NOVEMBER 2003
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Downtown Lowdown{Downtown Lowdown is written and photographed by Jamie Manser, jamie@downtowntucson.org} Worthy of PreservationIn September, the State Historic Preservation Office added eight Downtown properties to the list of National Register of Historic Places. The register is the fed’s list of properties that are considered worthy of preservation. To be considered, the property must be at least 50 years old and retain original architectural integrity. The buildings include: Arizona Hotel (31-47 N. 6th Avenue), First Hittinger Block (116 E. Congress St.), Fox Theatre (17 W. Congress St.), Hotel Congress (303-311 E. Congress St.), Chicago Store (130 E. Congress St.), Rialto Building (300-320 E. Congress St.), Rialto Theatre (318 E. Congress St.), and Valley National Bank (2 E. Congress, currently the Bank One tower). More Salvation!
Years of effort by a core of individuals who gained access to funding by public and private donors restored it and made the location a center of community activity. Last month, the Historic Stone Avenue Temple was honored as the recipient of one of 15 national preservation honor awards presented by the National Trust for Historic Preservation at its 2003 National Preservation Conference in Denver. “The Historic Stone Avenue Temple is a great example of preservation in action,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust. “This dedicated group of people has not only restored a historic building, they have restored this community’s pride in its rich cultural heritage. The new community center is sure to provide excellent opportunities for learning and cultural exchange.” For more information and images on the 2003 National Preservation Award winners, visit www.nationaltrust.org. Rio Development Company Selected to Develop West Congress SiteThe City of Tucson has selected Rio Development Company L.L.C. to develop a 12.8-acre site on West Congress Street between the Santa Cruz River and Grande Avenue. The development company is proposing to build 200 housing units and 16,000 square feet of retail/commercial space. The housing is slated to be a mix of 116 affordable and market rate single-family, attached and detached homes, 60 apartments and 24 townhomes.
The Rio Development builder team is made up of four local builders: Tom Wuelpern, Michael Keith, Jim Gray and Dante Archangeli. The architectural team is Oscar Machado, Paul Weiner and Stephanos Polyzoides of Moule & Polyzoides. The engineering firm is WLB Group and the managing partner is Gerald Dixon. Five development groups had submitted proposals, but Rio Development was selected by a five-member review team. Solidifying Our CommunityLast month, The Westside Coalition of Neighborhoods received official recognition of its “Weed and Seed” efforts. Operation Weed and Seed is a two-pronged strategy that aims to prevent, control and reduce violent crime, drug abuse and gang activity in neighborhoods by weeding out criminals and seeding the area with human services that prevent criminal activity from occurring, via prevention, intervention and neighborhood revitalization. The first step to establishing a Weed and Seed program is to receive an official nod from the U.S. Department of Justice. Upon that, the recognized community will be privy to receiving resources from Federal agencies, inclusive of federally sponsored training as well as eligibility to compete for the Department of Justice Weed and Seed funds. The Westside Coalition of Neighborhoods is comprised of Barrio Anita, Barrio Blue Moon, Barrio Hollywood, Dunbar Springs, El Rio, Menlo Park and Silverpark. For information on how to establish Weed and Seed in your neighborhood, log on: www.ojp.usdoj.gov/eows. And the Award Goes to…
Chili Cook-Off: Spicy Wrap-UpLast month, 22 different teams of firefighters whipped up almost 600 gallons of chili to raise money for the Adopt-A-Family program. The annual Firefighters’ Chili Cook-off was held October 24 in El Presidio Park. The program provides low-income families with Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets, along with daily necessities – such as toothbrushes and underwear. Committee member Rose Wade said that last year they were able to provide over 300 Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets from the proceeds of the Chili Cook-off. Saying GoodbyeLast month, Downtown lost another denizen to the ever after. Samuel Manuel Hernandez Martinez, who had recently turned 100 years old, passed away. He was recognizable as the elderly man who pushed a grocery cart chock-full of soda cans. He not only cleaned up cans, but was also the spark that ignited Barbara Seyda’s creative flame. According to an October 3 article in the Tucson Citizen, Seyda met Martinez in the fall of 1997 and inspired her to write “Nomads of a Desert City.” The book, which features Martinez’s story, was published in 2001. Putting Tucson on the MapIt was none other than a local Tucsonan’s documentary of a Brazilian artist that kicked off the Independent Television Service’s “Independent Lens” series on PBS October 16.
The 56-minute film has an intimacy with the subject that whips along seamlessly between ever-changing camera angles, film and color of the artist, his life and his art. The crew follows his retrospective as it winds its way through New York City, Chicago, Paris and good ole Tucson. Read more at http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/worstpossibleillusion/. If you are interested in the show being re-broadcasted, contact local PBS affiliate KUAT at 621-5828 or at www.kuat.org. El Tour de TucsonAn estimated 6,000 cyclists are expected to participate in the Perimeter Bicycling Association of America’s 21st annual El Tour de Tucson this month. The event – which is America’s largest perimeter bicycling event for cyclists of all ages and abilities – will feature six different rides on Saturday, November 22, with the 109-mile El Tour and the two El Tour Kids’ Fun Rides beginning and ending Downtown at the Tucson Convention Center. The event will benefit Tu Nidito Children and Family Services, a non-profit organization that assists individuals and families as they deal with serious illness and death. Cyclists who raise $1,000 or more for Tu Nidito will receive special prizes. According to the association’s website, www.pbaa.com, El Tour de Tucson is its flagship event that annually attracts thousands of cyclists from all over the world. Southwest Airlines magazine, “Spirit,” declared El Tour de Tucson “One of the premier organized rides in the United States,” and Bicycling Magazine has ranked El Tour as “One of the top three fundraising rides” in the country. Registration closes on Thursday, November 20 or upon reaching 6,500 cyclists. Check the PBAA website or call 745-2033 for more information. Welcome Downtown!La Placita Village is the new home to Kaneen Advertising and Public Relations, Inc., whose previous address was on the east side at 6079 E. Grant Rd. Kaneen is now in Suite 3350 at La Placita (110 S. Church Ave.). Tapestry of Tucson
The project was initiated in 1997 by the Mayor and Council, along with the TCC Commission, and is designed to provide insight to the various cultures that have shaped this community. The groups that comprise the exhibit include the African-American Heritage Group, the Chinese-American Heritage Group, the European-American Heritage Group, the Hispanic Heritage Group, the Jewish Heritage Group, the Jacome Medallions, and the Native American Heritage Group. These groups had to raise funds to finance their exhibits, and the TCC matched those funds with the B2B Grant money. After lying dormant for a few years, the exhibition is slated to open in January. Grant Me the Money!On October 17, Mayor Bob Walkup announced the winners of this year’s Back to Basics awards. The City of Tucson awarded 17 Downtown-area projects Back to Basics grants. Back to Basics is funded this year through a combination of federal (CDBG) and state (HURF) funds, with an emphasis on right-of-way improvements. A total of $350,500 was granted this year. The recipients include:
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Nine years ago, the Stone Avenue Temple at 564 S. Stone Ave. was purchased as a structure in disrepair. Built in 1910, the building was constructed to serve as a Jewish temple and in fact was the first synagogue in the Arizona Territory. After almost four decades of use, the congregation moved, and the building was left alone.
“Rio Development’s proposal has precisely the diversity of housing, construction materials, and design principals from the “Building From the Best of Tucson” project to blend in with the Menlo Park neighborhood and help set the tone for future development in Rio Nuevo,” said City Manager James Keene. 
Congratulations to Johnny Gibson—barber, weightlifting and fitness legend, World War II veteran, and Downtown businessman for 50 years—for winning the quarterly Mayor’s Heart of Downtown Award last month. The former Mr. Tucson and Mr. Arizona titleholder was honored at El Charro Café in a ceremony that was open to the public. Guests related stories of how Johnny had touched their lives and impacted the sport of weightlifting in America. Although Johnny sold his barber shop a couple years ago, you can still experience a Johnny Gibson haircut every Tuesday at his old shop, now Curley’s Barber Shop, at 53 N. 6th Ave.
Emblematic of the collective unconscious and its ability to explore, seek and imagine, Anne-Marie Russell’s “Worse Possible Illusion: The Creative Cabinet of Vik Muniz” finds the perfect microcosm of humanity’s deep-seeded drives in the fun-loving, politically and emotionally conscientious, medium-twisting creative artist/photographer/sculptor Muniz. 
In the last year, the Tucson Convention Center Commission has received Back to Basics grants to help its Tapestry of Tucson exhibit grow.