Shemer Art Center and Museum

As part of a community that embraces art, Phoenix has a number of museums and the Shemer is known as one of its best. The location was originally several hundred acres known as Arcadia and during the Depression ownership of the property was passed to a banker from Kansas City. He increased the size of the home adding rooms to the structure and renamed it Casa de Wanda. The house was later sold to the Suhr family who wanted a winter home in a climate warmer than their native Pennsylvania. In 1984 the home was sold to Martha Shemer, who loved the house and surrounding area but wanted it operated by the city as a museum. Later that same year, the property became the Shemer Art Center. Her dream of preserving Phoenix history and providing art to the community had come to fruition. Today, the museum is part of the Points of Pride for the City of Phoenix. It was chosen to be part of this elite group from more than 150 locations in and around the city of Phoenix. Featuring a variety of permanent and temporary art exhibits, the museum is a favorite destination of many Phoenix residents.