Phoenix ─ Then and Now

Phoenix’s origins date back to 700 AD, when the area, named Pueblo Grande by the Spanish, was home to a progressive agricultural community who constructed canal irrigation systems that fed off the Salt River. The U.S. military sparked redevelopment in the Salt River valley by establishing Fort McDowell in 1865. Two years later, Jack Swilling was traveling on horseback through the region and decided the desert setting was an ideal place to establish a new community. The name Phoenix came from the idea that, just like the mythical bird, the new town would spring from the ruins of a former civilization. Phoenix has grown so rapidly that Tempe, Mesa, Glendale, and Scottsdale have now been absorbed into the metropolitan district. This book looks at the history of development in the city as it continued to grow through the 20th century. Sites include: Washington Street, First Avenue, City Hall, Heard Building, Hotel Adams, Luhrs Building, Phoenix Theater, Orpheum Theater, Hotel San Carlos, Union Station, Masonic Temple, Hotel Westward Ho, Arizona Capitol, Kenilworth School, Grunow Clinic, Brophy College, Arizona Biltmore, Tovrea Castle, Tempe Bridges.

Paul Scharbach is a Phoenix native and a professional photographer with over 25 years' experience, specializing in the production of stock images. John H. Akers is a Phoenix native and the curator of history at the Tempe Historical Museum.