Local bar and restaurant Hanny’s hosted a book release and signing party Saturday for “Downtown Phoenix,” a book that tells the city’s history through archival photographs.
The book contains nearly 200 images – some dating back to the mid-19th century – that were gathered from the Phoenix Public Library, ASU Archives, local historical societies and Phoenix residents, according to the book’s back cover.
The book’s three authors, none of whom are Phoenix natives, were on hand at the three-hour event to sell and sign copies for approximately 100 people who attended. Some came dressed in their best 1940s garb, embracing the book’s historical subject matter.
Through its images, “Downtown Phoenix” in part tells how each generation of Phoenicians dealt with living in a desert, dating back to the first wave of settlers during the mid-1800s, said Jim McPherson, one of the book’s co-authors.
“We wanted to focus on downtown and its unique place in the history of Arizona,” McPherson said, who is also president of the Arizona Preservation Foundation and has lived in Phoenix for 20 years. “We looked at (the book) from a standpoint of, here’s a city that many people think is relatively new, but has a significant history going back to Hohokams.”
“Downtown Phoenix” tells its narrative of Phoenix’s history almost entirely with black and white photographs, with many showing some of the city’s antiquated buildings and houses that still stand today.
Hanny’s was originally a men’s department store from 1947 to 1986. Following a three-year restoration, it was reborn as a restaurant and bar, retaining its original name, according to Hanny’s website.
“With respect to adaptable reuse, (Hanny’s is) a building that we’re now occupying and it’s a completely different use … but it’s a value to our community. It’s just brought a lot of life back to downtown Phoenix,” said Suad Mahmuljin, another one of the book’s co-authors.
Originally from Montreal, Nicholas Tsontakis, 26, came for his signed copy of the book to support Mahmuljin, he said. He summed up his reason for attending the event with, “I love Phoenix.”
Contact the reporter at erik.franco@asu.edu
