Join us at the Arizona Preservation Foundation Annual Preserve AZ Conference this summer!
Our team will be participating as part of a panel discussing the recently completed and award-winning work at the Monroe Street Abbey.
Session Abstract:
Planning Revelry: The Monroe Street Abbey
Constructed in 1929, the First Baptist Church was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1982 for exemplifying a progressive concept of the religious auditorium supporting evangelism through staged presentation. Dramatic effects were made possible for pageantry and church plays within the Italian Gothic revival structure. Years after the congregation moved out of downtown Phoenix, the building caught fire and the roof collapsed. The Nonprofit Housing Opportunity Center, led by former Phoenix Mayor and Attorney General Terry Goddard, acquired the building in 1992, saving it from demolition and has been working on the redevelopment ever since. Over the years, nature planted a garden inside the towering auditorium open to the sky. Seeing the potential of the place as an armature for community to engage and a secret garden to grow in the city, the project team opens the Monroe Street Abbey to the public this year as a remarkable event space.
The project will be formally recognized at the Preserve AZ Conference with a Governor’s Heritage Preservation Honor Award. The awards recognize people, organizations, and projects that represent outstanding achievements in preserving Arizona’s historic resources.
We hope to see you in Arizona this June!
