Phoenix Then & Now

Paul Scharbach (photographer) and John Akers (curator of history at the Tempe Historical Museum) have put together a remarkable collection of photographs of Phoenix "then" (late 19th, early 20th century) and "now" (the photos appear to all be 2004 or 2005). The "now" photographs are usually from approximately the same direction. The bulk of the collection is of downtown Phoenix, including key historical buildings and landmarks--the County Courthouse, state capital building, Carnegie Library, Luhr's building, Orpheum Theatre, Rosson House, Monroe School, etc. The book continues with Phoenix farther north (Central Avenue Dairy/Park Central Mall, Brophy College Preparatory, the Phoenix Indian School, Wrigley Mansion, Arizona Biltmore), goes (named for Gen. Winfield Scott, an early resident), and downtown Mesa. The book was quite a pleasure to read and look at, filled with great photos and interesting little tidbits, such as Glendale's founding as a temperance colony, the wide influence of Dwight B. Heard, and the longevity of some local businesses (such as Sine Hardware in Glendale). One minor error: the book attributes the 1992 purchase and current ownership of Wrigley Mansion to George A. Hormel (died 1946) rather than his descendant Geordie Hormel (a professional musician who has also funded UFO investigation).