MESA, AZ — A downtown Mesa building, designed by celebrated Arizona architect Martin Ray Young, will soon be torn down to make way for a new apartment complex.
East Valley historians know the building as Gurtler Corner. Crews have already started work on the apartment project, and the building is the only thing still standing in the way of the heavy equipment.
The city of Mesa says it cannot stop the demolition. A city spokesperson said in a statement that the building is not a registered historic site and is not in a protected neighborhood, so the owner is free to build.
Vic Linoff, of the Mesa Preservation Foundation, wants the building saved. He said Young designed scores of buildings across Mesa.
“Preservation is often a hard sell,” Linoff said.
“There’s a reluctance to say, ‘Maybe that’s a good idea. Maybe we should save that, and that could be a feature of this property,’” he said.
For Linoff, the fight is about more than one building. It is about preserving Young’s legacy.
“It’s almost like saying, ‘Let’s erase his name from the record. Let’s tear down this building, and let’s tear down this building,’” Linoff said. “And then, nothing will be left and he’ll be a footnote in a history book somewhere.”
A construction worker at the site said crews are removing asbestos from the building and expect to begin demolition within the next few weeks.
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