How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Glendale: science, liquor)

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by brookgarden

Does anyone remember the name of the housing complex on the West side of Phoenix in the early 1950's which was made of quonset huts strung together? My first husband lived there as a child and always spoke fondly of those memories. I think it was near 35th Avenue and Van Buren.

On the northeast corner of Van Buren and 35th Avenue there were two strings of huts running north on 35th and they were end to end like a chain for about 1/4 mile or more, next door to the east were three rows of pairs of barracks with about 6 apartments each running in the same direction. I imagine they were for the workers at the aluminum plant. Across the Street on 35th was the short lived Arizona Theater. Across on Van Buren was the Aero Theater with the airplane wing sticking out of the ground.

[NotQuiteNative]

Originally Posted by brookgarden

Does anyone remember the name of the housing complex on the West side of Phoenix in the early 1950's which was made of quonset huts strung together? My first husband lived there as a child and always spoke fondly of those memories. I think it was near 35th Avenue and Van Buren.

An old dear friend of mine grew up in those. I think they were actually called Reynolds something-or-another after the local employer.

[brookgarden]

Originally Posted by NotQuiteNative

An old dear friend of mine grew up in those. I think they were actually called Reynolds something-or-another after the local employer.

I think you're right - was it Reynolds Park?
Thanks!

[brookgarden]

Originally Posted by brookgarden
Does anyone remember the name of the housing complex on the West side of Phoenix in the early 1950's which was made of quonset huts strung together? My first husband lived there as a child and always spoke fondly of those memories. I think it was near 35th Avenue and Van Buren.

Roosevelt:
On the northeast corner of Van Buren and 35th Avenue there were two strings of huts running north on 35th and they were end to end like a chain for about 1/4 mile or more, next door to the east were three rows of pairs of barracks with about 6 apartments each running in the same direction. I imagine they were for the workers at the aluminum plant. Across the Street on 35th was the short lived Arizona Theater. Across on Van Buren was the Aero Theater with the airplane wing sticking out of the ground.

NotQuiteNative reminded me. I believe it was called Reynolds Park.

[brookgarden]

Just discovering this forum today - have spent the entire afternoon remembering my early years in Phoenix:
I was born in 1950 at the old St. Joseph's hospital, which was torn down not long afterward
Hot roast beef sandwich, chocolate cream pie, and chocolate milk for dinner at Brookshires, 16th Street and McDowell
Upton's drug stores that sold boxed candy and had the best malted milkshakes
Green Gables goofy golf on 24th Street just south of the Green Gables restaurant
Before Wallace and Ladmo, there was Goldust Charlie and cartoons at noon weekdays circa 1955
KRIZ and KRUX: "Fun loving K-R-I-Z channel 1-2-3"
Sombrero Playhouse and Phoenix Star Theater-in-the-Round
Drive-in movie theaters: Silver Dollar was a buck per carload. Cinema Park showed the Disney movies and had the best playground (7th Street and Missouri)
Bob's Big Boy on Central
Encanto Park playground
Cherry Lime Rickey at the UDI (University Drive In) on Apache Blvd in Tempe
Village Inn Pizza
The original Ricardo's Mexican restaurant at 24th Street & Thomas and Garcia's on 35th Avenue south of McDowell
Can't remember the name of the great Mexican restaurant at Central Avenue and Buckeye - I remember the in booth juke box stations and amazing neon on the ceilings.
Also, Lily Ice Cream at Central and Buckeye
Barq's Root Beer, Lemon Lime, and Cream sodas - yummmm...
Irrigation ditches and opening up the valves in our yard to get water every couple of weeks
The wonderful smell of fresh excelsior the first time we turned on the swamp cooler for the summer
Running through the house to close all the windows when a dust storm was coming
Going to the Crystal Ice Plant on McDowell to get crushed ice for camping trips
Swimming at Canyon Lake - can't remember the name of the other one
Having the milkman deliver milk and cottage cheese to our back door
Halloween when it was safe to go out trick-or-treating without a parent
Bill Johnson's Big Apple restaurant on Van Buren when they still had sawdust on the floor
Fifth Estate teen dance club in Tempe circa 1966
Harmon's Kentucky Fried Chicken on Apache Blvd
The first Taco Bell in Tempe and eating my first 25 cent bean & cheese burrito there
Marie Callender's on Thomas when they only had soup, sandwiches and pie
A. J. Bayless, El Rancho, Food City, Skaggs drug stores
Being a Freshman at McClintock High School in fall 1964, the year it opened. Double sessions at Tempe HS because McClintock wasn't finished in time for first semester.
Tang's Imports was like Pier One today only it seemed more exotic back then
Walking barefoot from our house on 24th Street to Perry Park Pool on 32nd Street. We used to run on the street or sidewalk to patches of grass and wait for our feet to cool off so we could go again.
Filling books of Gold Bond, Blue Chip, and S&H Green Stamps
Cotton candy on Fridays at my elementary school
Water melon busts at South Mountain Park

[learicalAZ]

Originally Posted by brookgarden

Just discovering this forum today - have spent the entire afternoon remembering my early years in Phoenix:
I was born in 1950 at the old St. Joseph's hospital, which was torn down not long afterward

St Joseph's opened at 3rd Ave & Thomas July, 1953 (one of my brothers was born at the old St. Joe's in September, 1952.)

Village Inn Pizza

"Where pizza's always in good taste,
Come on in to Village Inn"

A note and a jingle for you.

[baby sinister]

A couple more commercials from 1980...Sun Valley Waterbeds...

Sun Valley Waterbed commercial - YouTube
Sun Valley Waterbeds - YouTube

[brookgarden]

Originally Posted by brookgarden

Does anyone remember the name of the housing complex on the West side of Phoenix in the early 1950's which was made of quonset huts strung together? My first husband lived there as a child and always spoke fondly of those memories. I think it was near 35th Avenue and Van Buren.

Lying in bed last night, I finally remembered the name of the place: Alzona Park. Googled it today and found this:

In 1940, about half of Arizona's population lived in Phoenix and Tucson. Ten years later, two-thirds did, a direct consequence of federal and military policy. In Maricopa County alone, the population rose from 186,000 to 332,000 during the decade. Not since the territorial period had the U.S. military played such a role in Arizona's history. The immediate problem was housing. The federal government spent millions of dollars to construct public housing projects like Alzona Park near Alcoa and Duppa Villa near AiResearch. Meanwhile, the town of Goodyear sprang up to accommodate newcomers west of the city.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gre...in_Arizona]The Great Depression and the World Wars in Arizona - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I would love to see a picture if anyone has one.

[brookgarden]

Originally Posted by brookgarden

Does anyone remember the name of the housing complex on the West side of Phoenix in the early 1950's which was made of quonset huts strung together? My first husband lived there as a child and always spoke fondly of those memories. I think it was near 35th Avenue and Van Buren.

Amazing what you find when you start Googling! Looks like I got the quonset hut part wrong. This is what the Housing Authority has on Alzona Park:

On May 3, 1943 the Authority took over operation of Alzona Park which had eight-hundred (800) units consisting of 0, 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments for employees of Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). These units were located in one-hundred (100) row buildings on eighty (80) acres on the northeast corner of Van Buren and 35th Avenue just west of Phoenix. The buildings had wood floors, three-inch (3") stud wall, with sheetrock interiors and asbestos cement siding shingles. Roof sheathing was sheetrock with roll roofing. Water was from Phoenix. Central Arizona Light and Power provided electricity and gas. Sewerage was disposed of at a plant operated by ALCOA. Since the project was outside the Phoenix City limits the Authority had to provide many of the services usually supplied by the municipality such as maintaining streets, water and sewer lines and contracting for refuse removal. The project had its own security force of three men and also acquired a surplus pumper truck and formed a volunteer fire department with employees. A city fireman who lived on the site trained the men.

Also, this from Carl Hayden High School Memories page:

How many remember Alzona Park? Government housing I lived in when I moved here - at 35th & Van Buren, where the shopping center is now. Maybe just a bit too long ago for most. Still see some of the homes around the neighborhood. They were slate-sided row houses on pier blocks. They were 'broken up', sold, and moved when the area was rebuilt.

My ex must have had pictures from his childhood and I mixed up those images with other memories of quonset huts.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by brookgarden

Amazing what you find when you start Googling! Looks like I got the quonset hut part wrong. This is what the Housing Authority has on Alzona Park:

On May 3, 1943 the Authority took over operation of Alzona Park which had eight-hundred (800) units consisting of 0, 1, 2, and 3 bedroom apartments for employees of Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). These units were located in one-hundred (100) row buildings on eighty (80) acres on the northeast corner of Van Buren and 35th Avenue just west of Phoenix. The buildings had wood floors, three-inch (3") stud wall, with sheetrock interiors and asbestos cement siding shingles. Roof sheathing was sheetrock with roll roofing. Water was from Phoenix. Central Arizona Light and Power provided electricity and gas. Sewerage was disposed of at a plant operated by ALCOA. Since the project was outside the Phoenix City limits the Authority had to provide many of the services usually supplied by the municipality such as maintaining streets, water and sewer lines and contracting for refuse removal. The project had its own security force of three men and also acquired a surplus pumper truck and formed a volunteer fire department with employees. A city fireman who lived on the site trained the men.

Also, this from Carl Hayden High School Memories page:

How many remember Alzona Park? Government housing I lived in when I moved here - at 35th & Van Buren, where the shopping center is now. Maybe just a bit too long ago for most. Still see some of the homes around the neighborhood. They were slate-sided row houses on pier blocks. They were 'broken up', sold, and moved when the area was rebuilt.

My ex must have had pictures from his childhood and I mixed up those images with other memories of quonset huts.

Here you go, Alzona Park.