Ralph Haver Design
Wow, a Ralph Haver Home in Windermere just has come on the market!
To find out more about Ralph Haver and his designs I highly recommend to visit www.modernphoenix.net.
Modern Phoenix is a quarterly online magazine and message board that features photos and articles about classic midcentury modern, PoMo and Moko design & architecture in Phoenix, Arizona. Includes lots of contemporary architecture with modernist influences and renovations of classic modern homes. Interactive message boards provide a forum for modern Phoenicians to network, report modern neighborhood sightings and share renovation ideas. Modfx is the web's leading resource for online content about Arizona's celebrated architects Ralph Haver and Al Beadle.
Also, there was a an article in the Arizona Republic about the Scottsdale City Council designating two 1950's neighborhood as historic.
To read the article follow: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/northeastvalleyopinions/articles/0607sr-edit07.html
Scottsdale may be young, but it does have a past
Council should approve historic designations for neighborhoods
Jun. 7, 2005 12:00 AM
The Scottsdale Planning Commission's recommendation to deny the historic status confused and upset some supporters. Commissioners were doing their job by scrutinizing the property-rights implications of the designations. Homeowners would relinquish some rights to do what they want with their houses.
But the council should not hesitate to approve the historic-preservation overlays for the two neighborhoods.
Private-property rights always are of concern, and historic status shouldn't ever be forced on a neighborhood. But in these cases, the neighbors overwhelmingly support the historic status. According to Scottsdale spokeswoman Robin Meinhart, city officials took the neighborhood pulse at every step of the way through an exhausting and comprehensive public process. The idea wouldn't have moved forward if there was any significant opposition, she said.
And these subdivisions do have historical merit. The 1950s might not seem historic to some people, but the decade wasn't exactly yesterday, either. Scottsdale incorporated in 1951.
Town and Country Scottsdale, near Scottsdale Road and Oak Street, includes houses designed by the late Ralph Haver, a postwar 20th century Valley architect who has gained a growing cult of devotees and admirers. Among them is local growth expert Grady Gammage Jr., who suggested that Scottsdale focus on its Haver neighborhoods at a 2003 Scottsdale Republic forum on the "Which Way Scottsdale?" policy study.
Among other Valley landmarks, Haver designed the fondly remembered original Cine Capri movie theater, which opened in 1966 at 24th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix. He died in 1987 in Scottsdale.
Village Grove 1-6, northeast of 66th Street and McDowell Road, is from the same period. No Haver connection, but a city report notes that 92 percent of the houses still contribute to its "historic character, which is the highest level of integrity among the large-scale tract developments associated with Scottsdale's 1950s developments."
Both neighborhoods deserve the city's protection. The council should approve both requests.
Scottsdale can be proud of its history, even if the community remains a young one compared with other cities.
A combination of preserving its classic neighborhoods and conscientiously restoring some of its other important properties, as is happening with the historic Hotel Valley Ho, will ensure that the best of the old Scottsdale is not lost in the rush to build the new.
Scottsdale is in transition, particularly downtown and in the south.
Massive public and private investment is remaking the city south of Chaparral Road. The Scottsdale Waterfront and the Arizona State University Scottsdale Center for New Technology and Innovation are just the beginning. If city leaders and residents want to make sure its history is preserved, now is the time to do something about it.
The Scottsdale City Council today will consider designating two 1950s neighborhoods as historic. If approved, the Town and Country Scottsdale and Village Grove 1-6 subdivisions would be historic in two ways. Not only are they fine examples of Eisenhower-era homes, but they also would be Scottsdale's first officially declared historic neighborhoods.
Massive public and private investment is remaking the city south of Chaparral Road. The Scottsdale Waterfront and the Arizona State University Scottsdale Center for New Technology and Innovation are just the beginning. If city leaders and residents want to make sure its history is preserved, now is the time to do something about it.
The Scottsdale City Council today will consider designating two 1950s neighborhoods as historic. If approved, the Town and Country Scottsdale and Village Grove 1-6 subdivisions would be historic in two ways. Not only are they fine examples of Eisenhower-era homes, but they also would be Scottsdale's first officially declared historic neighborhoods.
The Scottsdale Planning Commission's recommendation to deny the historic status confused and upset some supporters. Commissioners were doing their job by scrutinizing the property-rights implications of the designations. Homeowners would relinquish some rights to do what they want with their houses.
But the council should not hesitate to approve the historic-preservation overlays for the two neighborhoods.
Private-property rights always are of concern, and historic status shouldn't ever be forced on a neighborhood. But in these cases, the neighbors overwhelmingly support the historic status. According to Scottsdale spokeswoman Robin Meinhart, city officials took the neighborhood pulse at every step of the way through an exhausting and comprehensive public process. The idea wouldn't have moved forward if there was any significant opposition, she said.
And these subdivisions do have historical merit. The 1950s might not seem historic to some people, but the decade wasn't exactly yesterday, either. Scottsdale incorporated in 1951.
Town and Country Scottsdale, near Scottsdale Road and Oak Street, includes houses designed by the late Ralph Haver, a postwar 20th century Valley architect who has gained a growing cult of devotees and admirers. Among them is local growth expert Grady Gammage Jr., who suggested that Scottsdale focus on its Haver neighborhoods at a 2003 Scottsdale Republic forum on the "Which Way Scottsdale?" policy study.
Among other Valley landmarks, Haver designed the fondly remembered original Cine Capri movie theater, which opened in 1966 at 24th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix. He died in 1987 in Scottsdale.
Village Grove 1-6, northeast of 66th Street and McDowell Road, is from the same period. No Haver connection, but a city report notes that 92 percent of the houses still contribute to its "historic character, which is the highest level of integrity among the large-scale tract developments associated with Scottsdale's 1950s developments."
Both neighborhoods deserve the city's protection. The council should approve both requests.
Scottsdale can be proud of its history, even if the community remains a young one compared with other cities.
A combination of preserving its classic neighborhoods and conscientiously restoring some of its other important properties, as is happening with the historic Hotel Valley Ho, will ensure that the best of the old Scottsdale is not lost in the rush to build the new.
This is really great news. Let's hope that the council will approve the two historic districts