How do you remember Phoenix? Stories from long time residents... (Maricopa: bank owned, butler)

[1937Gal]

Originally Posted by Arizona Mike

If you go in the Way-Back Machine to page 177 of this thread, Roosevelt posted one of their menus, and a photo on p. 187 of the outside and sign.

Polar Bar Wooden Nickel:

The photo of the car hop and my friends in 1954 is posted from my yearbook at West Phoenix high
School which I shared on some other sights....
Again, I was asking about Polar BEAR Bar, not Polar Bar. There is a huge discussion on the Polar Bear Bar and I simply do not recall it.
Anyone?....

[Arizona Mike]

I searched the recorded documents database of the Maricopa County Recorder's Office (a valuable on-line resource for historical research in Phoenix) and found no documents (business licenses, liens, etc.) relating to the "Polar Bear Bar" at any address. Likewise, a search of the on-line newspaper archives for "Polar Bear Bar" didn't show any ads, articles, etc., although the "Polar Bar" drive-in in Phoenix did have quite a few. (I also found out there was also a Polar Bar drive-in with car-hop service down in Tucson, which I didn't know - at 3640 E. Speedway.)

[1937Gal]

Originally Posted by Arizona Mike

I searched the recorded documents database of the Maricopa County Recorder's Office (a valuable on-line resource for historical research in Phoenix) and found no documents (business licenses, liens, etc.) relating to the "Polar Bear Bar" at any address. Likewise, a search of the on-line newspaper archives for "Polar Bear Bar" didn't show any ads, articles, etc., although the "Polar Bar" drive-in in Phoenix did have quite a few. (I also found out there was also a Polar Bar drive-in with car-hop service down in Tucson, which I didn't know - at 3640 E. Speedway.)

Thanks for all of your work on this, Arizona Mike. I hung out at the Polar Bar on Thomas when I was in high school in the 50s, ...I just recently posted a few menus from Polar Bar and I too was very surprised to find they had one in Tucson. I had done all of the research you just did to try to find this mysterious place. Two of the members on the Vintage Phoenix site said they remember the Polar Bear Bar, each had a different location, however, they said it was white building with a round window. I kept asking "are you SURE you aren't thinking of Polar Bar on Thomas"?.... they said no, and then a few others chimed in and said they thought they remembered the Polar Bear Bar. Sometimes our memories aren't what they used to be.
I am constantly in Maricopa.gov and the Corp commission looking up stuff. Right now we are researching an old building on Central and Indian School, the SE corner, which was there before Der Wienerschnitzel. I was trying to find out what the building was...and also to find out the address of Der W. I spent an hour at the recorder's site as well as corp comm. Nada.
Thanks again. Appreciate your help.

[roosevelt]

Originally Posted by 1937Gal

Thanks for all of your work on this, Arizona Mike. I hung out at the Polar Bar on Thomas when I was in high school in the 50s, ...I just recently posted a few menus from Polar Bar and I too was very surprised to find they had one in Tucson. I had done all of the research you just did to try to find this mysterious place. Two of the members on the Vintage Phoenix site said they remember the Polar Bear Bar, each had a different location, however, they said it was white building with a round window. I kept asking "are you SURE you aren't thinking of Polar Bar on Thomas"?.... they said no, and then a few others chimed in and said they thought they remembered the Polar Bear Bar. Sometimes our memories aren't what they used to be.
I am constantly in Maricopa.gov and the Corp commission looking up stuff. Right now we are researching an old building on Central and Indian School, the SE corner, which was there before Der Wienerschnitzel. I was trying to find out what the building was...and also to find out the address of Der W. I spent an hour at the recorder's site as well as corp comm. Nada.
Thanks again. Appreciate your help.

The Igloo on 7th Street had a white polar bear in front but it kept being stolen by Phoenix College. The SE corner of Indian School and Central had a deli there for many years and later a buffet in the late 60's.

[1937Gal]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

The Igloo on 7th Street had a white polar bear in front but it kept being stolen by Phoenix College. The SE corner of Indian School and Central had a deli there for many years and later a buffet in the late 60's.

I have a photo of that unidentified building on the SE corner of Indian School and Central and we could actually see that it was some kind of deli because we can see Hot Pastrami in print on the outside of the building. It had strange building design. So now I am going to my 64 Phone Directory and look under Delis restaurants and buffets and see if I can crack this. Thanks thanks, Roosevelt.

[Applegate8]

In the early '60s, there was a Nib's restaurant at the SE corner of Indian School and Central. I seem to recall that in front of the building there was a kind of fire pit with a gas flame.

[Arizona Mike]

Originally Posted by 1937Gal

Thanks for all of your work on this, Arizona Mike. I hung out at the Polar Bar on Thomas when I was in high school in the 50s, ...I just recently posted a few menus from Polar Bar and I too was very surprised to find they had one in Tucson. I had done all of the research you just did to try to find this mysterious place. Two of the members on the Vintage Phoenix site said they remember the Polar Bear Bar, each had a different location, however, they said it was white building with a round window. I kept asking "are you SURE you aren't thinking of Polar Bar on Thomas"?.... they said no, and then a few others chimed in and said they thought they remembered the Polar Bear Bar. Sometimes our memories aren't what they used to be.
I am constantly in Maricopa.gov and the Corp commission looking up stuff.

Sounds like it could be an urban version of the famous "Tombstone Thunderbird" photo that everyone seem sto remember seeing, but no one can agree on where they saw it published...

Right now we are researching an old building on Central and Indian School, the SE corner, which was there before Der Wienerschnitzel. I was trying to find out what the building was...and also to find out the address of Der W. I spent an hour at the recorder's site as well as corp comm. Nada.
Thanks again. Appreciate your help.

What time frame was the building there?

Could it have been Joe Hunt's Steakhouse? It was where the 4041 Central Plaza Building is now. This is in the 1950s:


You can see Joe Hunt's on the left in this photo looking southbound on Central past Indian School Road in the 1950s:


I think this is still the same steakhouse with different signage in what looks like an early 1960s photo looking roughly southeast on Central past Indian School, possibly before Der Wienerschnitzel. They had dropped the "Joe Hunt's" off the sign (there was also a Joe Hunt's Steakhouse in Scottsdale - possibly they changed location and this remained a steakhouse:


You can see the roof of the Der Wienerschnitzel there in this 1960s photo:


and here:


and here... the United Auto Rentals lot was just to the east of Der Wienerschnitzel at the time:


The building in the foreground is Central Presbyterian Church, on the other side of the car lot, at 1st street and Indian School (1970s):


It looks like Joe Hunt's Restaurant was at 4041 N. Central, which would be about right for the lot that later became Der Wienerschnitzel. It sold its furnishings to new owners on August 25, 1955, which is when it probably became a new steakhouse: http://156.42.40.50/UnOfficialDocs2/pdf/19550036758.pdf.

Hope this is somewhat helpful.

[jukebox47]

A great bunch of pictures the last couple of days. Sure brings back a lot of Phoenix I had not thought off in many years! Thank You all!

The one with the Earl Scheib paint job for $29.95 I really liked. I had an old 1951 Ford pickup and it really was ugly. I went to Earl Scheib but the $29.95 colors were so drab and ugly. But for $59.95 they painted it bright red and it really came out nice.

[chaparrito]

You had to make sure your car was clean before taking it to Scheib's. They'd paint right over the dirt!

[Arizona Mike]

Originally Posted by chaparrito

You had to make sure your car was clean before taking it to Scheib's. They'd paint right over the dirt!

That's right! There used to be an Earl Scheib in Santa Monica, whose marquee sign had a picture of Earl's big grinning face. Some disgruntled customer drove by and threw a bucket of paint across it, and they could never quite clean it up, so the remnants of the customer's paint job could be seen for years.