Downtown’s historic and badly fire-damaged Leighton G. Knipe house, located on Portland and Second streets, is under renovation and will be preserved, according to the City of Phoenix.
The 103-year-old building, just south of Margaret T. Hance Park, is currently being repaired by American Technologies Incorporated, a restoration contractor, after an alleged arson in summer 2010.
Jim McPherson, president of Arizona Preservation Foundation, said Phoenix wants to return the house to suitable use, even though no decision has been made about the future use of the building.
He said the Phoenix Historic Neighborhood Coalition felt so strongly about saving the Knipe house that it has been placed on their 2011 “Endangered Dozen” list of historic properties.
“Over time, so many historic and vintage properties in Phoenix have been lost that every one that remains is even more significant,” McPherson said.
The renovation is a victory for historic preservation advocates in downtown Phoenix.
Veronica Zawodniak, 50, lives at the Westward Ho and is passionate about preserving Phoenix’s past through its architecture.
“When you tear something down, you lose history, you lose character,” Zawodniak said. “When they tear down historical places, it really ticks me off.”
Leighton G. Knipe built the house for his parents in 1909. Knipe is a lesser-known architect in Phoenix’s history, but he built iconic buildings such as Tempe City Hall, the Jefferson Hotel and several buildings on ASU’s Tempe campus.
Zawodniak is happy to see the Knipe house renovated but does not want it to forget its originality. Zawodniak loves downtown Phoenix for its culture and would hate to lose that for metropolitan progress.
“You can modernize without losing character,” Zawodniak said.
Leslie Fort, 58, is a receptionist for PSA Art Awakenings, which is across the street from the Knipe House. She admits she hadn’t known much about the building but hopes that preserving and renovating it will help educate younger generations about Phoenix’s past.
“We need buildings like that so young people can learn about Phoenix,” she said.
Contact the reporter at mikurz@asu.edu
