Drive aims to save iconic liquor store
Historic preservationists are fighting to save a building some call central to the character of Phoenix’s Melrose District: a drive-through liquor store.
At risk of destruction is the 1957 Melrose Liquors, one of Phoenix’s oldest drive-through liquor stores continuously in operation. The bubble gum pink-and-green structure on Seventh Avenue is an example of “Googie” architecture, an exaggerated style one city staffer described as “Jetsons meet the Flintstones.”
The Melrose store is particularly unique for its two drivethrough windows on opposite sides of the building, said Kevin Weight, a city historic preservation planner.
P.B. Bell, the developer of an adjacent apartment complex under construction, recently applied for a demolition permit to convert the land into a dog park and parking. A company representative said the building isn’t a good example of Googie architecture and is challenging for another tenant to use.
Phoenix’s Historic Preservation Commission slowed that request Monday by starting the process of protecting the build- ing. It found the liquor store worthy of historic designation for its association with postWorld War II automobile culture and its architectural distinction.
Nearly 1,300 people have signed an online petition in recent days asking the city to refuse a demolition permit for the building. Their comments echo concerns permeating Phoenix’s older neighborhoods, which are rapidly changing with new condo and apartment developments.
Preservationists say Midcentury buildings often are the few unique features remaining that give different areas of the city their identities.
P.B. Bell considered keeping the liquor store building as part of the Curve at Melrose, a 204unit luxury apartment development.
The company thought the building could be an amenity supplementing the complex’s Midcentury modern touches, Mike Trueman, vice president of development, told the commission. But factors like a lack of parking make it hard to market to a restaurant or other business to replace the liquor store’s lease, he said.
The company is willing to keep looking for options, Trueman said, though he questioned the historic significance of the building.