Preserve Phoenix Aims to Save the Louis Emerson House

The Louis Emerson House is a rare example of Queen Anne architectural style, completed in 1902 and is one of the few remaining historic houses of Arizona’s pre-statehood period. In 1990 the City of Phoenix added this gem to the Phoenix Historic Property Register.  

ASU has secured the adjacent property to the Emerson House with the intent to acquire the historic home, demolish or move it, and build their new medical campus on the entire lot. The owner has been reluctant to sell and now the Arizona Board of Regents, on behalf of ASU, filed an eminent domain lawsuit to seize and raze the Louis Emerson House. This assumption that ASU has a right to take this historic property and build on that land just because they are a university is presumptuous and does not necessarily put the surrounding neighborhoods first.

Preserve Phoenix, Arizona Preservation Foundation, and other community organizations proposed possible solutions to saving the Emerson House with ASU, but ASU remained only interested in demolishing or moving the building out of the way as they needed the entire lot for construction. Plans have been released that show what would replace the Emerson House if ASU were to seize the property, would be “open space”. Preserve Phoenix stands against demolishing the home and believes that moving it should be the absolute last resort.

Large institutions often feel that historic preservation is an obstacle rather than an opportunity to add value to their developments and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Preservationists are calling on ASU to incorporate the Emerson House into their design and elevate what’s left of Evans-Churchill’s history rather than constructing yet another lifeless building with no character or sense of place. ASU has the opportunity to create something unique with the Emerson House that can showcase how preservation and campus development can coexist in an urban environment.  As a local institution, ASU should feel responsible to seriously explore the options to incorporate the historic home into their plans, and work with preservation groups and architects to create a building that will be worth saving in another 50 years.

With a looming threat of eminent domain and a court date set to September 4th, we are asking the community to sign this petition to send a clear message that Phoenix’s history is worth preserving.