“History is not a Blank Canvas!”

By

Gerry Niskern

There’s a street in our city that calls to you. It’s a place where we all feel comfortable. The old trees and stately homes that line N. Central Avenue beckon now just as they did when I was growing up here in Phoenix. Our Sunday drive always ended with our pleas of “Dad, drive up North Central!” The old trees on both sides of the boulevard met in the center forming a tunnel. The cool green shade gave us the feeling of being underwater in this desert town.

New homes in the suburbs are built to fit the budget and dreams of their buyers, but sometimes the buyer longs for a place that reflects another time. They want some connection to the past so they get it through location. More and more homebuyers are attracted to the green setting of North Central.

That means different things to different people. The houses on N. Central reminds some buyers of their grandparent’s house, front porch or yard.  Today, as modern life presses in everywhere, they like the idea of returning to the old home place.

Do you recall a couple of years ago the city passed an ordinance creating an overlay to protect the old olive trees on either side of central, the bridle path and the street too?  The ancient Olive trees were protected. There could be no more selling of the large estates in order to build multiple new homes on one piece of property. And not a moment too soon.

Now, however, each morning when I walk the dirt bridle path, along with the sound of water gurgling in the irrigation ditch and the chirping of birds, I hear the sound of hammers and drills. The smell of fresh lumber, fills the air. A different type of change is taking place along the  avenue.  One by one the older homes a being totally remodeled. They are stripped down to foundation and possibly the fireplace.

Ninety per cent of the home is demolished and then new floors are added, expansive new configurations are formed. Some parts of the homes now even have a second floor. New owners want their three car garages and deluxe master baths.

North Central Avenue has always had a variety of style homes, from luxurious Spanish Colonials to sprawling Ranch varieties. The one- of -a -kind properties were loved and cherished, sitting quietly among trees, flowers and solitude. The old Olive trees and bridle path were protected, but not the homes.

The homes nestled along North Central are unique. The people who buy these homes are really guardians of history. But is history a blank canvas?