The Louis Emerson House
Needs Our Help!
The historic Louis Emerson house is facing an eminent domain lawsuit from ASU which seeks to raze the home to make way for “open space” for their new medical campus.
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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”. Although moving the property was with the owner and ASU, Preserve Phoenix firmly believes that this should be the last resort.
Mystery Castle Community Forum on May 2, 2026
What is 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 houses of Arizona’s pre-statehood period. In 1990 the City of Phoenix added this gem to the Phoenix Historic Property Register.
One of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places
The Mystery Castle is recognized as one of America’s 11 most endangered historic places by the National Trust for Historic Places. Find out what that means for our preservation efforts.
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