Chinese immigrants and their children played an important role in Phoenix's early growth, as suggested by the now-vacant grocery at the corner of Tonto Street and 4th Avenue.

The proprietor of that store for more than 41 years, Ah Gim Yaun migrated to Phoenix in 1911 and settled on that corner lot. He was born to immigrant parents in San Francisco in 1880. He built the corner grocery in 1918 and operated it until his death in 1959. His wife Quan Shee Yaun emigrated from China; after his death, she operated the grocery, until she died in 1977. The property was sold by their daughter in 1997. It's not entirely clear when it ceased to be a viable grocery.

Corner groceries were a staple of the rapidly growing city, especially prior to the development of automobile culture, which led to strip markets and other commercial forms. Chinese entrepreneurs, like Yaun, operated many such stores both in the city's historic Chinatown but also in Hispanic neighborhoods south of the railroad tracks in Phoenix. City Directories list 38 such establishments in 1921, 34 in 1925, and 56 in 1930. Yaun Ah Gim is one of only two such grocers in which the structure remains. (The other is Leong Quong & Company General Merchandise.)

Also on the property were four small apartments that Yaun presumably rented to immigrants and/or other migrants to the region seeking inexpensive housing. The grocery store was ideally located, near to the railroad line where Yaun could obtain both produce and the ice necessary to cool it. Yaun Ah Gim Grocery was located in a neighborhood that was predominantly Hispanic, with migrants from Texas and Mexico, as well as many native-born Arizonans. It was several blocks south and east of the city's second "Chinatown" district.

Originally located along 1st street in downtown Phoenix, the Chinese community relocated the commercial center of their neighborhood to an area between Madison and Jackson and 1st and 3rd streets in the 1890s. By the 1930s, entrepreneurs such as Yaun were developing successful enterprises in nearby neighborhoods and by 1945, Chinatown was nearly abandoned.

The neighborhoods south of the railroad tracks, which had once been the source of Phoenix's growth, gradually deteriorated beginning in the 1930s. Economic depression and "redlining" limited further investment in the neighborhood. Lending practices and federal housing policy literally built racism into the landscape, leading to the long-term marginalization of many of Phoenix's ethnic neighborhoods. In 1933, the federal government created the Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) to relieve the problem of mortgage foreclosures as a result of the Great Depression. To delineate areas within the city worthy of HOLC funds, it relied on the racist National Association of Real Estate Boards (NAREB) to appraise and map the city. NAREB and urban planners coded cities, including Phoenix, into districts based on the race and ethnicity of its residents. Neighborhoods with African American, Latino or Asian residents, according to NAREB standards, warranted a ‘hazardous’ rating. They were "red lined," and residents were unable to receive loans. Not surprisingly, these practices led to the decline of the city's older neighborhoods.

For more (including 6 images) view the original article

Fast food restaurants emerged as a vital part of American auto culture, first as drive-in restaurants and later with drive-thru lanes. The term itself appeared in the dictionary for the first time in 1951, about the time that Apache Boulevard's first drive-in, an A&W Root Beer Stand, opened at 2057 E. Apache. (Later, it relocated to the 1205 East Apache.) A franchise that originated in California, A&W sold root beer and hamburgers to customers who parked their cars under an awning, receiving curbside service on trays. Drive-ins were becoming increasingly popular in the 1950s, and the number of A&W restaurants grew from 450 in 1950 to more than 2000. It would not be until the late 1960s that additional fast-food restaurants began to appear along Apache, as a veritable wave of franchises—McDonald's, Burger King, and Taco Bell—opened.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the architecture of fast food chains would have been novel to most visitors who were experiencing mass-produced cuisine for the first time. McDonald's had Golden Arches; Burger King sandwiched its name between two buns; Taco Bell had its characteristic bells. The large neon signs and distinctive architecture of these restaurants added a unique flavor to the roadside architecture of Apache Boulevard.

Along with its neon lights, Taco Bell also brought distinctive wood, stucco, and brick Mission-style architecture to Apache Boulevard. Its unique building soon became easily recognizable with a clay-tile roof, arch-shaped entryways, and a large metal bell set in a cavity above the entrance. The restaurant was typically a small building with little indoor seating if there was any at all. A small kitchen, a window for ordering, and a few tables and chairs on the patio were all that were necessary to run a successful establishment.

Fast food joints such as these catered to travelers and locals alike well into the 1990s. These restaurants, including local chains, such as Pete's Fish & Chips, Filiberto's, and Mr. Hero, also served food to the construction workers building the freeway and Tempe's suburban neighborhoods, making Apache Boulevard's fast food culture a part of Tempe history.

For more (including 4 images) view the original article

Los Olivos Mexican Patio located in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale not only offers excellent and authentic Mexican food, it is also a classic American success story. Since its establishment the restaurant has always been family owned and operated. Los Olivos is a remnant of a mostly forgotten, but nonetheless significant, period of Scottsdale’s history. The restaurant is the only surviving business during the 1970’s redevelopment of the Scottsdale “barrio”. The Aztec figure atop the structure serves as a reminder of the local cultural roots. Some argue that the traditional home-style Mexican fare is not in keeping with the contemporary and trendy local competition, but the restaurants popularity and staying power suggests otherwise.

Los Olivos has existed in its current form since 1953, but its history predates the 1950’s. The Corral family, who owns and operates the establishment, moved to Scottsdale from Sonora, Mexico in 1919 to work as farm hands. After nearly a decade of hard work and savings the family was able to purchase two plots of land where the restaurant now resides. In 1928 they constructed something of a communal center for other nearby immigrant families. By 1946 it had evolved into a facility for dancing, meetings, and sharing a meal. Around this time, the three-room restaurant now known as Los Olivos Mexican Patio was added.

The family’s success with this first location led to additional locations throughout the valley. Over the years locations were added in Tempe, Phoenix, and North Scottsdale. These additions did not experience the same success as the original, and none lasted for any significant period of time. This might speak to a somewhat intangible quality possessed only by the original location that cannot be recreated. The original Los Olivos Mexican Patio is filled with a rich history built with the sweat and tears of a hardworking immigrant family. This is not something that can be merely reconstructed.

For more (including 4 images) view the original article

For four decades, The Chuckbox has occupied the corner spot on University and Forest. The little shack consistently serves customers from throughout the valley. It stands as a reminder of the days when Tempe was an old frontier farmland.

The Chuckbox was built to resemble a wooden shack in the Old West, with a sign out front boasting their “real charcoal broiled burgers” and tree stumps for seating on the front porch.

The Chuckbox seems to have an ideal location sandwiched between Arizona State University and Tempe’s downtown. With high-rises popping up throughout the city’s core and Arizona State University’s constant expansion, the little western burger joint practically stands alone in the new high-density construction. Still, The Chuckbox has had a resurgence in popularity, catering to students and staff of ASU. According to the restaurant supervisor, Paul Marquardt, their motto is “If it hasn’t been broken, we don’t need to try and fix it.”

The growth of the Arizona State campus over the years, in student numbers and buildings, has been occurring since the school first opened in 1885, and it will continue to grow to support its increasing student body. The ASU Tempe campus is already 15.9 million gross square feet. While the restaurant has not changed much over the forty years it has been open, the land around it has been experiencing continual change. Downtown Tempe has become a thriving, attractive, diverse destination for tourists. Fans of The Chuck Box hope that the continued growth of Tempe as a whole will increase traffic in the restaurant and ensure that it remains despite the ever-expanding campus nearby.

For more (including 2 images) view the original article

The sign read "John Rose, Fancy Groceries: Shoe Repairing, Barber Shop, Pool Hall, Ice Cream, Confectionary, and Soft Drinks." At various times it was also a vaudeville stage, silent movie theater, lunch counter, and classroom. Who was the man offering Scottsdale so much entertainment? And why did he leave it all behind?

Rose was well known in town, participating in civic life. He was a captain in the Scottsdale Liberty Loan fundraiser during World War I. He later served in the war, training at Kelly Field in San Antonio, TX with 140 other Valley men. In 1917 Rose married Paulita S. Valenzuela, daughter of a highly respected Mexican family. The 32-year-old Rose and his 16-year old bride lived behind the hall. Rose leased his pool hall as a classroom for Mexican children during the day until they had their own school in 1922.

Business was rolling, but Rose's desire to provide every possible service included illegal activity. Scottsdale was full of teetotalers, and voted to outlaw alcohol a decade before the U.S. enacted prohibition. The territorial government had already outlawed gambling in the state. Proprietors had to be creative if they wanted to keep their entertainment halls, operating legitimate businesses as a front. This was difficult to do in Scottsdale, where community members were especially concerned with not corrupting youth and protested unsuitable entertainment. In 1916 Rose plead guilty to operating a pool hall that was a menace to the community and was fined $25. The next year he was arrested for gambling and fined $100.

One evening in 1916, a local ranch hand named John Kennedy (no, not that one) brought an illicit substance to town with the intention of hosting a jamboree in the pool hall. He then "proceeded to uncork enough booze to render the village blacksmith invisible, the pool hall proprietor indisposed," and knocked the rest of Scottsdale off their feet. A concerned citizen alerted Sheriff Jeff Adams when "never before had there been so many headaches on a bright summer morning," and for the first weekday ever the blacksmith shop wasn't ringing with noise. Kennedy plead guilty and was fined $109. During his testimony he revealed he was part of a group bringing alcohol into Scottsdale for personal use. The Arizona Republican doesn't name anyone besides Kennedy - could that pool hall proprietor be one Johnny Rose?

Rose left Scottsdale in 1929, selling the store to the Song family of Gilbert. They continued to operate the grocery story, but dropped the recreational activities. So who was Johnny Rose? From bacchanalian party host to soldier to businessman, the man did it all.

For more (including 5 images & 1 audio file) view the original article

If, as poet Wallace Stevens suggested, “The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream,” then Sugar Bowl founder Jack Huntress was a very important man.

Huntress opened the Sugar Bowl on Christmas Eve 1958, a date that seems especially appropriate given the ice cream parlor’s concerted effort to provide a family-friendly atmosphere. During the 1950s, Scottsdale was emerging as a tourism destination with a bustling arts and culture scene. Businesses were quickly populating the downtown area and Scottsdale boasted a number of eateries including the Red Dog Saloon, the Pink Pony and Lulu Belle. The gilded Lulu Belle was a Gay Nineties (1890s) extravaganza that functioned as both a nightclub and restaurant. With “the longest bar in Scottsdale” and an exuberant display of dance-hall-costumed waitresses and red velvet, Lulu Belle positioned itself as the premier cocktail lounge in Scottsdale. These businesses capitalized on the newly established glamour of Scottsdale. Their influence grew with Scottsdale. Not only did Scottsdale increasingly become a tourist destination, but also it's population exploded in the 1960s. The city's population grew from less than 11,000 in 1960 to more than 67,000 folks in 1970.

One evening after hearing patrons at Lulu Belle grumble about the fact that it was not an appropriate place to take children, Jack Huntress realized that Scottsdale had no restaurant that catered to families. A family-oriented restaurant would fill a vacant niche in the community and, by catering to an underserved market, would potentially be quite profitable. The restaurant industry flourished in the years immediately following World War II as a healthy economy put everyday luxuries like dining out within reach of more Americans. Nationwide, the number of meals served in restaurants tripled from 20 million meals a day before the war to 60 million meals a day after the war. However, by the beginning of the 1950s the restaurant industry was beset by new fears that American families were eschewing dining out in favor of eating at home in the company of their newly purchased black-and-white television sets.

The National Restaurant Association hoped to spark new enthusiasm for the restaurant experience by commissioning songs like "Pass the Meat, Pass the Potatoes" (1951) and "Let's Go Out to a Restaurant" (1953). The immediate popularity of the Sugar Bowl suggests that, in Scottsdale at least, families were only too happy to dine out when given the opportunity to do so in a venue that welcomed children.

It was this quality that separated the Sugar Bowl from other Scottsdale businesses and led to it becoming a community institution. Working there eventually became a high school rite of passage and the restaurant’s cotton-candy pink exterior became a comfortable and familiar part of Scottsdale’s landscape. As the decades passed, the Sugar Bowl actively participated in the creation of a sense of nostalgia for the past. It has changed little over the years in both décor and menu—and, indeed, the Huntress family still owns and operates it. Indeed, nostalgia is one of Scottsdale’s most valuable industries. It is the sense of permanence and stability, the sense that it is the site of memories forged long ago and the site of those forged today, that has led to the Sugar Bowl’s continued success.

For more (including 5 images & 1 audio file) view the original article