ART ENCOUNTER I

*THE LUHRS BUILDING*

*PHOENIX 1924*

The Luhrs Building opened on April 1^st 1924 in Phoenix, Arizona.  It is located at 13 West Jefferson Street downtown Phoenix, and it was the city’s first skyscraper.  At the time of its construction, Phoenix was still relatively small with a population just over 30,000 people.   The Luhrs family wanted the building to be a beacon of the future, and serve as a symbol or icon to represent Phoenix’s transition from a small town to a great metropolis.  Just a few years later, they built the Luhrs Tower. 

*ARCHITECTURAL STYLE*

The Luhrs Building was built by the Luhrs family with the help and expertise of architect Henry Charles Trost of the firm Trost & Trost based out of El Paso, Texas.  The Luhrs building is classified as Renaissance Revival.  Henry Trost worked masterfully with many different architectural styles, including but not limited to Victorian, Renaissance Revival and even Art Deco. The Luhrs Building stands at approximately 42 meters tall, and has a total of 10 stories.  It is L-shaped and the concrete structure is faced with brown brick.  The 78,000 square foot structure became home to many businesses shortly after opening and remained as a commercial property in the heart of Phoenix.

*EXTERIOR*

It is a very sturdy and handsome building.  The top two floors are laden in marble ornamentation and the building is topped with a heavy cornice (an overhanging ledge adapted from more classic architecture).   As seen in the photograph of the Luhrs building, the lower levels of the building reflect the top two floors in the ornamentation, tone and mass.  The middle 6 floors appear narrower and also contain most of the brick work.  This 3-part vertical composition makes the building feel sturdy, strong and very balanced.  The balance is crucial, as it is very reminiscent of Renaissance architecture and thought.

*ARCHITECTURAL FORMS*

The main architectural forms evident at the Luhrs Building include columns and beams, the heavy cornice, and many arches. The exterior arches are mainly on the top floor and frame the windows, appearing like an arcade.  As seen in the historical photograph of the building’s lobby, the columns are more of the Doric order, than the Corinthian or Iconic order.

 *TODAY*

The Luhrs building still stands today, though it is nowhere near the tallest building downtown Phoenix.  Both the Luhrs Building and the Lurhs Tower are revered and admired today both historically and architecturally as iconic structures and symbols of Phoenix's history.  In 2008, plans to renovate and preserve the Luhrs Building started in Phoenix.  As a result, new tenants started lining up to make a new home in the first skyscraper in Phoenix, Arizona.

I was unable to visit the Luhrs Tower in Phoenix prior to writing this blog.  I do intend to visit it!  I like that people are working to preserve the history of Phoenix.  Furthermore, I think that the building is beautiful and strong. The large cornice sits upon it like a crown.  I would like to spend sometime inside, as I was not as successful in finding a wealth of images or information on the internal parts of the Luhrs Building as I would have liked.  Historical buildings have souls!

  *SONNET FOR GEORGE LUHRS*

Sharlot Hall, famous historical local woman, wrote a sonnet for George Luhrs.  I was so glad that I stumbled across this piece written by Sharlot Hall.  It helped the pieces to connect more for me!   Please see below:

"Do you remember when the town was young,
The kindly, honest, busy little man
Who every moment of his life long span
Helped build the place whence his success was wrung?
Whose nimble hands first set the wagon's tongue
Toward mines that fed his mule train's caravan;
Whose friendly heart more won the stranger
His beg and board and beer straight from the bung? To him the vision of the man who knows
He serves his city best who serves its need,
And builds in beauty when his service shows
The artist's dream in common daily needs. There stands his Tower! A monument to one
Whose mule corral once blistered in the sun."

From The Sonnets of the Past
by Sharlot Hall, with permission
of Sharlot Hall Museum.

http://www.asu.edu/lib/archives/luhrs/sectitle.htm 

  *A VERY LOCAL EXAMPLE TO EXPLORE*

Here in Prescott, right on Whiskey Row, we have another example of Renaissance Revival architecture that you can explore as well.  It is the Hotel Saint Michael located on the corner of Gurley Street and Montezuma downtown.