Phoenix’s Acacia Library, 750 E. Townley Ave., is seeking to become the first public library building in the city to receive a historic preservation designation.
Phoenix’s Acacia Library on Monday cleared the first hurdle to achieve a historic preservation overlay from the city.
The Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission unanimously approved the overlay. That is not a surprise, as the same commission initiated the overlay request in February.
The proposed designation now must clear the North Mountain Village Planning Committee and Phoenix Planning Commission this summer before going before Phoenix City Council for final approval in September.
While it is one of the oldest library branches in the city — it opened Jan. 5, 1969 — the main reason to seek the historic designation is because it was designed by renowned architect Bennie Gonzales.
“Acacia epitomizes the pattern and design choices and architectural details of Gonzales’ work,” Historic Preservation Planner Kevin Weight told the Historic Preservation Commission on Monday.
Architect Bennie Gonzales poses with a model of the Scottsdale Civic Center, which he designed.
(Courtesy Scottsdale Historical Society)
Acacia would be the first public library building in the city to receive a historic designation.
Gonzales designed several key buildings around the Valley, including Scottsdale City Hall, Scottsdale Public Library, Nogales Public Library, the Heard Museum expansion in 1968, the Scottsdale Center for the Arts and the Arizona Medical Association building in Phoenix.
Gonzales also designed Phoenix’s Ocotillo Library, but it was extensively remodeled a few years ago and is no longer eligible for historic preservation due to loss of integrity from the original materials and design, Weight said.
Phoenix Historic Preservation staff found Gonzales, who died in 2008, won about 130 awards in his career. They did not find one attached to the Acacia Library, but said the library is “exemplary” of his typical materials and style.
Gonzelez was known for his distinct Southwestern style, which included using modern materials that evoked adobe.
Weight said the number of Gonzales-designed buildings still intact have unfortunately shrunk over the years.
Andrea Mauk, who works at the Acacia library, gave an example of that in her public comment to the commission. She said her mother worked to design a factory in Tempe with Gonzales.
“Unfortunately, it’s Bennie Gonzales’ lost building because Tempe didn’t realize that he had built it, and it’s gone now,” Mauk said. “I don’t want to see the same thing happen to this beautiful Bennie Gonzales library that is the community library.”
Sunnyslope Historical Society President Julia Taggart has also championed the historic designation for the library. She said it does not just have architectural significance but also sentimental significance to Sunnyslope.
“The library means more to the community than you know. I know it’s a very small library, but it has a lot of heart,” Taggart told the commission.
The historic preservation overlay means any future demolition or major modifications to the site’s buildings must be reviewed and approved by the city’s Historic Preservation Office. A proposed demolition can be delayed for up to a year while the office seeks an alternative to demolition.
It also makes the property eligible for city incentive programs to assist with rehabilitation costs.
Phoenix Mayor Milton Graham cuts the ceremonial ribbon for Phoenix's Acacia Library on Jan. 5, 1969, while holding a young girl.
(Courtesy city of Phoenix)
The library is a 7,305-square-foot building on a 0.9-acre property. It cost $297,000 when it was built in the 1960s, or about $2.8 million in today’s money, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ inflation calculator.
Shortly after it opened, in September 1969, the library was forced to close due to a fire caused by arson. Weight said fortunately many books were saved because the library had an extremely high circulation rate. The library was refurnished, equipment and shelving was replaced and book stock was replenished. That restoration cost more than half of the original cost for the library: $170,000 or about $1.5 million in today’s money.
Gonzales was born in 1924 in Phoenix. Growing up, he worked for his uncle, a contractor who helped build the Heard Museum, Paradise Inn, Camelback Inn and Arizona Biltmore. Weight said the story is that Gonzales met Frank Lloyd Wright while working on the Arizona Biltmore, which helped inspire him to become an architect later in life.
After serving in World War II, Gonzales returned to Phoenix and became one of the first two from the School of Architecture at Arizona State College (now Arizona State University). As a postgraduate, Gonzales attended the University of Mexico. He returned to Arizona and started his own architectural practice in 1958.
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Mark Carlisle joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2017, covering Glendale. He has since moved to the Daily Independent team, primarily covering the city of Phoenix along with other topics affecting the Valley at-large.
Community: Mark enjoys taking his two young sons to parks, the Phoenix Zoo, the Phoenix Public Library and other fun events around the Valley. He also participates in a local book club.
Education: Chapman University with a BA in English Journalism and one in Screenwriting.
Random Fact: Mark worked at a tuxedo shop in college. Just don’t ask him to tie a bowtie.
Hobbies: Spending time with his wife, sons and dog, watching sports and TV shows, listening to audiobooks and occasionally writing fiction or designing a board game.
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