D
rivers passing by Camelback Road and
Central Avenue may have noticed a
bit of history emerging from the Uptown
Plaza construction project – original
painted store signs scrawled across the old
baked brick.
Although the uncovered vintage signs
could not be preserved due to lead-based
paint, crews discovered many other
original details that will be incorporated
into the final design, said Vintage Partners
Principal David Scholl, whose firm is
leading the redevelopment project of the
1955 Del E. Webb Construction Company
shopping center.
“We have uncovered some surprises,
which we think are making the place really
dramatic,” Scholl said.
Cheese ’n Stuff with new neon tubes, 2015.
FOURTEEN
Image courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community
Katie Mayer
Among the surprises are the demising
walls, which separate the tenant spaces.
Initially, the team believed they were
frame construction until the drywall was
removed to reveal the original brick walls
instead. They also discovered an old 1-by-7
plank roof instead of plywood, which will
provide an interesting ceiling for tenants
who don’t want to install a drop ceiling,
Scholl said.
“We can use so much of the original
bones of the center which was really
exciting to us,” Scholl said.
Also stylish are the old canopy
columns, which feature a decorative
crisscross midcentury pattern. Some
tenants will be able to incorporate the
original columns into their designs, but in
places where the columns are too short,
the team is going to salvage them and
convert them into bike racks.
But perhaps the project’s most
exciting news is the City of Phoenix’s
approval of a comprehensive sign plan,
which will permit Uptown Plaza tenants to
Image courtesy of Katie Mayer
Construction Around Arizona
Midcentury Elements
Shine Again Uptown
paint their parapets. Neon signage will also
be permitted, Scholl said.
Across the street from Uptown Plaza,
an iconic neon sign has been relit. In
September, the vintage globe sign that sits
above the Cheese ‘n Stuff deli was
illuminated for the first time in years. Dane
Christensen, owner of Christy Signs,
restored the sign pro bono in part because
has father – prominent sign maker Leonard
“L.W.” Christensen – created the piece
more than 60 years ago and it had fallen
into disrepair.
“We got all the neon fixed, but left the
old stuff [the sign’s original paint job],
because that’s part of the beauty of it – the
antique patina,” Christensen said.
And that antique patina is also one
reason why Scholl is so happy with the
baked brick the team has uncovered at
Uptown Plaza. He said tenants love
incorporating the vintage brick into their
design plans.
“We are most excited about the ability
to take off the stucco and really highlight
and celebrate that 1950s brick and return
the center to what it was in its original
days,” Scholl said.
As an extra touch to ensure the
renovated Uptown Plaza will remain
authentic, Vintage Partners hired Modern
Manor owner Ryan Durkin to help with
landlord-provided seating, furniture, and
lighting.
Scholl said most of the construction
will be completed by Thanksgiving.
Although a handful of tenants have already
moved in, he expects additional businesses
to join the shopping center in early 2016.
Top: Helsings Coffee Shop at Uptown Plaza on
the northeast corner of Central and
Camelback, 1964.
Winter 2015