PHOENIX — A building that helped shape decades of Phoenix radio history could soon be demolished to make way for a video game-themed hotel.
Intersection Development is pursuing plans to tear down the former KOY building at 840 N. Central Avenue, near Roosevelt Street. The two-story building was constructed in 1957 and later housed several prominent Valley radio stations, including KOY, KOOL, KMLE, Y95 and KZON.
The property is the planned site of an 11-story Atari Hotel featuring 91 rooms, interactive gaming spaces and an esports and concert venue. The project is expected to cost $124 million.
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Phoenix preservationist Julia Taggart said the building has been altered too extensively to qualify for the Phoenix Historic Property Register. Still, she believes its broadcasting legacy should be incorporated into the new development.
“You can’t save all the buildings, but you can preserve the stories inside,” Taggart said.
She suggested developers install a historical plaque, display archival photographs and collect stories from former broadcasters who worked there.
“My hope, if the developers are listening, is that they would be able to incorporate the history of what KOY used to be,” Taggart said.
The former station is one of several buildings along Central Avenue tied to Phoenix broadcasting history. Taggart said losing it reflects the broader tension between preserving the city’s past and accommodating downtown growth.
“I understand that we have to develop and continue to grow as a city,” she said. “But it’s sad to see buildings that had so much significance to our history go away.”
Intersection Development, the developer behind the project, also recently opened the Rainbow Road Apartments on Central.
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