Recently over dinner with friends, the subject of the White Gates House, which Phoenix Home & Garden covered in our June/July 2024 issue, came up. Designed and built by architect Al Beadle in 1954 for his own family, the structure was in danger of demolition. The question was asked: In 50 years, what buildings will Phoenicians be fighting to save? Someone added: Decades from now, what Arizona homes will be considered important and why?

What ultimately makes a home historically significant? Who better to answer that question than preservationist and “Modern Phoenix: The Neighborhood Network” founder Alison King? “Sometimes homes are significant because of the stories they tell about how we like to live,” she says. “Sometimes they’re historic for their artistry alone, the grand gestures they make in aesthetics, but also for how they make us feel. Architecture has an impact on our emotions.”

With every issue of this magazine, it is evident that history is important to us. The stories of some of our state’s most beloved structures have been among the most enjoyable for me to write. (I’ll never forget belly-crawling across the catwalk above the proscenium of the Orpheum Theatre with art director Leonard Loria and photographer Kevin Kaminski, fighting off waves of vertigo as I looked at the stage so far below.) In this issue, Robrt L. Pela writes about the resurrection of The Abbey on Monroe, a Phoenix church erected in 1929—and nearly destroyed by fire in 1984—which has been reimagined as an events venue. When I walked the site with architects Eddie Jones and Maria Salenger and general contractor Jason Cone, I felt reverence—and awe at how this structure was so lovingly rescued from the brink of destruction. Seeing the team’s passion for bringing this important structure to glorious new life filled me with energy, respect and hope. Learn more on page 75.

JOHN ROARK
Editor in chief

On the pages ahead, we share a handful of homes that we consider worthy of distinction. From the colossal to the more modest, they span the style gamut from contemporary to classical to bohemian. Each is a much-loved castle for its owners. We hope you enjoy their stories as much as we do.

Speaking of great homes, join us for the annual 2024 Phoenix Home & Garden Home Tour on Saturday, Nov. 16. We have a stellar lineup of properties of all sizes and styles. Learn more at phgmag.com/hometour.