Downtown Lowdown
{Send your “lowdown” to Jamie Manser, jamie@downtowntucson.org}
Downtown Icon Moves
Just three years shy of a half-decade’s residency at 37 W. Congress St., Perri Jewelers relocated to 13 N. Stone Ave. this month.
Steve Perri took the reins last fall after his father, Simon Perri, had a stroke.
“Because of his stroke and the Fox expansion, our original thought was to close,” the Salpointe Catholic High School English teacher said. “As I ran this with the intention of going out of business, I realized I couldn’t let it go out of business.
“On a daily basis I would hear stories about my father being an icon. I want to continue what Dad has been doing all these years. So I’m giving it a shot.”
Perri Jewelers will continue to do watch and jewelry repair and is streamlining its merchandise as a result of moving into the smaller space.
A Little Piece of Milano
While Caffe Milano is losing its west end to become an emergency exit for the Fox Theatre, it’s expanding to the east.
Owners Carlo and Laura Borella are taking over the lease of Perri Jewelers.
The café, 46 W. Congress St., was established five years ago when the Borellas moved to Tucson.
“We saw an ad in the paper – no one was doing what we were doing,” Carlo said.
“We just walked by (the storefront) and liked the people walking along the street,” Laura added in an affable Italian accent.
“We got a good response from downtown workers, all word of mouth!” Carlo smiled, gesturing with his right arm to the office towers in the area.
Carlo envisions “a nice patio outside – real Italian, rustic, some modern. Nothing fancy, just cool.
“With the new place, we plan to stay open later in the week and when there are things happening downtown.”
Construction is scheduled to start next month after the couple returns from their annual trip to Milano. On this vacation, they will learn how to make gelato.
The Italian ice cream will be a lovely addition to an already delectable and affordable menu that is available for catering.
Caffe Milano’s summer siesta starts June 11 with a re-opening scheduled for July 12.
Not Just Java
Ten years ago, Not Just Java was nothing but a small coffee cart operated by Juan Ley near Stone and Pennington. After a few months, Ley decided to expand, and moved into the space at 33 N. Stone, Suite 150. Now, two proprietors later, Amanda Lovatt owns the casual coffee shop.
“I love downtown. Before, I only came here to pay tickets,” Lovatt says. “But a different group of people work down here.”
Lovatt came across a small classified ad about a year ago that read, “Coffee shop for sale.” Owning a small business had been Lovatt’s dream, and she loved the space, so she took it over.
“I changed some things around when we opened. I took out the juicer, and added pastries and an assortment of smoothies, because it gets so hot in the summer.” Lattes, iced teas, hot chocolate, and other tasty coffee shop drinks are also featured at Not Just Java, and any of them can be placed on your own personal tab.
Plaza News and Gifts
Only a limited few are privy to Plaza News and Gifts, despite its twenty-year residency in the heart of downtown.
June Hale, who has owned the cozy gift shop since mid-January, would like to see that change.
“People come in and tell me that they’ve worked downtown for years and had no idea this place was here,” she says. It’s not surprising - Suite 120 is tucked away like a buried treasure inside the Bank of America Plaza at 33 N. Stone, and can only be seen from inside.
The store has a variety of accoutrements at modest prices. Soothing music constantly plays from a small stereo, calming the nerves of every customer.
“This store is like an oasis where people can come to distract themselves from every-day life,” Hale says. Seeing her customers relaxed and at ease increases her pride for her business, as well as Downtown in general.
“The people here are so friendly. I just can’t get over the quaintness of it,” Hale says.
Contemporary Concepts
Contemporary Concepts celebrated its third year at 690 E. 19th St. last month, and the vocational training program for people with disabilities is looking to start a new venture. Beyond landscaping, yard maintenance and hauling, the agency plans to help members of their clientele start ‘micro-enterprises.’
“Our company loans him the money to start his own business, then the individual pays the company back for their expenses. In effect, the individual becomes the sole owner of this small business,” said Support Supervisor Eric Johnson.
CC is the biggest branch of Community Psychology & Education Services (CPES) and is also associated with Contemporary Closets.
Presidio Heritage Park Approved for Funding
Two hundred thirty years after the walled presidio of Tucson was established, a portion of it will be re-created and turned into an historic attraction for Downtown. Next year construction of the Presidio Heritage Park will get underway at the southwest corner of Church and Washington. The site was the northeast corner of Tucson’s original walled presidio, a compound that protected early Tucson from Apache raids.
The Rio Nuevo District Board approved funding in May for the first of three proposed phases of the Tucson Origins Project, which includes the Presidio as well as the Mission San Agustin on the west side of the Santa Cruz. The approved funding covers construction of the Presidio Heritage Park, along with environmental remediation in preparation of the reconstruction of the Mission San Agustin, or Convento, and the re-creation of the Mission Gardens, near Mission Road and “A” Mountain. The $11.8 million authorization from Rio Nuevo includes $400,000 to fund the first two years of operation of the to-be-created Tucson Origins, Inc., a non-profit group that will undertake fund-raising and management of the project. The District Board approved funding for phase one of a master plan which anticipates the development of the Mission San Agustin Heritage Park on the west side.
And the award goes to…
Last month, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (TSO) received the Governor’s Arts Award in the Community Category. In his nomination of TSO Major Bob Walkup said, “As Tucson’s mayor, I understand that a strong and vibrant arts community provides invaluable momentum for economic growth, creates jobs, and provides greatly needed revenue for our community. The Tucson Symphony Orchestra has been a steadfast anchor and an essential part of Tucson’s growing reputation as a highly desirable place to live and work.” TSO is currently celebrating 75 years with its Diamond Jubilee Season.
The Tucson Downtown Alliance, parent organization of It’s Happening Downtown and the Downtown Tucsonan, was recognized as one of the Best Workplaces for Commuters by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last month. Over 90% of TDA employees use alternative modes of transportation and TDA participates in Sun Tran’s Get On Board program.
Art in the City – Saturday, June 12
The second Saturday of June will see Downtown come vibrantly alive with art as the centerpiece! Art in the City includes the Central Tucson Gallery Association’s Summer Art Cruise, Tucson Arts District Partnership’s Art Square Market & Music Concert, Tucson Museum of Art’s Island Hoppin’ party and Growing Poetry Productions and The FunKtional Adix’s 8th Annual Poetry Crawl. See the spotlight event on page 12. Other Downtown employers include City of Tucson, Pima County, The Pima Association of Governments, and the federal building.
Pharmaceuticals Lab Locates on 6th Street
After looking for almost two years for lab space near the University of Arizona, ProlX Pharmaceuticals Corp. has located its office and lab at 221 E. 6th St., between 4th Avenue and the Warehouse District. ProlX moved to Tucson from Pittsburgh and has been temporarily quartered with the Greater Tucson Economic Council. The company signed a seven-year lease on the 6,500-square-foot space, half of which will be built out for a laboratory. ProlX develops cancer drugs and conducts clinical trials at the UA Cancer Center. Initially, the company expects to employ four people on-site.
Focus on Downtown Housing
As downtown’s real estate market continues to heat up, recent seminars have focused on the boom in residential products.
In April, John Wesley Miller Companies and the Tucson Association of Realtors hosted a downtown real estate luncheon for Tucson’s realtors. Presentations by several downtown developers helped dispel the idea that downtown was unsafe and an unattractive place to buy a home, reasons why unfamiliar realtors tend to ignore the area when entertaining a client.
Michael Keith, developer of the Franklin Court project, emphasized how his buyers like the convenience of walking to dinner or a play. Randi Dorman and Rob Paulus, developers of the Ice House Lofts and Barrio Metalico, showcased their development which they say have that “unique New York loft style” that people are looking for. John Wesley Miller presented his project, Armory Park del Sol, and emphasized the importance of using environmentally sound construction.
In May, Armory Park del Sol hosted another luncheon, this time in association with the Arizona-Kazakhstan Partnership. In attendance were a group of realtors from Almaty City, Tucson’s sister city in Kazakhstan, in town to study Tucson’s real estate business and learn about inner city development. Miller presented the history of the Armory Park del Sol project and led our sister city visitors on a tour, including to the home of Jose and Marciala Reyes, owners of Armory Park del Sol’s first zero net energy home.
Luba Utkelova said her visit to Tucson was a chance to see how the real estate community worked. “The idea that real estate companies can support each other and that lenders, appraisers, brokers, and developers can all work together is a good model for us to follow,” she said. “Almaty City is just now beginning to form an association of realtors and the real estate market in Kazakhstan is progressing rapidly.” Utkelova recently purchased an old hotel in the center of Almaty with the hopes of fixing it up.
On May 13, the City of Tucson hosted a “show and tell” meeting at the Manning House to showcase the hundreds of Downtown-area residential units that are on the market or in the design and development stage. The City’s goal of “jump-starting” the Downtown housing market with 2,000 new units is well on its way to exceeding that benchmark.
UA Hires Internationally-renowned Architect to Design Science Center
Described by University of Arizona President Peter Likins as a “world-famous architect who is also humble”, Rafael Viñoly was chosen to design what could become an icon for Tucson, the UA Science Center. Viñoly told the media at a Flandrau Science Center press conference on May 7 that “there is an advantage to being totally foreign to a place” in that you come with a fresh perspective, and that “you’ve got to let your imagination run a while before you put anything on paper.” The first 90 days of the design process will be spent reviewing public input received at last year’s “Building Bridges” conference and an Architectural Town Hall held this past March, as well as design work done to-date by Ralph Appelbaum Associates, which developed the concept of the center as a symbolic and literal bridge.
Viñoly, who has offices in New York and London and has won numerous design awards for landmark projects around the world, including the Tokyo International Forum and Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, was selected from among 32 architectural teams hailing from 5 countries, that responded to the University of Arizona’s Request for Qualifications. He has won the Medal of Honor from the American Institute of Architects, and lectures widely around the U.S. and abroad. Viñoly’s firm limits its workload so that each project can receive his individual attention as the principal designer.
Underscoring Viñoly’s commitment to listening and participating in an open collaborative process, he said, “It’s no fun to just bring in, and sell, a solution. It’s more interesting to fight for the design in a collective way. It generates more civic pride.”
The UA Science Center is scheduled for completion in 2008 and will be a major anchor on both sides of the Santa Cruz River and I-10.
Thrifty Block Developer Chosen This Month
In June, the City of Tucson will announce the developer selected to redevelop the Thrifty Block site on Congress. The City will demolish the structures most recently occupied by Talk of the Town restaurant, Thrifty Drug, and Field’s Jewelers, and turn the site over for private development of retail and residential spaces.
Last month a group of activists protested the Talk of the Town buildings demolition despite findings by historic preservation officials that it is not historically significant. The Indian Village Trading Post building will be spared and renovated.
Corrections
In the April issue, we inadvertently left out a Downtowner who was a nominee for the Sonoran Institute’s Cele Peterson Community Betterment Award. Mark Crum is a longtime Armory Park resident, who has shown leadership in community issues, including working to enhance neighborhood access for handicapped citizens. We also dropped Kirstin Eidenbach’s (of Beloved Body) phone number. That number was 977-8604. The Downtown Tucsonan regrets the omissions.
