connections to the Past............................................................................50
Mission Statement .............................................................................................53
Goal 1: Protect Archaeological Resources ........................................................54
Goal 2: Protect Historic Resources ...................................................................56
Goal 3: Explore Preservation Incentives ...........................................................58
Goal 4: Develop Community Awareness ...........................................................60
Goal 5: Promote Partnerships ...........................................................................62
Bibliography & Further Reading........................................................................64
PlaceEconomics Report (2023).........................................................................66
Archaeological Site Etiquette Guide................................................................ 106
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Land Acknowledgment
Land Acknowledgement
Land Acknowledgement
The City of Phoenix acknowledges that Phoenix is located within the homeland of the 
O’Odham and Piipaash peoples and their ancestors, who have inhabited this landscape 
from time immemorial to present day. The landscape is sacred and reflects cultural 
values central to the O’Odham and Piipaash way of life and their self-definition. This 
acknowledgment demonstrates our commitment to work in partnership with the 
ancestral Indigenous communities to foster understanding, appreciation and respect 
for this heritage. The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) and the 
Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) claim aboriginal title (Original Indian Title) to 
lands exclusively used and occupied by the Akimel O’Odham and Piipaash equaling 
3,751,000 acres of South Central Arizona. Ancestral O’Odham settlements are 
located throughout the entirety of present-day Phoenix. This land continues to be 
spiritually connected to the O’Odham of the SRPMIC and the GRIC, both of which are 
confederations of two unique cultures with their own languages, customs, cultures, 
religions and histories. Both the O’Odham and the Piipaash are oral history cultures 
and the song culture of these people  are specifically tied to tangible places. These 
places can be natural landforms like the mountains that surround our valleys, but they 
also include archaeological sites because they are part of a cultural landscape 
associated with specific historic, cultural and religious values. Those places are 
tangible reminders to the O’Odham and Piipaash about shared attitudes, goals and 
practices that characterize who they are, where they belong and how they related to 
each other in the past, continuing today and into the future. The City of Phoenix has 
preserved and continues to steward several Ancestral O’Odham sites and landscapes 
and is committed to honor the vital meaning and intent of this land acknowledgment.
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PreserveHistoricPHX 2025 is an update to the City’s first comprehensive historic 
preservation plan, which was adopted by the Phoenix City Council in 2015. This 
document builds off the framework of the existing plan while providing space for 
new ideas and tools to guide the goals and objectives of the City’s historic 
preservation program over the coming decade. PreserveHistoricPHX 2025 pulls 
the threads from the past through to today to help us connect with our historic 
and cultural resources as they play a key role in the vision of PlanPHX, the City’s 
2025 General Plan update, to become A More Connected Phoenix. 
PreserveHistoricPHX 2025 demonstrates the benefits of historic preservation as 
they relate to PlanPHX’s five core values: create a network of vibrant cores, 
centers and corridors; connect people and places; strengthen our local economy; 
celebrate our diverse communities and neighborhoods; and build the most 
sustainable desert city. This plan gives a summary of the legal basis for historic 
preservation, a timeline of past preservation efforts in the city and a brief 
overview of the City’s historic preservation program. 
PreserveHistoricPHX 2025 provides a summary of accomplishments achieved in 
historic preservation in Phoenix after the adoption of the 2015 plan, which set the 
stage for the current planning effort. Through a study completed by the 
internationally recognized historic preservation consulting firm, PlaceEconomics, 
titled Tools, Strategies, Policies, Incentives for Historic Preservation in Phoenix (see 
Appendix B), and a new public engagement process with Phoenix residents, it 
became clear that the five goals identified in the 2015 PreserveHistoricPHX plan 
are still relevant today. New opportunities to achieve these goals have emerged, 
and this plan update will propose new tools to move forward to achieve the vision 
of PreserveHistoricPHX 2025 over the next decade.
Executive Summary 
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Protect 
Archaeological 
Resources
Protect Historic 
Resources
Explore 
Preservation 
Incentives
Develop 
Community 
Awareness
Promote 
Partnerships
Goal 1
Goal 2
Goal 3
Goal 4
Goal 5
Goals
Executive Summary
Executive Summary
Protect 
Archaeological 
Resources
Protect Historic 
Resources
Explore 
Preservation 
Incentives
Develop 
Community 
Awareness
Promote 
Partnerships
Goal 1
Goal 2
Goal 3
Goal 4
Goal 5
Goals
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PreserveHistoricPHX 2025 is a long-term vision for the City’s historic preservation program, 
identifying the goals and associated tools for shaping Phoenix’s continued growth over the next 
decade. This plan is a supplement to the General Plan for the City of Phoenix, PlanPHX 2025, and 
highlights how historic preservation and heritage resources, including buildings, structures, 
objects, sites, traditional cultural places (TCPs) and districts, are an integral part of the vision and 
core values of PlanPHX 2025. 
1 The term Historic Preservation can be used to encompass the planning and management of cultural resources on a timeline of precontact (prehistoric 
and protohistoric or ethnohistoric), and historic periods (typology developed by archaeologists). Resources from the prehistoric and protohistoric 
periods are typically classified as “cultural” where those from the historic period are classified as “historic”. The term “heritage resources” is used to 
refer to both cultural and historic resources.
What does the historic preservation plan do?
PreserveHistoricPHX 2025 does the following:
	
Í Provides the background for historic preservation and the City’s historic preservation program.
	
Í Highlights the issues and concerns of residents and professionals regarding the preservation and 
enhancement of cultural and historic resources.
	
Í Details the City’s historic preservation goals.
	
Í Recommends the implementation of specific actions for achieving those goals.
	
Í Guides future historic preservation projects and programs in the city.
Create a Network  
of Vibrant Cores, 
Centers and 
Corridors
Connect People 
& Places
Strengthen 
our Local 
Economy
Celebrate our 
Diverse 
Communities and 
Neighborhoods
Build the Most 
Sustainable 
Desert City
Purpose of the Plan 
Connections to History, Culture, Identity and the 
Material past are fundamental to the city's vision 
of creating A MORE CONNECTED PHOENIX.
Purpose of the Plan
Purpose of the Plan
PreserveHistoricPHX 2025 pinpoints the ways in which heritage resources contribute to  
economic development, the growth of small and legacy-owned business, connectivity, 
neighborhood diversity, sustainability and building community and civic pride nesting into  
the five core values of PlanPhx 2025 to:
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Create a Network of Vibrant Cores, Center & 
Corridors
The historic neighborhoods of Phoenix are dense—1,000 people per square 
mile more dense than residential neighborhoods in the rest of the city.
Commercial areas with a concentration of heritage buildings, such as the 
historic Grand Avenue or Miracle Mile corridors, are magnets for small 
businesses, legacy businesses, and businesses in the creative and technology 
sectors.
Legacy businesses—those in business for 25 years or longer—make up 12% of 
businesses in heritage commercial areas, versus 3% in the city overall.
Connect People & Places
Historic places—including buildings, landscapes, archaeological sites, 
memorials and public art—honor the contributions and experiences of 
previous generations and contribute to a sense of place as well as unique local 
cultures and identities.
Heritage sites, parks and neighborhoods attract residents and visitors alike, 
connecting people to the places that make Phoenix special. 
Most of Phoenix’s historic neighborhoods and parks are located along public 
transit corridors.
Residents of Phoenix’s historic districts live closer to museums, libraries and 
other cultural institutions compared to the city overall.
Historic preservation offers numerous benefits to the people of Phoenix—
cultural, economic and environmental. Sustaining our cultural heritage 
advances public goals including those set forth in the City’s General Plan, 
PlanPHX 2025. These goals and examples of how historic preservation 
contributes to them2 are noted below:
Public Benefits of  
Historic Preservation
2 The examples are key findings in Preservation Phoenix Style: A Study of the Impacts of Historic Preservation in Phoenix, prepared by PlaceEconomics for the 
City of Phoenix, October 2021.
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Strengthen Our Local Economy
During the real estate crisis which accompanied the Great Recession, 
foreclosure rates in historic neighborhoods were measurably lower than 
the rest of the city, a pattern that has continued in every year since.
Even during recent years of a boom cycle in real estate, property values in 
historic districts have outperformed the city as a whole.
Job growth rates for businesses in the creative and knowledge sectors, 
which prefer to locate in heritage areas and buildings, have all been higher 
over the past decade in heritage commercial areas than in the city as a whole.
Phoenix’s heritage commercial areas are home to 20% of all jobs in arts, 
entertainment and recreation. 
Celebrate Our Diverse Communities & 
Neighborhoods
Phoenix’s historic neighborhoods are great models of diversity, not only in 
architectural style or housing unit type, but also in resident demographics. 
As a share of housing stock, Phoenix’s historic districts have 6% of 2-to-4-unit 
structures versus 1% for the remainder of the city. A much wider range of 
housing unit options yields a diversity of housing and rent prices.
Historic districts have both a slightly higher share of high income and low-
income residents as compared to the city overall reflecting economic 
diversity. 
With rapid population growth between 2010 and 2020; Phoenix’s historic 
districts gained fewer white residents and lost fewer residents of other races 
than the rest of Phoenix, maintaining levels of population diversity in these 
areas.  
The city’s inventory of older housing stock is providing affordable housing 
largely without subsidy, likely due to its age, condition and smaller unit size.
Build the Most Sustainable Desert City
Phoenix’s historic neighborhoods are significantly more pedestrian, bike and 
transit friendly than the city has a whole.
The tree cover typically found in historic areas has six times the value of air 
quality benefits per acre, five times the value of water saved and sequesters 
five times the carbon dioxide of the rest of the city.
Reusing existing buildings encourages adaptive reuse and diverts waste from 
our landfills while also reducing carbon emissions that result from new 
construction.
These are only some of the benefits that historic preservation offers to the 
people of Phoenix, demonstrating the synergy between conserving our 
heritage and other worthwhile goals like connectivity, economic prosperity, 
diversity and sustainability. 
Public Benefits of Historic Preservation
Public Benefits of Historic Preservation
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Federal
1892 Casa Grande Reservation: President Benjamin Harrison proclaimed the 480 acres around 
Casa Grande (Siwañ Wa'a Ki) a prehistoric and cultural reserve – the first such designation in the 
United States.
1906 Antiquities Act: This was one of the first pieces of federal legislation aimed at protecting 
Precontact Native American sites and artifacts on federal lands in the American West. The act 
authorized permits for legitimate archaeological investigations and penalties for taking or 
destroying antiquities without permission. It also authorized the president to proclaim “historic 
landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures and other objects of historic or scientific interest” 
as national monuments.
Legal Basis for Historic Preservation 
The legal basis for historic preservation is grounded in federal, state and local policy. Below is 
a summary of key historic preservation laws and programs that influence the work of the  
City of Phoenix Office of Historic Preservation.
Arizona Historical Society,  
J.W. Hoover Lantern Slides Collection,  
Casa Grande Ruins
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1916 National Park Service Organic Act: Congress created the National Park Service (NPS) with the 
passage of this law (16 U.S.C. l 2 3, and 4). A un­it of the D­epartment of the Interior, the NPS is the 
federal agency responsible for administering and implementing the National Historic Preservation Act, 
(see below). As the lead federal preservation agency, the NPS sets the standards and guidelines 
for identifying and treating historic and cultural resources, and it maintains the National Register of 
Historic Places (NRHP) (see below). It also offers technical support and administers grant funding for state 
and tribal historic preservation offices and Native Hawaiian officials.
1935 Historic Sites Act: This act (Public Law 74-292) declared that “it is a national policy to preserve for 
public use historic sites, buildings and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the 
people of the United States.” The law authorized the NPS to research, survey and document historic and 
archaeologic sites. 
1966 National Historic Preservation Act: President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Historic 
Preservation Act (NHPA) into law on October 15, 1966 (Public Law 89-665). The preamble to the law 
declared that the historical and cultural past of the nation should be preserved as ‘a living part’ of 
community life in order to ‘give a sense of orientation to the American people.’ The NHPA established the 
NRHP and led to the creation of state, county and municipal historic preservation programs nationwide. 
Section 106 of the NHPA ensures historic preservation review of any development project utilizing federal 
dollars, approval, or land. 
1966 Department of Transportation Act:  This policy intends to preserve natural and human-made sites 
along highway routes. Section 4(f) of this act specifies preservation responsibilities of the Secretary of 
Transportation.
1966 Demonstration Cities and Metropolitan Development Act: This act directs the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development “to assert an interest in historic preservation and reduce its Urban 
Renewal activities by clearing older buildings.” It encourages existing housing to be recycled and reused 
instead of demolished and replaced.
U.S. Department of the Interior: The Department of the Interior (DOI) is the federal department 
responsible for establishing professional standards and providing advice on the preservation and 
protection of all cultural resources listed or eligible for listing in the NRHP. The Secretary of the Interior’s 
Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties apply to all proposed development involving federal 
funds and are intended to be applied to a wide variety of resource types, including buildings, sites, 
structures, objects and districts. Many historic preservation programs across the United States base their 
state and local design guidelines on these federal standards. 
Certified Local Government Program: Amendments to the NHPA in 1980 broadened the federal-state 
preservation partnership to include local partners (towns, cities and counties), which led to the creation of 
the national Certified Local Government (CLG) program. This federal program is administered by the NPS, 
while the CLG is typically a local historic preservation office or planning department. CLGs must have 
established a preservation ordinance and a formalized means of identifying, registering and protecting 
cultural resources within their boundaries. These certified governments perform much of the historic 
property survey work in Arizona. There are 30 cities and one county (Pima) in Arizona with certified 
historic preservation programs; Phoenix became a CLG in 1988.
Legal Basis for Historic Preservation
Legal Basis for Historic Preservation
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Advisory Council on Historic Preservation: The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) is an 
independent federal agency that “promotes the preservation, enhancement and sustainable use of our 
nation’s diverse historic resources3 , and advises the President and Congress on national historic 
preservation policy.” The ACHP administers Section 106 of the NHPA, offers trainings and conducts 
outreach. 
State
Arizona State Museum: In 1893, the Arizona Territorial Legislature created the first and largest 
anthropology museum in the Southwest—the Arizona State Museum. The museum is the state’s official 
permitting agency for archaeological and paleontological projects and the official archaeological 
repository. It administers the Arizona Antiquities Act and helps state and federal agencies enforce related 
legislation.
Arizona Antiquities Act: In 1927 the state legislature passed an antiquities act which required that fifty 
percent of archaeological artifacts or fossils recovered from sites on federal or state land be deposited in a 
public museum in the state of Arizona and established the requirement for persons or corporations to 
obtain a permit from the University of Arizona and the relevant county board of supervisors prior to survey 
or excavation. The legislature amended the act in 1960 giving oversight to the Arizona State Museum 
which was authorized to create regulations and professional standards for archaeological practice. 
Further amendments were made to the law in 1973 and 1990. 
Arizona State Parks Board: In 1957, preservationists were part of a coalition that successfully lobbied the 
state legislature to create the Arizona State Parks Board. While the Parks Board focused primarily on 
acquiring parks and establishing camping, picnicking and other recreational services, prominent Arizona 
historian and Parks Board member Bert Fireman persuaded the board to include several historic sites 
among the first state parks.
Arizona State Historic Preservation Office: The NHPA mandated the creation of state historic 
preservation offices (SHPOs) that would work with the NPS and the ACHP to establish a list of properties 
important to the nation’s history. The act also mandated state historic preservation offices to work with 
federal agencies on preventing the destruction of these properties and on administering a program of 
grants-in-aid to ensure the properties’ preservation. Arizona Governor Samuel Pearson Goddard, Jr. 
(1965-1967), appointed Arizona State Parks Director Dennis McCarthy as the first state historic 
preservation officer. 
State Historic Preservation Plan: Preparation of the first statewide historic preservation plan began in 
1969. The National Park Service approved Arizona’s Interim Plan for Historic Preservation in December 
1970, which allowed the state to continue receiving its allocation from the Historic Preservation Fund. This 
plan established a process for identifying and nominating properties within Arizona to the NRHP. 
Arizona Register of Historic Places: The Arizona State Legislature established the Arizona Register of 
Historic Places in 1974. This is the state’s register of historic sites, buildings, structures, objects and 
districts. The list is administered by the SHPO.
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State Historic Property Tax Reclassification Program: This program began in 1979 and 
encourages preservation in the private sector by reducing tax assessments for owner-occupied 
residential and income producing properties.
State Historic Preservation Act: This act, signed in 1982, encouraged the preservation of 
historic resources by state agencies and expanded the role of SHPO to include reviewing plans by 
state agencies to determine whether such plans would adversely affect historic properties.
Municipal Planning: In Arizona, historic preservation is accomplished through the zoning power, 
which allows local governments to regulate the use of property. State legislation [Arizona 
Revised Statutes, Section 9-462.01(A)(10)] enables cities, towns and counties to pass zoning 
regulations, including for the purpose of establishing districts of historical significance.
Local
Phoenix Historic Preservation Ordinance: In 1984, Mayor Terry Goddard and the City Council 
created an Ad Hoc Committee on Historic Preservation, which recommended, among other 
things, the adoption of a city historic preservation ordinance. Adopted in 1985, the preservation 
ordinance (Chapter 8 of the City’s Zoning Ordinance) provided for the establishment of historic 
preservation overlay zoning and spelled out the duties of the Historic Preservation Commission 
(HPC) and Historic Preservation Office (HPO).
Historic Preservation Commission: Appointed by the City Council, the HPC is composed of nine 
individuals with demonstrated special interest, knowledge or experience in historic preservation. 
At least one member of the commission must fulfill each of the following roles: registered 
architect, real estate professional, archaeologist, and historian.
Phoenix Historic Property Register: The ordinance also codified the criteria for listing 
properties, the effects of historic-preservation zoning, the processes for reviewing projects for 
Certificates of No Effect and Certificates of Appropriateness, and the steps necessary when 
considering a property for demolition and/or removal from its original site.  
Legal Basis for Historic Preservation
Legal Basis for Historic Preservation
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Phoenix’s diverse communities have preserved their history, culture and sacred places 
in a multitude of ways over time, both within and outside of formal preservation 
programs. The following is a timeline of key events that have shaped preservation 
policy in Phoenix today. It is not a comprehensive list of all preservation activities that 
have occurred within the city. 4
Preservation in Phoenix: A Timeline
 1924: A group of Phoenicians, with the help of U.S. Senator Carl Hayden, purchases 13,000 
acres from the federal government to create what is now known as South Mountain Park and 
Preserve. The park is home to thousands of petroglyphs created by the Huhugam and their 
descendants, the ancestral O’Odham.
1924-1929: The City of Phoenix acquires a Huhugam (Hohokam era) platform mound and the 
surrounding Park of Four Waters, which contains the remains of major irrigation canals built 
by the Huhugam on the north side of the Salt River. Opening in 1929 as the Pueblo Grande 
Museum (now S'eḏav Va'aki Museum), it is an archaeological site museum and repository open 
to the public. 
1938: Pioneers’ Cemetery Association (PCA) forms to preserve the seven historic cemeteries 
near the State Capitol Complex. The original PCA disbanded at the onset of World War II but 
was reestablished in 1983.
South Mountain 
Park & Preserve
4 "A comprehensive history of preservation in Phoenix can be found in the 2015 PreserveHistoricPHX plan."
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1942: The City of Phoenix and Arizona State Museum initiate the preservation and 
restoration of an adobe building believed to be the home of Phoenix pioneer Darrell 
Duppa but was more likely a barn built by subsequent property owner John B. 
Montgomery to support his farming operations there.
1954: The Camelback Improvement Association forms in opposition to construction 
on Camelback Mountain. 
1966: Congress passes the National Historic Preservation Act, and the Arizona SHPO 
is established. Pueblo Grande (now S'eḏav Va’aki) is the first property in Phoenix to be 
added to the National Register of Historic Places and is designated as a National 
Historic Landmark.
1968: Camelback Mountain is donated to the City of Phoenix after a successful 
campaign led by Barry Goldwater and the Save Camelback Mountain Foundation. 
1972: Funding to protect urban mountains as parks is allocated through a voter-
approved bond. 
1976: Heritage Square in downtown Phoenix is established as part of the National 
Bicentennial Celebration; the Junior League of Phoenix and former Phoenix Mayor John 
Driggs lead the effort. Arizona: Past & Future Foundation is created in opposition to 
proposed freeway construction plans and with the purpose of preserving historic and 
archaeological resources along the route. 
Rosson House
Preservation in Phoenix: A Timeline
Preservation in Phoenix: A Timeline
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1978: The City adopts the Special Conservation District Ordinance, which created a 
mechanism for neighborhoods to have an organized voice in planning their growth.
1979: The state’s first preservation nonprofit organization, the Arizona Preservation 
Foundation, is established to promote and protect Arizona’s historic resources. The 
Phoenix Historic Building Survey is completed.
1983: The Roosevelt and Encanto-Palmcroft neighborhoods are listed on the National 
Register, the first residential historic districts to be designated in Phoenix. 
1984: Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard assembles the Phoenix Ad Hoc Committee on 
Historic Preservation, which spurs the formation of Phoenix’s historic preservation 
program the following year. The Junior League completes the Historic Phoenix 
Commercial Properties Survey.
1985: City Council adopts a local historic preservation ordinance that establishes the 
Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission and the Phoenix Historic Properties 
Register. The Historic Preservation Commission is formed and holds its first meeting. 
City Council approves a temporary ban on razing historic buildings listed on the 
National Register.
Encanto-Palmcroft 
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1986: The City’s first Historic Preservation Officer is hired. The first three historic 
districts (Roosevelt, Coronado and Phoenix Union High School), as well as 15 
individual properties, are listed on the Phoenix Historic Properties Register. 
1989: City Council passes a provision requiring review of demolition permits for 
structures older than 50 years old, although it is later removed due to concerns about 
its impact on private property rights. Voters approve $15 million in bond funds for 
historic preservation. The funds allow the City to hire new staff members, purchase 
and stabilize Tovrea Castle and establish new programs to provide grants to owners 
of historic buildings. 
1990: The Phoenix Historic Preservation Office creates the Exterior Rehabilitation 
Assistance, Demonstration Project and Low-Income Historic Housing Rehabilitation 
grant programs with remaining bond funds. A voter initiative creates the Arizona 
State Parks Heritage Fund. 
1992: The Arizona Heritage Alliance forms to protect, preserve and enhance Arizona’s 
historic, cultural and natural heritage. Its focus is to protect the Arizona State Parks 
Heritage Fund. 
Tovrea Castle 
Preservation in Phoenix: A Timeline
Preservation in Phoenix: A Timeline
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1993: Historic Homes of Phoenix: An Architectural Guide is published. It wins the 1994 
Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation in the education category.
1996: The City acquires Phoenix Indian School, a Bureau of Indian Affairs-operated 
school from 1891 to 1990. Three of the school’s 29 structures are spared from 
demolition during the creation of a 73-acre park known as Steele Indian School Park 
and are added to the National Register of Historic Places. The same year, the George 
Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center is established to honor and share 
African American heritage, art, and culture in Phoenix. 
1997: The City of Phoenix is presented with a National Preservation Honor Award for 
its Bond Program, which is recognized as the “largest municipal historic preservation 
fund in the nation.” The Phoenix Historic Neighborhoods Coalition forms, initially 
meeting as a group of just a few historic neighborhoods and going on to obtain non-
profit status in 2013.
2000: The City Council requests that the City Manager appoint a panel of citizens to 
perform a comprehensive review of the City's Historic Preservation Program, which is 
now 15 years old. The Ad Hoc Historic Preservation Advisory Panel meets over the 
course of a year and forwards a set of recommendations to the City Council, 11 of 
which are formally adopted.
2001: Phoenix voters approve an additional $14.2 million in bond funds for the City’s 
Historic Preservation Program.
Steele Indian School Park
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Japanese Free Methodist/
Vietnamese United Baptist
2004: City completes a survey of African American historic properties, initiated at the 
urging of the Ad Hoc Historic Preservation Advisory Panel. Modern Phoenix 
Neighborhood Network is founded.
2005: A coalition of advocates led by the Arizona Asian American Association fights to 
save the Sun Mercantile Building, one of the last remaining historic Chinese groceries 
in downtown Phoenix. 
2006: The Hispanic Historic Property Survey is completed. Another round of bond 
funding is approved, allocating $13.1 million to historic preservation and establishing 
the Warehouse & Threatened Building grant program. Arizona voters pass 
Proposition 207, the Private Property Rights Protection Act, which curtailed historic 
designation activities. 
2007: The Historic Preservation Office completes a survey of Asian American historic 
properties in Phoenix 
In 1932, the Arizona Free Methodist Church for Japanese opened across the street from the 
Japanese Hall on Indian School Road east of 43rd Avenue. Upon the relocation of Japanese 
Americans during WWII toMayer and Poston Internment camps, the church’s congregation 
was split. After the war ended, the church returned to order. In 1965, a new church was built 
a block north of its original location. The congregation relocated classrooms and a social hall 
from their former Indian School location to their new two-acre property at 4143 N 43rd 
Avenue and constructed a new church sanctuary. The Vietnamese United Baptist Church 
acquired the property in 2016. 
Preservation in Phoenix: A Timeline
Preservation in Phoenix: A Timeline
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2011: Midcentury Marvels: Commercial Architecture of Phoenix 1945-1975 is 
published and wins the Governor’s Heritage Preservation Grand Honor Award.
2012: Preserve PHX is formed partly due to the urgency created by the threatened 
demolition of the David and Gladys Wright House. The organization is a grassroots 
network of advocates for the protection of historic places throughout Phoenix. 
Members of Modern Phoenix create the Postwar Architecture Task Force of Greater 
Phoenix.
2015: City Council approves Phoenix’s first comprehensive Historic Preservation Plan.
2016: City of Phoenix enacts a citywide 30-day demolition hold for commercial 
properties 50 years of age or older and for properties previously determined eligible 
for the Phoenix Register of Historic Places. It is later amended with the 2018 building 
code adoption to include all properties over 50 years in the Downtown Code Area.
2021: City Council adopts the PlaceEconomics Report Preservation Phoenix Style 
which documents the historic preservation efforts of the City and the positive 
impacts that historic preservation has had on the community. City Council also 
appropriates $200,000 from the General Fund to renew the Exterior Rehabilitation 
Grant Program.
2022: City Council appropriates $500,000 from the General Fund to renew the 
Threatened Building Grant Program (renamed the Phil Gordon Threatened Building 
Grant program in 2023). Rehabilitation begins on Santa Rita Hall, the site of Cesar 
Chavez’s 24-day fast in 1972 during which he protested new anti-union legislation in 
Arizona, a policy harmful to U.S. farmworkers. The building was listed on the Phoenix 
Historic Property Register in 2007. 
2023: Voters approve an additional $5 million in historic preservation bond funds for 
capital improvements to City-owned historic buildings and to renew the historic 
preservation grant programs. Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park is 
renamed S'eḏav Va'aki Museum, which means “Central Vahki” in O’Odham, referring 
to the large platform mound preserved at the site. The renaming highlights the 
connection that the site has with both the Ancestral Sonoran Desert People and the 
native communities that currently live around the Phoenix metropolitan area, 
including local O'Odham and Piipaash communities.
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Historic Property Inventory, Surveys and Contexts
As of October 2024, the City of Phoenix’s inventory of historic properties consisted of 988 entries, made up 
of approximately 10,000 individual resources – buildings, structures, sites, objects and districts. The inventory 
includes properties listed on both the PHPR and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It also 
includes properties that have been recommended eligible for listing but have not yet been added to a historic 
register. The inventory is housed in a geodatabase, which is maintained by City staff and available to the 
public online through Phoenix’s My Community Map and Open Data Portal.5 
New properties are added to the inventory primarily through the completion of historic property surveys. 
Depending on the purpose of the survey, it may attempt to identify every eligible historic property in the 
survey area, or it may focus on the eligibility of properties relating to a particular theme (such as commerce, 
agriculture, or ethnic heritage). The historic context is a key component to the survey, as it provides the 
basis for evaluating the significance of properties identified in the survey. Each context is based on a 
specific theme and the geographical and chronological limits of that theme. Without historic contexts and 
their accompanying surveys, proper identification and evaluation of historic properties could not take 
place.
Phoenix Historic Property Register
Properties listed on the PHPR are rezoned with a Historic Preservation (HP) or Historic Preservation-Landmark 
(HP-L) zoning overlay. The landmark designation is used to recognize exceptionally significant historic properties. 
The procedures to establish an HP or HP-L overlay are described in Sections 807 and 808 of the Phoenix Zoning 
Ordinance. HP and HP-L rezoning applications are presented to the Historic Preservation Commission, Village 
Planning Committee, Planning Commission and City Council at public hearings; the City Council makes the final 
decision to designate properties and list them in the PHPR. Once rezoning is approved, the properties are 
formally protected through a special permit review process administered by the HPO. These properties are also 
eligible for financial incentives offered by the City of Phoenix. A total of 36 residential historic districts, 9 
non-residential historic districts (4 of which are landmarks) and 232 individually listed properties (12 of which 
are landmarks) have been listed in the PHPR since 1986.
Phoenix Historic  
Preservation Program
The Historic Preservation Office (HPO) works to protect and enhance historic neighborhoods, 
buildings and sites in Phoenix. The HPO works closely with the Historic Preservation 
Commission (HPC) to identify and designate eligible properties and districts for listing on the 
Phoenix Historic Property Register (PHPR). Protection is provided to designated properties 
through City review and approval of exterior alterations to buildings and demolition requests. 
The HPO also administers Historic Preservation grant funds that support several financial 
assistance programs for historic properties.
5 The URL for My Community Map is https://www.phoenix.gov/pdd/mycommunitymap.  
The URL for the City of Phoenix Open Data Portal is https://www.phoenixopendata.com.
Phoenix Historic  Preservation Program
Phoenix Historic  Preservation Program
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Individual Historic 
Properties
Non-Residential  
Historic Districts
Residential Historic 
Districts
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National Register of Historic Places
Properties are listed in the National Register through a nomination process. Information about preparing a 
National Register nomination is described in the “How to Complete the National Register Registration 
Form” bulletin published by the National Park Service. Nominations for properties located in the city of 
Phoenix are reviewed by the City Historic Preservation Office, the State Historic Preservation Office, the 
Arizona Historic Sites Review Committee, and the Keeper of the NRHP (located in Washington D.C.) The 
Keeper ultimately determines whether a property is historic and should be listed in the register. 
Contributors to National Register listed districts and individually listed properties are eligible for the 
Arizona State Historic Property Tax Reclassification Program. 
The HPO launched its efforts to identify and set evaluation requirements for 
post-World War II resources in Phoenix by contracting for a multi-family 
property historic context covering the period from 1945-1980. The context 
identified factors that shaped the development of multi-family housing as well 
as the prominent types of housing, duplex to high rises, and architectural styles. 
The document provides an analytical framework for the identification and 
evaluation of historic-age properties for eligibility for designation in the PHPR.
Phoenix Historic  Preservation Program
Phoenix Historic  Preservation Program
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Design Review
The HPO recognizes that change is inevitable and that some alterations to historic properties can 
support their viability and longevity. Design review is a critical part of protecting those elements of 
historic properties and districts that make them unique and important while charting a fair process 
that allows for sensitive alterations. For properties within a historic preservation overlay district, the 
HPO reviews all exterior work that requires a building permit. For construction projects, there are 
two types of approvals: a Certificate of No Effect and a Certificate of Appropriateness. 
A Certificate of No Effect may be issued for minor work that does not materially change the historic 
character of the property and is clearly within the adopted design guidelines for historic properties. 
These certificates are frequently approved at the time of the initial request. 
A Certificate of Appropriateness is required if the proposed work will make material changes that 
may alter, diminish, eliminate or affect the historic or architectural character of the property in any 
way. Larger additions and street-visible changes fall into this category. These certificates require a 
pre-application meeting and a public hearing to determine whether the proposed project meets the 
“General Design Guidelines for Historic Preservation” and the “Secretary of the Interior’s Standards 
for Rehabilitation” (links in Appendix A). 
The HPO also reviews Requests for Demolition as part of its design review responsibilities.
30-Day Demolition Hold
All buildings in the City’s inventory of historic properties, all commercial properties at least 50 years 
old, and all buildings 50 years old or older in the Downtown Code area are subject to a 30-day hold 
prior to demolition. During the 30-day hold staff conducts research as necessary to make a 
recommendation of eligibility for historic designation which is circulated to the members of the HPC 
and historic preservation advocacy organizations.
Technical Advice
The HPO provides information about preserving, rehabilitating and restoring historic buildings. Staff 
offers technical advice on preservation projects to help identify and determine the best approach for 
resolving common issues before beginning work. The HPO also publishes guides for historic-property 
owners on such topics as the appropriate treatment for historic window repairs, masonry cleaning 
and repointing, paint removal and wood shingle roofs. In addition, the NPS publishes Preservation 
Briefs that address treatment of various traditional building materials, specific architectural features, 
the reuse of different building types and broader themes such as how to understand architectural 
character and make historic buildings accessible. 
National Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 Review
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended 2004) requires federal 
agencies to consider the effects on historic properties of projects they carry out, assist, permit, 
license or approve (undertakings). The Phoenix HPO completes these assessments to identify and 
evaluate historic properties, assess the effects of their undertakings on historic properties, and 
attempt to negotiate an outcome that will balance project needs and historic preservation values. The 
HPO coordinates with other City departments such as Neighborhood Services, Housing, Street 
Transportation and Aviation, to complete the reviews to ensure the City’s future access to federal 
funding opportunities and maintain the City’s compliance with Section 106.
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City Council has set aside $200,000 of general fund 
monies to fund this program since 2021 with 37 
approved applications between 2021 and 2023. The 
property owner at 1622 W Wilshire Drive was 
awarded grant funds to assist with the 
rehabilitation of historic steel casement windows. 
Phoenix Historic  Preservation Program
Phoenix Historic  Preservation Program
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Grants and Incentives
There are several financial incentive programs available to preserve and rehabilitate historic buildings and 
properties: 
Exterior Rehabilitation Assistance Program
This program helps residents sensitively rehabilitate the exteriors of historic homes 
while promoting reinvestment in Phoenix’s historic neighborhoods. Owners of historic 
homes, either in City-designated historic districts or individually listed on the Phoenix 
Historic Property Register, are eligible to apply. The program reimburses owners on a 
50/50 matching basis for pre-approved work up to $20,000. In exchange for receiving 
financial assistance, the owner sells the City a conservation easement to protect the 
building’s exteriors.
Demonstration Project Program
This program encourages the exterior rehabilitation of significant historic properties 
used for multi-family residential, commercial, or institutional purposes. The program 
provides funding on a reimbursement basis for exterior work that preserves and 
rehabilitates historic buildings and supports adaptive use projects that keep a historic 
building economically viable. The program pays 100 percent for grant-eligible work 
items, provided that the property owner is funding an equal amount of work for non-
grant-eligible work items (such as plumbing, mechanical or electrical repairs). In 
exchange for financial assistance, the property owner conveys to the City a 
conservation easement to protect the historic character of the property’s exteriors. 
Phil Gordon Threatened Building Program
This program helps property owners rehabilitate the exteriors of threatened historic 
buildings and historic downtown warehouses and to return them to a viable use. Eligible 
buildings are either historic commercial buildings located in the downtown warehouse 
overlay district or are City-designated historic buildings located elsewhere in the city 
that are threatened either by their deteriorated condition or by possible demolition. 
The program pays 100 percent for grant-eligible work items and no matching funds are 
required. In exchange for financial assistance, the property owner conveys to the City a 
conservation easement to protect the historic character of the property's exteriors.
State, Federal and Other Incentives
The state and federal governments as well as public and private foundations have 
developed incentives to assist in the restoration, maintenance, and rehabilitation of 
historic resources.
Arizona State Historic Property Tax Reclassification 
Program
The State of Arizona maintains a property tax reduction program for residential non-
income-producing properties listed on the NRHP and a property tax incentive program 
for income-producing commercial properties listed on the National Register. The 
SHPO, in conjunction with the county assessors, administers this program. 
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Arizona Heritage Fund
Restored by the Arizona Legislature in 2020, the Historic Preservation focus of the 
Arizona Heritage Fund is to provide public funding for preservation planning and 
rehabilitation projects. The funds are available for resources listed in or determined 
eligible for listing in the Arizona Register of Historic Places and NRHP. Funds are 
available when legislatively appropriated.
Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentive
The NPS administers financial incentive programs for historic buildings in partnership 
with the AZ SHPO and the Internal Revenue Service. This includes a 20 percent 
rehabilitation tax credit on federal income taxes for certified historic building 
rehabilitation projects. For these projects, buildings must be listed or eligible for listing 
in the NRHP and comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for 
Rehabilitation. 
National Trust for 
Historic Preservation
The National Trust, through its 
financial assistance programs, 
demonstrates that preserving our 
heritage improves the quality of life in 
American communities. The National 
Trust’s grant and loan programs have 
assisted thousands of innovative 
preservation projects that protect the 
continuity, diversity and beauty of our 
communities. 
New Market Tax Credits
The New Markets Tax Credit Program is a federal government program that was 
established by Congress in 2000 to encourage investments in locating businesses and 
real estate projects in low-income communities. The program attracts investment 
capital by permitting individual and corporate investors to receive a tax credit against 
their federal income tax return in exchange for making equity investments in 
specialized financial institutions called “community development entities.” 
Historic buildings are part of what 
make neighborhoods unique, and 
preserving these buildings can spur 
economic activity as developers create 
jobs to revitalize aging properties 
– on Historic Tax Credit program – J.P. Morgan Chase 
Phoenix Historic  Preservation Program
Phoenix Historic  Preservation Program
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Outreach
Outreach is critical to fostering a more informed and engaged community that understands the benefits 
of preservation and supports the activities and initiatives that result in the protection of our city’s 
resources. HPO outreach efforts include the following:
Outreach is also achieved through collaborations with partner organizations and the 36 residential historic 
districts within the city. Such organizations include the Arizona Preservation Foundation, the Phoenix 
Historic Neighborhood Coalition, Modern Phoenix, the Downtown Voices Coalition, Phoenix Community 
Alliance, Preserve Phoenix, and the State Historic Preservation Office. 
Archaeology
Since 1929, the City of Phoenix has had a City archaeologist. The City Archaeology Office (CAO) is located 
at the S'eḏav Va’aki Museum and is part of the Arts and Culture Department.
­Archaeological investigations are required for development projects in the state of Arizona whenever 
there is state or federal funding, permitting or licensing involved. In addition, state law (Arizona Revised 
Statutes, Sections 41-844 and 41-865) strictly regulates the removal and disposition of human remains 
and funerary objects, both on private and public lands. 
The City of Phoenix Zoning Ordinance (Section 802.A) acknowledges the significance of archaeological 
resources within the city:
It is hereby declared as a matter of public policy that the protection, enhancement and 
preservation of properties and areas of historical, cultural, archaeological and aesthetic 
significance are in the interests of the health, prosperity and welfare of the people of the  
City of Phoenix. It is further intended to recognize past needless losses of historic properties 
which had substantial value to the historical and cultural heritage of the citizens of Phoenix, 
and to take reasonable measures to prevent similar losses in the future.
The ordinance also states the following (Section 802.B.2):
With respect to archaeological resources:
a) To encourage identification of the location of both pre-historic and historic archaeological 
resources.­
b) To assist with the preservation of these resources, within developments where 
appropriate, and with recovery of the resources where applicable. 
c) To encourage recognition of the fact that archaeological resources found on public land are 
the property of all citizens, and are not private property. Archaeological resources found 
on City-owned lands are the property of the City. 
	
Í Publications on topics in preservation including 
books, brochures, newsletters and pamphlets. 
	
Í Workshops such as proper rehabilitation 
techniques for a historic home.
	
Í Presence at historic-home tours by staffing a 
booth at the event.  
	
Í Attendance at neighborhood and preservation 
organization meetings.
	
Í Information on the City website.
	
Í Use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter 
and Instagram.
	
Í Events and celebrations during National 
Preservation Month.
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Responsibilities of the CAO are as follows:
	
Í Monthly consultation meetings with the Gila River 
Indian Community and Salt River Pima-Maricopa 
Indian Community Tribal Historic Preservation 
Offices to understand and address the concerns 
of the O’Odham Tribes, who are culturally 
connected to the Phoenix area. 
	
Í Assessing development projects—those that are 
City-sponsored, are on City-owned land, or are 
undergoing planning review (including private 
development)—for potential impacts on 
archaeological resources. 
	
Í Coordinating the development of treatment plans 
if archaeological resource impacts are identified; 
treatment plans may involve excavations to 
examine and document subsurface deposits.
	
Í Assisting private development projects with the 
archaeology process required for construction 
permit stipulations.
	
Í Providing technical oversight for all City-
sponsored archaeological projects, including 
those that involve federal agencies (e.g., 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway 
Administration and Federal Aviation 
Administration) and state agencies (e.g., Arizona 
State Land Department).
	
Í Participating in State Historic Preservation Act 
and Section 106 consultation, providing guidance 
for the treatment of archaeological resources. 
	
Í Reviewing and ensuring the appropriateness of all 
archaeological fieldwork and technical reports of 
data recovery results within the City.
	
Í Managing the S'eḏav Va’aki Museum publication 
series, including Anthropological Papers, 
Occasional Papers and Technical Reports.
	
Í Coordinating the A­rizona Site Steward Program 
for the City of Phoenix with the assistance of a 
Cultural Resource Ranger. The stewards 
document site vandalism, damage and other 
disturbances, and report it to the City 
Archaeologist, who then conducts a field visit and 
takes appropriate actions to prevent further 
damage.
	
Í Coordinating the S'eḏav Va’aki Museum Platform 
Mound Stabilization Program. The S'eḏav Va’aki 
platform mound or va’aki is one of only two such 
remaining prehistoric structures that are 
preserved in the Salt River Valley. It is subject to 
erosion and destruction from wind and rain, and it 
requires routine stabilization activities that meet 
the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. These 
activities are conducted by a team of volunteers.
	
Í Conducting archaeological research for public 
exhibits and publications and interact with the 
media. S'eḏav Va’aki Museum produces exhibits 
and publications that require review, research, 
and written material from the City Archaeologist. 
The CAO works closely with descendant Tribes through monthly face to 
face consultation meetings with the Gila River Indian Community and 
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Tribal Historic 
Preservation Offices. These meetings began with just City Archaeology 
and Repatriation compliance discussions and have since expanded to 
include discussions about museum programming, exhibits, and 
renaming initiatives. Tribal names are being considered for new housing 
developments. Several trails in the South Mountain Park and Preserve 
have been given new O’Odham names to replace inaccurate or offensive 
names. This collaboration also resulted in the renaming of the Pueblo 
Grande Museum to S'eḏav Va’aki Museum with museum mural art 
entitled “Legacy” created by Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian 
Community (SRPMIC) resident and enrolled Tohono O’odham Nation 
artist Thomas “Breeze” Marcus with the help of O’odham artists 
Dwayne Manuel (SRPMIC) and Zachary Justin (Gila River Indian 
Community).
Phoenix Historic  Preservation Program
Phoenix Historic  Preservation Program
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Plan Accomplishments  
and Evolution
The 2025 PreserveHistoricPHX plan is an update to the existing 
historic preservation plan, the first of its kind in Phoenix, which was 
adopted in 2015 and identified five program goals:
The City Archaeology Office (CAO), Historic Preservation Office (HPO), Historic 
Preservation Commission (HPC) and community made substantial headway in achieving 
aspects of these goals following plan adoption. A recent public survey revealed that the 
public perceives a nearly even level of successes across the goal categories.
Protect
Historic
Resources
Protect
Historic
Resources
Protect
Archaeological
Resources
Protect
Archaeological
Resources
Explore
Preservation
Incentives
Explore
Preservation
Incentives
Promote
Partnerships
Promote
Partnerships
Develop
Community
Awareness
Develop
Community
Awareness
Program Goal
Achievements
Program Goal
Achievements
Public Survey
Public Survey
19%
20%
24%
19%
18%
Protect 
Archaeological 
Resources
Protect 
Historic 
Resources
Explore 
Preservation 
Incentives
Develop 
Community 
Awareness
Promote 
Partnerships
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What We've Done Together
Protection of 
Archaeological 
Resources
The CAO, in partnership with 
local tribal cultural resource 
officers, worked to facilitate a 
name change for Pueblo 
Grande, the large prehistoric 
village site where the CAO and the Pueblo Grande 
Museum are located. The name S'eḏav Va’aki (and 
S'eḏav Va’aki Museum), or Central Platform Mound in 
the O’Odham language, reflects the connection 
between the Hohokam era occupation of the Salt 
River Valley and the current O’Odham communities 
and their lineal relationship. A story map on S'eḏav 
Va’aki and its connections to the descendent 
O’Odham Tribes has been completed and is published 
online. The CAO and City HPO have retained a 
consultant to develop an ethnohistory and 
historiography to provide greater understanding of 
the continuum of indigenous occupation in the 
Phoenix basin.
CAO commissioned a Geographic Information 
Systems (GIS) map of all known sites and surveys in 
South Mountain Park and Preserve and has worked 
to conduct surveys and cultural overviews for 
Phoenix Mountain and North Mountain Preserves, 
places of cultural significance to neighboring tribal 
communities. CAO has also worked with a group of 
volunteers to develop the Phoenix Mapping 
Archaeology Project, a GIS effort to digitize all 
features and excavations conducted at S'eḏav Va’aki 
and other large village sites along the Salt River. 
City archaeology guidelines were updated in 2020 
and a new general citywide Historic Properties 
Treatment Plan for Archaeology was adopted in 
2024. The new Treatment Plan includes an updated 
media policy, a protocol for obtaining permission to 
present technical project results at conferences and 
in publications, and requirements for how to provide 
GIS data to CAO upon project completion.
Plan Accomplishments and Evolution
Plan Accomplishments and Evolution
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Protection of Historic Resources
The HPO, with significant community input, worked with the Planning and 
Development Department (PDD) leaders in 2016 to establish a 30-day 
demolition hold for commercial properties over 50 years of age and those 
properties previously identified eligible for historic designation. The code was 
revised in 2018 to incorporate all buildings over 50 years of age located within 
the Downtown Code zoning area. This is a public notification process which 
provides staff recommendations on designation eligibility of resources to the 
historic preservation commission and historic preservation advocacy organizations.
In 2018, PDD created the publicly accessible My Community Map which is a geodatabase of property-
specific information that identifies historically designated and eligible properties. This map allows 
residents and real estate professionals to have real time, accurate information to facilitate planning and 
engagement with the historic preservation office.
The HPO contracted for the preparation of two National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nominations 
for commercial historic districts, the Miracle Mile and Grand Avenue Commercial Historic Districts, which 
provide opportunities for federal, state and local financial incentives for rehabilitation.
The historic preservation commission has prioritized survey and historic context development for post-
World War II properties. The office has contracted for the development of post-war multi-family property, 
religious architecture and commercial building contexts, types of properties identified as threatened 
through ongoing management of the 30-day demolition hold process.
The Grand Avenue Commercial Historic District 
was listed in the National Register of Historic 
Places in 2024. The district stretches along Grand 
Avenue between “Five Points” and “Six Points” and 
reflects commercial development in Phoenix 
spanning the period between 1887 and 1975 when 
commercial development waned upon completion 
of the Interstate 10. 
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Explore Preservation Incentives
The HPC advocated to the Mayor, City Council and City Manager’s Office for 
the dedication of general funds to replace the former historic preservation 
grant programs that had been funded through the 2006 municipal bond. The 
City Council appropriated $200,000 in funds for a Residential Exterior 
Rehabilitation Grant Program (offering matching grants up to $20,000) in 
2021 and established $500,000 for a Threatened Building Grant Program in 
2022, later renamed the Phil Gordon Threatened Building Program. As a 
result, 37 residential grants have been awarded for scopes of work such as foundation repair, roof 
replacement and historic window rehabilitation. Phil Gordon Threatened Building grants have been 
awarded to five different projects for work including masonry rehabilitation, roof replacement and 
building relocation. 
Phoenix citizens voted in the General Obligation Bond Fund election in November of 2023 to allocate $5 
million toward a historic preservation program over the next five years to include capital improvement 
projects for City-owned historic buildings as well as funds to be dedicated towards grants for the 
rehabilitation of public and privately owned buildings.
The historic First Baptist Church was subject 
to a massive fire in 1984 and over the next 
four decades, through the tireless efforts of 
Mayor Terry Goddard, the building was 
slowly rehabilitated for adaptive reuse as 
“The Abbey.” The property was awarded 
$137,000 in Phil Gordon Threatened Building 
grant funds towards the restoration of the 
Rose Window and interior decorative stucco 
pilasters. 
Plan Accomplishments and Evolution
Plan Accomplishments and Evolution
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Develop Community Awareness
The CAO, in partnership with local tribal cultural resource officers, created a land 
acknowledgement statement to strengthen preservation efforts as well as a 
homeland map depicting areas of significance to the O’Odham and introducing 
O’Odham place names for geographic features on the landscape.
The HPO celebrated the 30th anniversary of the first historic designations in the 
Phoenix Historic Property Register in 2016 in a public event with Mayor Terry 
Goddard, who facilitated the establishment of the office, as an honored speaker. The last eight years have 
seen trivia nights, brown bags presentations, a historic neighborhood preservation summit and the 
development of the groundbreaking Preservation Phoenix Style report prepared by PlaceEconomics, 
which specifically looked at the impact of historic preservation in Phoenix. This report was adopted by the 
City Council and serves as a foundational reference work for other City departments.
In 2020 and 2021, staff created three ethnic heritage story maps based on the African American, Hispanic 
and Asian American historic contexts originally developed between 2004 and 2007. These maps are 
available online and let the public engage virtually with ethnic heritage resources.6 These maps won both 
Governor’s Heritage and the Arizona Chapter of the American Planning Association awards. A video series 
accompanies these maps.
The Fuller Paint Company Warehouse rehabilitation, 
which included the construction of a new hotel, 
demonstrates the successful partnering of the 
Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) 
program with historic preservation grant funding 
provided through the Phil Gordon Threatened 
Building Program. The historic warehouse building 
was adaptively reused as a lobby and dining area 
with a connecting element to a new multi-story 
hotel. This project won a Governor’s Heritage Award 
for historic preservation in 2024. 
6 Historic Preservation Story Maps and Videos can be found here: Planning and Development Story Maps (phoenix.gov)
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Promote Partnerships
The City of Phoenix HPO works in close partnership with the SHPO to further 
preservation, protection, and awareness of historic properties. The City 
successfully applied for a SHPO heritage fund grant for the rehabilitation of 
the historically designated Seargeant-Oldaker property located in downtown 
Phoenix, to be relocated and rehabilitated on site to create a restaurant.
Partner advocacy organizations such as Arizona Preservation Foundation, Preserve PHX, Phoenix Historic 
Neighborhoods Coalition, Downtown Voices Coalition and Phoenix Community Alliance focus on a broad 
set of issues impacting historic properties and play a vital role in the community advocating for historic 
preservation issues.
Historic Preservation collaborates with different departments within the City of Phoenix. The Community 
and Economic Development Department (CED) provides dedicated annual funding towards grants for the 
rehabilitation of commercial properties. Work with CED has seen advancement of the GPLET for historic 
preservation adaptive reuse projects which incorporate new development. 
There are 36 residential historic districts, the vast majority of which have formal neighborhood 
organizations. These organizations have served as partners to the HPO in maintaining the historic 
character of their neighborhoods and promoting preservation and fostering connectedness through 
newsletters, street festivals and community spaces.
Grand Ave Festival
Plan Accomplishments and Evolution
Plan Accomplishments and Evolution
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Í Lack of Knowledge, Education, and 
Information
	
Í Insufficient Community Engagement
	
Í Development Pressure
	
Í Existing Regulations
	
Í Inadequacy of Existing Tools
Current Preservation 
Planning
Acknowledging there is historic preservation work yet to be done in 
Phoenix, the City commissioned the firm PlaceEconomics to identify 
ongoing challenges as well as innovative tools and strategies to 
further advance historic preservation goals in Phoenix. During focus 
group interviews in Phoenix, the firm asked the question: What are 
the challenges to historic preservation in Phoenix? Through the 
responses, the firm identified the following themes:
The firm then researched tools and policies used by municipal and 
non-profit historic preservation organizations across the country to 
develop a series of recommendations which resulted in the 
aforementioned report Tools, Strategies, Policies, Incentives for 
Historic Preservation in Phoenix. The recommendations varied in 
complexity, cost, impact, effectiveness and likely stakeholder 
acceptance. 
This report served as the basis for a public participation process with 
city residents that included meetings and a public survey to facilitate 
the historic preservation plan update PreserveHistoricPHX 2025.
Current Preservation Planning
Current Preservation Planning
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Public Participation
Meetings
The HPO kicked off the public participation component of the historic preservation plan update at the first 
public meeting for the City’s 2025 General Plan update. This meeting was held on October 13, 2023, at the 
George Washington Carver Museum. A standalone historic preservation plan update meeting was held in 
person at Burton Barr Library on February 24, 2024, followed by a virtual meeting on March 7, 2024. 
Additional presentations were given on March 9, 2024, to the Downtown Voices Coalition and on April 18, 
2024, to the Phoenix Historic Neighborhoods Coalition. Additionally, a virtual “brownbag” presentation on 
the historic preservation plan update for City employees was held April 9, 2024. 
Participants were asked what they saw as the biggest challenges and opportunities for Historic 
Preservation in Phoenix. Many of the challenges and opportunities identified in the series of public 
meetings fit within the categories identified by PlaceEconomics. 
Development Pressure	
“New development prioritized over 
preservation”
Lack of public engagement
“How to create a community story about 
our historic properties”
Existing Regulations
“Proposition 207”
Inadequacy of Existing Tools
“Lack of significant financial incentives”
Lack of education, knowledge, 
and information
“Loss of knowledgeable historic tradesmen 
to maintain buildings”
Improve regulatory / preservation 
tools
“Prevent buildings from being demolished in 
violation of code”
“Make ability to transfer development rights 
to other properties”
“Overturn Proposition 207”
Improve community education, 
knowledge and public engagement
“Identify role of average citizen and benefit 
for them”
“Involve schools to promote preservation, 
promote cultural awareness of communities”
“Communicate via social media” 
“Proactive meetings with developers”
Challenges
Opportunities
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“Set policies and change codes to make it attractive to do adaptive reuse of established 
buildings.”
“Offering spaces to Local First Arizona businesses in adaptive reuse buildings.”
“Retain old store fronts and low rise / midrise buildings for adaptive reuse. Plant 
more shade trees and return to desert oasis / shade awnings off buildings, no super 
block buildings.”
“Preserve buildings of cultural significance regardless of their grandiose nature. 
Communities of color historically did not have the resources to have the best or most 
"advanced" structures, but their history/legacy is also worth saving.”
“Launch a concerted effort to highlight and celebrate the historic buildings that are 
living in plain sight in our city. Education of our community on the historical buildings 
is important as a start to then communicate the importance of preserving our shared 
history.”
Survey
A public survey was drafted and posted on the City of Phoenix website and promoted on social media. The 
survey garnered 390 responses and began with a whimsical question about what the respondent would do 
to further historic preservation in Phoenix if they had a magic wand. 
Responses included: 
Current Preservation Planning
Current Preservation Planning
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Survey respondents were then asked to identify the top three challenges or threats facing historic 
preservation in Phoenix and were provided specific choices as well as a fillable blank space to include other 
ideas. A breakdown of the responses is below:
Current real estate market conditions are evident in the top four challenges selected by respondents and 
for good reason. Demand for housing and increasing real estate prices have placed direct pressure on 
historic resources. Arguments that existing housing is inefficient or expensive to maintain result in 
proposals for demolition and redevelopment and continue to lead to the loss of historic buildings in 
Phoenix. Additionally, some property owners, unaware of historic preservation requirements, or as a result 
of market conditions, undertake renovation or demolition work without obtaining the necessary plan 
reviews and permits. Respondents expressed concerns about limited enforcement mechanisms and the 
resulting difficulty in ensuring compliance with historic preservation requirements.  
A new state law, A.R.S. § 9-462.13, related to middle housing has heightened the concern of historic 
district residents about the impact of market pressures on their neighborhoods. A.R.S. § 9-462.13 
requires cities to allow up to four units on single-family zoned lots within one mile of a city’s downtown or 
central business district. In Phoenix, while historic districts make up only 1% of the total land area of the 
city, they make up 78% of the single-family zoning acreage within the one-mile area of downtown, making 
them disproportionately impacted by this legislation. The law allows for this additional density, by right, 
but does not prohibit historic preservation plan review. The City of Phoenix Planning and Development 
Department will continue to require historic preservation plan review (demolition and/or new 
construction) on all housing proposals for historically designated properties
As the long-term impacts of A.R.S. § 9-462.13 to historic districts are not yet known, city staff will monitor 
and collect data on new development in historic districts related to middle housing. A report will be 
prepared and presented at each annual work session of the Historic Preservation Commission.  
Redevelopment
Historic places perceived as inefficient and expensive to maintain
Demolition by neglect
Limitations of historic preservation regulatory enforcement
Gentrification
Limitations of designation under Proposition 207  
(Private Property Rights Protection Act)
Other	
Top Three Challenges/Threats to Historic 
Preservation in Phoenix
253
230
91
233
186
63
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Carrying Forward the Five Goals
Tools, Strategies, Policies, Incentives for Historic Preservation in Phoenix focused on identifying challenges 
and opportunities for historic preservation with built environment (historic) resources. Historic 
preservation staff consulted with the CAO to identify continuing challenges to cultural resource 
management. The combination of the data collected by PlaceEconomics, from the CAO and public 
meetings demonstrated that the original five goals identified in PreserveHistoricPHX 2015 continue to 
have relevance and value today.
The recommendations from the PlaceEconomics report and the CAO served as the basis for a number of 
the potential tools queried to respondents in the public survey to help direct the actions the historic 
preservation office, partners and individuals can carry out to achieve the five goals.
Protection of Archaeological Resources
Respondents were asked to identify two new tools for the Protection of Archaeological Resources which 
would provide the most benefit in Phoenix. Respondents prioritized the development of new 
administrative regulations to facilitate the protection of archaeological resources and the formalization of 
compliance guidelines. Respondents also identified tribal representation on the historic preservation 
commission as a need, given the close ties between neighboring tribal communities and Phoenix. With just 
one full-time position in the CAO, respondents also prioritized the creation of permanent cultural resource 
review staff. 
Current Preservation Planning
Current Preservation Planning
Formalize Policies Related to Protection of Archaeological 
ResourcesHistoric places perceived as inefficient and expensive 
to maintain
Tribal Representation on Historic Preservation Commission
Permanent Cultural Resource Review Staff
Zoning Ordinance Enhancement
Survey and Inventory of City Mountain Preserves
Develop Traditional Cultural Property Plan
Other
Policies/Tools for Protection of 
Archaeological Resources
194
133
86
160
115
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Enhance Enforcement for Illegal Alteration/Demolition  
of Designated Properties
Enhance Demolition Delay Practices for Historically Eligible 
Properties 
Explore Historic District Designation under Proposition 207 
(Private Property Rights Protection Act)
Amend the Historic Preservation Zoning Ordinance
Create Formal Survey and Designation Plan
Enhance Demolition Notification Practices
Other
Policies/Tools for Protection of 
Historic Resources
229
118
83
176
94
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Protection of Historic Resources
Respondents were asked when setting new priorities for the Protection of Historic Resources which two 
would provide the most benefit. Priority was given to enhancing existing regulations as they relate to 
demolition and alteration. Amendment of the historic preservation zoning ordinance could include a 
component to enhance enforcement for unpermitted work on designated properties. 
In public hearings on the draft plan, a primary concern expressed about the potential impact of A.R.S. § 
9-462.13 to historic districts relates to the possible demolition of historic dwellings for the construction of 
new multi-family dwellings on the existing parcel.
While A.R.S. § 9-462.13 grants increased rights, it does not alter the provisions of the Historic 
Preservation Ordinance, including the authority to impose a one-year stay of demolition for properties 
with HP overlay zoning. As part of strategies to preserve historic resources, the city may explore amending 
the Historic Preservation Ordinance to allow for the extension of demolition stays beyond one year. Such a 
measure could further discourage speculative redevelopment that undermines the historic character of 
neighborhoods.
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Exploring New Historic Preservation Incentives
Respondents were asked to provide their top two priorities for Exploring New Historic Preservation 
Incentives. The overwhelming response was to build off the existing efforts to provide grant funding 
through general and bond funds followed by a more proactive means to incorporate historic buildings into 
new higher density developments. 
Advocacy for Continued General and Municipal Bond Funding 
for Historic Preservation Grants
Incorporate/adaptively reuse historic commercial buildings 
as part of new development (code/zoning/cost relief)
Encourage Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Development in 
Residential Historic Districts Through the Creation of a  
Design Pattern Book for Streamlined Approval.7
Transferrable Development Rights for Historic Preservation 
(expansion of Sustainability Bonus structure)8
Other
Policies/Strategies for Historic 
Preservation Incentives
282
143
164
132
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7 The City adopted an ADU ordinance (November 2023; revised December 2024) to allow for ADUs in single-family zoning.
8 The City has an existing Sustainability Bonus Credit system for properties within the Downtown Code area which allows points to be obtained for 
rehabilitation or preservation of historic properties to afford things like greater height/density, reduced parking, etc. on a parcel without a historic property 
(transferrable development right). This program could be expanded outside of the Downtown Code area to encompass other sending/receiving zones.
Current Preservation Planning
Current Preservation Planning
In the time since the original public outreach effort prioritized the development of a “pattern book” for 
Accessory Dwelling units (ADUs) the city has begun an initiative to develop standardized accessory 
dwelling unit (ADU) plans that will be preapproved and made available free to the public. Specific designs 
will also be preapproved for historic districts. While noted as “ADU’s” these preapproved plans will 
expedite the permitting of small, sensitively designed housing units which can add density in districts 
under A.R.S. § 9-462.13
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Develop a Formal Community Engagement Plan
Historic Preservation Ombudsman Staff to Educate 
Property Owners on Opportunities for Property 
Rehabilitation/Adaptive Reuse 
Presentations at Neighborhood/Organizational Meetings
Website/Social Media Enhancement
Brown Bag Lunch/Speaker Series
Other
Strategies/Tools for Developing 
Community Awareness
Developing Community Awareness
In setting new priorities for Developing Community Awareness for Historic Preservation, respondents 
were asked for their top two selections. Responses weighed heavily toward creating a formal community 
engagement plan and creating ombudsman staff to assist with rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic 
and historic-age resources. 
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160
215
124
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Promote Partnerships
The survey’s questions about partnerships centered on how internal improvements within the City can 
contribute to positive preservation outcomes. Respondents were asked to provide their top two priorities 
for Promoting Partnerships, and the top priorities identified were to integrate site planning into historic 
preservation plan reviews and to train building inspectors to ensure that onsite work is being carried out 
according to approved historic preservation plans. Broader cross training between different departments 
carrying out plan review was also highlighted. 
Integrate Site Planning into Historic Preservation Plan Reviews
Training Building Inspectors for Review of Work at  
Historic Buildings
Cross Training Between Different Departments Within the City 
Responsible for Plan Review, i.e., Water Services, Street 
Transportation, Fire, etc.
Cross Training Between Different Planning and Development 
Plan Review Sections
Promote use of International Existing Building Code for  
Plan Reviewers for Designated Properties
Other
Strategies/Policies for Promoting  
City Partnerships
109
168
188
216
73
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Information from the public meetings and the survey served as the 
basis for PreserveHistoricPHX 2025, which will guide historic 
preservation program goals and objectives for the next 10 years.
Current Preservation Planning
Current Preservation Planning
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MOVING
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Forward
Forward
Phoenix is a vibrant and dynamic place with many layers of history. Together with 
PlanPHX’s central vision of a “More Connected Phoenix,” PreserveHistoricPHX 2025 
envisions a city linked by an appreciation for its diverse heritage and a desire to sustain 
it for the benefit of present and future generations. 
Vision Statement
Vision Statement
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Loring’s Bazaar Building Exterior, Phoenix, Arizona 
1890. Courtesy McCulloch Brothers Photographs, Greater 
Arizona Collection, Arizona State University Library
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While recognized as a young city, the roots of 21st century Phoenix can be found dating back to 
the Ancestral O’Odham occupation of the Phoenix basin beginning in the first century AD. The 
Huhugam farmed and lived in, what would become known as Phoenix, for 1500 years developing 
an extensive irrigation canal system. As Euro-Americans arrived in the late 1860s and capitalized 
upon the former irrigation canal networks of the Ancestral O’Odham, the area was reshaped. The 
half square mile Phoenix townsite was established in 1870 and Phoenix’s growth into the early 
20th century was tied to its role as a business and banking hub for outlying agricultural 
enterprises. Floods along the Salt River threatened homes and businesses prior to the 
establishment of the Roosevelt Dam in 1911. Streetcars facilitated residential development to the 
north while the railroad tracks to the south served as a functional dividing line between 
communities of color and the majority white population. 
World War II set the stage for new industries to develop in Phoenix resulting in rapid growth in 
the postwar era, the city physically expanding to 17.1 square miles with a population of 106,818 by 
1950. Advocates for racial equality made headway in breaking down color barriers in the 1950s 
and 1960s which impacted where people could work, live and go to school. Inexpensive land 
fueled residential developers such as John F. Long to build master planned communities on the 
outskirts of the city with new shopping centers, schools, and banks to meet the needs of 
suburban dwellers. The low cost of living and surging workforce also drew technology and 
industry to Phoenix to capitalize on land and labor. The city now encompasses 519 square miles 
with a population of 1,674,600. 
Through stories and the tangible reminders of Phoenix’s past we can maintain connections that 
are significant to the community as Phoenix continues to grow and change.
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The following section summarizes the goals, actions to be taken to achieve the goals, the lead(s) 
responsible for carrying out the action and the anticipated timeframe for accomplishment. The 
timeframes for accomplishment are defined as short term (1-3 years), medium term (4-6 years) 
and long term (7-10 years) to reflect the work anticipated to be carried out before the next 
major update of the Historic Preservation Plan to be completed by 2035. Recommendations are 
also included for how Phoenicians can get involved in helping the City meet its goals.
The August annual work session of the Historic Preservation Commission will provide the 
opportunity for staff to report on plan achievements made the prior year and discuss action 
items for the coming year.
Phoenix works collaboratively with community partners to 
identify places of historic and archaeological importance 
and implements strategies for their long-term preservation 
and sustainability.
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The Ancestral O’Odham turned the arid lands of the Salt and 
Gila River valleys and other areas of southern Arizona into lush 
farmlands and thriving villages by building a highly sophisticated system 
of irrigation canals. Many of the canals were so well engineered that Euro and 
Hispanic Americans, arriving in the area in the late 1860s, reused them for their 
own farming needs. In the Salt River Valley, the Ancestral O’Odham built nearly 
a thousand miles of canals that conveyed water to large villages, farmsteads and 
agricultural fields. These resources, as well as petroglyphs and pictographs 
from Native Americans demonstrate the continuum of human occupation from 
the Ancestral O’Odham to the descendent O’Odham Tribes with the historic 
Phoenix townsite reflecting the Euro, Hispanic, Asian, and African American 
influences on the growth and development of the community. 
Goal 1
Protect Archaeological Resources 
	
Í Volunteer at S'eḏav Va’aki Museum or 
as a site steward.
	
Í Support the City Archaeology Office at 
city budget hearings.
‘Onk ‘Akimel: An Ethnohistory and Historiography of Land Use on the Lower Salt River
The City contracted with a consultant to prepare a report that documents the history of 
the Ancestral O’Odham after AD 1450 to provide a greater understanding of the 
continuum of indigenous occupation of the Phoenix basin following the Hohokam era. 
How to Get Involved
Spotlight
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Implementation 
Action
Lead(s)
Timeframe
Increase staffing to carry out compliance 
reviews to meet existing and future 
workloads.
CAO, Arts and Culture, City 
Manager’s Office
Short term
Investigate zoning ordinance 
enhancement to include tribal 
representation on historic preservation 
commission.
HPO, PDD, Arts and Culture, 
City Attorney’s Office
Short term
Amend Historic Preservation Ordinance 
for program and process improvements.
HPO, CAO, City Attorney’s 
Office, PDD, Arts and 
Culture
Short term
Create an Administrative Rule for 
protection of archaeological resources 
and compliance guidance.
CAO, City Manager’s Office
Medium term
Continue survey and inventory of 
Mountain Preserves in conjunction with 
park infrastructure development 
projects with interpretive signage, 
traditional cultural inventories and 
cultural overviews developed as 
appropriate through tribal consultation.
CAO partnering with 
consultants and tribal 
historic preservation 
programs
Long term
Maintain inventory of archaeological 
resources.
CAO
Long term
Goal 1: Protect Archaelogical Resources
Goal 1: Protect Archaelogical Resources
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Historic built environment resources embody Phoenix’s past and 
connect us to our shared heritage. These resources have innumerable 
community benefits such as historic residential districts reflecting the most densely 
populated areas with the greatest urban tree canopy and walkability to parks, libraries, 
and cultural institutions. The majority of the 36 residential historic districts have 
neighborhood associations that sponsor community events and have connective 
elements, such as community gardens. Heritage commercial buildings provide ideal 
incubator space as well as unique accommodations for new small businesses in the 
creative and knowledge sectors and serve as popular locations for legacy owned 
businesses. These buildings, which are often part of the downtown, support the city’s 
cultural identity and create a unique character, contributing to a vibrant downtown. 
Historic-age housing also plays a significant role in existing housing affordability. 
Finally, the “greenest building is the one that is already built,” and retaining these 
resources reduces local landfill waste and the city’s carbon footprint.
Goal 2
Protect Historic Resources 
	
Í Patronize businesses located in historic 
buildings
	
Í Repair rather than replace historic 
windows and other character-defining 
features 
	
Í Support the HPO at city budget 
hearings
	
Í Attend HPC meetings
With the national trend of declining church membership, post-World War II historic-age 
religious properties, particularly those with significant acreage, have been under 
increasing development pressure. As demolition applications for religious properties 
have increased, the City contracted a consultant to complete a post-war religious 
architecture survey and NRHP Multiple Property Documentation Form to assist with the 
identification of significant properties and facilitate designation and preservation of 
significant architecture. 
How to Get Involved
Spotlight
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Implementation 
Action
Lead(s)
Timeframe
Explore demolition delay practices for 
properties identified as eligible for 
historic designation.
HPO, PDD
Short term
Amend Historic Preservation Ordinance 
for program and process improvements.
HPO, City Attorney’s Office, 
PDD
Short term
Create a survey and designation program 
for ethnic heritage properties.
HPO, HP Commission
Short term
Complete context development and 
surveys of post-World War II property 
types.
HPO partnering with 
consultants
Short to 
medium term
Explore creation of honorific Heritage 
Property/District classification.
HPO, PDD
Short to 
medium term
Strengthen enforcement for 
unpermitted alteration and/or 
demolition of designated properties.
HPO, City Attorney’s Office, 
PDD, Neighborhood Services 
Department
Medium term
Investigate ways to mitigate Proposition 
207 concerns when designating historic 
districts.
HPO, City Attorney’s Office, 
PDD
Medium term
Create enhanced design guidelines
HPO partnering with 
consultants
Medium to 
long term
Goal 2: Protect Historic Resources
Goal 2: Protect Historic Resources
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Goal 3
Explore Preservation Incentives 
How to Get Involved
Spotlight
Financial incentives, including grant funds and tax abatement, help 
rehabilitation projects move forward. Programs such as the City’s 
Adaptive Reuse Program not only provide cost savings to customers but also offer 
development guidance, streamlined processes and reduced turnaround times for 
reviews and approvals by PDD. Opportunities exist to encourage adaptive reuse of 
buildings on the PHPR as well as those listed solely on the NRHP. Incentives may include 
direct financial assistance as well as the potential for additional development rights. 
Exploring and encouraging programs such as these is an important way to stimulate 
historic preservation, growth and sustainability in Phoenix.
	
Í Seek grants for preservation activities.
	
Í Encourage owners of properties 
eligible for the State Historic Property 
Tax Reclassification Program to enroll.
	
Í Support future bond elections for 
historic preservation funding. 
 
 
	
Í Support historic preservation grant 
programs at city council budget 
hearings.
	
Í State Level - Advocate for state income 
tax credit program for historic 
property rehabilitation.
	
Í State Level - Advocate for dedicated 
funding for Arizona Heritage Fund 
grant program
The rehabilitation of the historic Masonic Temple serves as a success story of the 
utilization of the Sustainability Bonus Credit system. A developer’s investment of 
$500,000 in exterior rehabilitation and the property owner’s recordation of a 30-year 
conservation easement resulted in an award of 50 sustainability bonus points for the 
developer to utilize at another development side downtown.
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Implementation 
Action
Lead(s)
Timeframe
Encourage sensitively designed ADUs in 
residential historic districts through the 
creation of standardized plans.
HPO, PDD
Short term
Explore expansion of sustainability bonus 
credits along light rail corridors and 
other locations outside of Downtown 
Code area. 
HPO, PDD
Short to 
medium term
Develop tools that encourage and 
facilitate the rehabilitation and adaptive 
reuse of historic buildings and potential 
heritage commercial buildings.
HPO, PDD, HPC, City Council
Medium to 
long term
Goal 3: Explore Preservation Incentives
Goal 3: Explore Preservation Incentives
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Developing community awareness of heritage resources serves to 
connect residents to Phoenix’s past, broadens understanding of the 
economic, environmental, social and cultural benefits of these resources and assists 
property owners with an understanding of the requirements of owning a historic 
property. Educating policy makers, property owners, architects, other City departments, 
contractors, real estate professionals and others is essential when maintaining a 
historic preservation program. The City of Phoenix needs to empower its residents with 
the tools and information to stimulate more historic preservation projects. 
Goal 4
Develop Community Awareness 
	
Í Attend neighborhood tours and events 
at city historic parks
	
Í Investigate the history of a historic 
property or neighborhood
	
Í Learn about rehabilitating a historic 
property
	
Í Share information with the public on 
the benefits of historic preservation to 
gain support to address Proposition 
207
In honor of Historic Preservation Month, the Historic Preservation Office has hosted a 
Phoenix History Trivia Night for three years. This lively and popular event engages folks 
who are interested in Phoenix History and historic buildings. Some come to seriously 
compete and others come to enjoy the festivities, all experience a connection with the 
stories of Phoenix’s past. The 2024 trivia night took place at Memorial Hall at Steele 
Indian School Park (the site of the historic Phoenix Indian School). 
How to Get Involved
Spotlight
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Implementation 
Action
Lead(s)
Timeframe
Enhance social media presence and 
website content.
HPO, Public Information 
Office (PIO)
Short term
Create an HP 101 Series to include 
handouts and presentations for public 
education.
HPO, PIO, CAO
Short term
Present on relevant HP topics at 
neighborhood and organization meetings 
to include Village Planning Committee 
meetings 
HPO
Short to long 
term
Celebrate preservation successes 
through events, awards and other 
recognition methods.
HPO, PDD, PIO
Short to long 
term
Develop educational tools for real estate 
professionals.
HPO
Medium term
Partner with Office of Customer 
Advocacy to educate property owners on 
programs for the rehabilitation/adaptive 
reuse of historic and heritage 
commercial buildings.
HPO, PDD
Medium term
Develop a formal community 
engagement plan.
HPO partnering with 
consultants and community
Medium to 
long term
Goal 4: Develop Community Awareness
Goal 4: Develop Community Awareness
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Historic preservation, when it is most effective, is the work of all 
parts of the community and all divisions of government. Neighborhood 
groups, historic-home owners, educators, public officials and historic preservation 
professionals and advocates join together to develop priorities, list historic properties 
and preserve the history of Phoenix for future generations. City of Phoenix departments 
and sections work together to prioritize and facilitate the protection and adaptive reuse 
of heritage resources. 
Goal 5
Promote Partnerships 
	
Í Attend events sponsored by 
preservation organizations
	
Í Volunteer at a historic park or event
	
Í Attend the meeting of a historic 
neighborhood association or other 
historic preservation organization or 
serve on the board
The leadership of the Sunnyslope Historical Society has become actively engaged in the 
identification of properties within the Sunnyslope area of Phoenix that are eligible for 
historic designation and working with properties owners to seek listing in the Phoenix 
Historic Property Register. The Thompson (also known as Sunnyslope) Rock Garden is 
one such property. Grover Cleveland Thompson acquired the property in 1954 and 
began the development of this rock garden which he continued to work on over the next 
two decades of his life. This unique folk-art environment includes free-form concrete 
and mortar, statuary, native rock and cast concrete pieces with tile mosaics that 
emulate people, places, and buildings. The property and art have continued to be cared 
for by the current property owner who acquired it in 1978.
How to Get Involved
Spotlight
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Implementation 
Action
Lead(s)
Timeframe
Integrate site plan reviews into historic 
preservation plan reviews.
HPO, PDD
Short term
Develop cross training program between 
building inspectors and historic 
preservation planners. 
HPO, PDD
Short term
Partner with tribal historic preservation 
offices (THPOs) to better understand 
and promote the protection of cultural 
resources.
CAO, THPOs
Short to long 
term
Partner with community organizations 
and preservation professionals to better 
protect historic and cultural resources.
HPO, community 
organizations
Short to long 
term
Increase dialogue with other City 
departments to ensure historic 
preservation goals and objectives are 
reflected in the goals and objectives of 
those departments.
HPO, PDD, Streets, Water 
Services
Medium term
Explore opportunities to form a City-
affiliated historic preservation non-
profit.
HPO, PDD, City Attorney’s 
Office
Long term
Goal 5: Promote Partnerships
Goal 5: Promote Partnerships
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Bibliography & Further Reading
Benefits of Historic Preservation
Mason, Randall. “Economics and Historic Preservation: A Guide and Review of the Literature.” A Discussion 
Paper Prepared for the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program. Washington, D.C.: The 
Brookings Institution, September 2005.
National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services. Historic Preservation is Inherently a Sustainable 
Practice. Sustainability - Technical Preservation Services (U.S. National Park Service). Accessed January 
8, 2025.
National Trust for Historic Preservation. Why Do Old Places Matter? Economics. Why Do Old Places 
Matter? Economics | National Trust for Historic Preservation. January 8, 2025.
PlaceEconomics. Measuring the Economics of Preservation: Recent Findings. Washington, D.C.: Advisory 
Council on Historic Preservation. June 2011.
PlaceEconomics. Profits Through Preservation: The Economic Impact of Historic Preservation in Utah. Salt 
Lake City, UT: Utah Heritage Foundation, July 2013.
PlaceEcomonics. Preservation Phoenix Style. Phoenix, AZ: City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office, 
October 2021.
Rypkema, Donovan. The Economics of Preservation: A Community Leader's Guide, 2nd ed. Washington D.C.: 
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2005. 
History of Preservation in Phoenix
Ad Hoc/Historic Preservation Advisory Panel 2000-2002. Summary of 2002 Recommendations and 
Implementation Status. Government Document, City of Phoenix, 2004.
Hernandez, Ruben, ed. “A Legacy Lost and Found: Finding our Latino Roots in the History of Phoenix.” 
Phoenix: Latino Perspectives Media, 2007.
Historic Preservation Commission and Office. Ten Vital Years in the History of Phoenix. Government 
Document, City of Phoenix, 1996 
Johnson, Ian P. Historic Preservation in the Phoenix Metro Area: History, Current Challenges, Ongoing 
Struggles. Master's Thesis, Arizona State University, Department of History, Tempe. December 2007.
Phoenix Ad Hoc Committee on Historic Preservation. Phoenix Ad Hoc Committee on Historic Preservation 
Final Report, June 1985. Government Document, City of Phoenix, 1985.
National Historic Preservation Act as Amended, 2016, Section 106 Review
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Protecting Historic Properties: A Citizen's Guide to Section 106 
Review. Government Document, Washington, D.C.: Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 2010, 28. 
Available at: CitizenGuideSmallSizeFinal4Web.indd. Accessed January 8, 2025.
Arizona State Parks, State Historic Preservation Office. Review and Compliance. Historic Preservation 
Compliance Consult | Arizona State Parks. Accessed January 8, 2025.
Congressional Research Service. The Federal Role in Historic Preservation: An Overview. The Federal Role 
in Historic Preservation: An Overview. Accessed January 8, 2025
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Grants & Incentives
Arizona State Parks, State Historic Preservation Office. State Historic Property Tax Reclassification (SPT) 
for Owner-Occupied Homes. State Historic Property Tax Reclassification | Arizona State Parks. Accessed 
January 8, 2025.
National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services. Tax Incentives for Preserving Historic Properties. 
Historic Preservation Tax Incentives (U.S. National Park Service). Accessed January 8, 2025. 
U.S. Department of the Treasury. Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, New Market Tax 
Credit. New Markets Tax Credit Program | Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. 
Accessed January 8, 2025.
Technical Advice
City of Phoenix. Historic Preservation Documents & Publications. Planning and Development 
HistoricPreservation Publications Accessed January 8, 2025.
National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the 
Rehabilitation and Illustrated Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. rehabilitation-
guidelines-1997.pdf. Accessed January 8, 2025.
	
. Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning, Treatment and Management of Historic Landscapes. 
Preservation Briefs 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes. Accessed January 8, 2025.
	
. How to Preserve: Preservation Briefs. Preservation Briefs - Technical Preservation Services (U.S. 
National Park Service). Accessed January 8, 2025.
	
. How to Preserve: Preservation Tech Notes. Preservation Tech Notes - Technical Preservation 
Services (U.S. National Park Service). Accessed January 8, 2025. 
	
. Improving Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings. Preservation Brief 3: Improving Energy 
Efficiency in Historic Buildings. Accessed January 8, 2025.
	
. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation & Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability 
for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings. Illustrated Guidelines on Sustainability for Rehabilitating Historic 
Buildings. Accessed January 8, 2025.
PlaceEconomics. Tools, Strategies, Policies, Incentives for Historic Preservation in Phoenix. Phoenix, AZ: City 
of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office, December 2023.
Bibliography & Further Reading
Bibliography & Further Reading
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PHOENIX
POLICIES INCENTIVES
TOOLS STRATEGIES
COMPLETED BY PLACEECONOMICS FOR THE CITY OF PHOENIX  |  DECEMBER 2023
for Historic Preservation in
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PHOENIX
POLICIES INCENTIVES
TOOLS STRATEGIES
COMPLETED BY PLACEECONOMICS FOR THE CITY OF PHOENIX  |  DECEMBER 2023
for Historic Preservation in
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Archaeoogical Site 
Etiquete Guide 
Help Preserve Archaeological Sites
Artifacts, in context (where they 
lie), tell a story. Once they are 
moved, a piece of the past is 
destroyed forever. Digging, 
removing artifacts, or piling them 
up changes what can be learned 
from these pieces of the past.
Walls are fragile and continually 
deteriorating. Climbing, sitting 
or standing on walls can 
damage them. Picking up or 
moving rocks alters the walls 
forever.
Fragile desert plants and soils 
that are part of archaeological 
sites are destroyed when you 
stray from the trail. Please stay 
on trails…they are there for your 
protection.
Fire destroys prehistoric organic 
materials, impairs the potential 
for chronometric dating, and 
damages or even destroys rock 
art by covering it with soot. 
Absolutely no fires, candles, or 
smoking 
should 
occur 
at 
archaeological sites.
Pets can damage sites by digging, or depositing their waste 
in them. Please do not bring pets into archaeological sites.
Oils from even the cleanest 
hands can cause deterioration 
of prehistoric drawings and 
destroy the dating potential 
for future scientists trying to 
unravel 
the 
meaning 
of 
symbols painted and pecked 
on stone. Please refrain from 
touching rock art.
Graffiti (drawing, painting, 
scratching and carving) is 
destructive and can destroy 
rock art, as well as deface 
wood and stone buildings. 
Graffiti destroys rock art 
and architecture.
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Camping and 
Driving
Archaeological
Protection Laws
Vandalism
Avoid driving or riding your 
bicycle through sites; pitching 
your camp in a site; dismantling 
historic buildings for firewood 
or any other use; and camping 
or making campfires in any 
historic building.
All archaeological sites on federal 
and tribal lands in Arizona are 
protected by the Archaeological 
Resources Protection Act and 
archaeological sites on state 
lands are protected by the 
Arizona Antiquities Act. These 
laws prohibit digging, removing 
artifacts, 
damaging, 
and/or 
defacing archaological resources 
and provide for related felony and 
misdemeanor prosecution with 
imprisonment and fines.
If you see people vandalizing sites, 
please report it as soon as possible 
by calling 1-800-VANDALS.   
Obtain as much information about 
the people without putting yourself 
in danger. Do not confront them! 
They may be dangerous.
By following these simple guidelines, you can help preserve 
these unique and fragile remnants of our American heritage. 
Thanks for your cooperation, and we hope you enjoy visiting 
archaeological sites in Arizona!
Archaeological sites are non-renewable resources. 
Help us preserve America’s cultural heritage!
For more information on site etiquette, becoming a site steward 
and Arizona's historic places, visit Arizona State Parks 
State Historic Preservation Office 
[azstateparks.com/SHPO/index.html] Website.
Archaeological Site Etiquette Guide
Archaeological Site Etiquette Guide
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