At 4918 East White Gates Drive in Phoenix, Arizona, architect Al Beadle’s influence on midcentury modern architecture remains on full view, at least for now. The 1957 residence rang in a new wave of fun-in-the-sun lifestyle to those looking to move out west. Its white exterior worked well with the lush green vegetation Arizona’s desert landscape had to offer at the time. In March, the residence received a permit for its demolition and after much uproar from the architecture and Arizonan community, the permit application has now been withdrawn.
The White Gates demolition rang to the ears of Modern Phoenix, an Instagram account run by Alison King. On March 16 the account posted about the looming demolition. “Earlier this month the 1950s era property transferred ownership to a LLC. I want to let our community know that WE ARE ON IT and to kindly remain calm for the next couple of days as more information comes to light,” it shared a post. In the following weeks, the account continued to share updates on ways the public could delay or stop the demolition entirely.
Among its calls for public action were for the property to be added to Phoenix’s Register of Historic Properties.
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Modern Phoenix called for petition emails to be sent to the city of Phoenix’s Historic Preservation Office. Similarly, civilians participated in an open forum at the Historic Preservation Commission meeting to speak out against the demolition.
In recent years new development has taken shape in the area. The Beadle-designed residence was sold privately for $1.7 million, and was intended to be razed to construct a single-family home. A lawyer representing the new private owner told Arizona Family “the land is not proposed to be subdivided for smaller homes or a multifamily use, and the only intended use is a single-family home. It is important to emphasize neither the existing home nor the land is currently registered or designated as historic, nor was it previously or at the time of the recent sale. This was a private sale between the previous owner and my Client, and no restrictions were placed on the sale or the land related to demolition or the construction of a new home.”
Now, according to the Modern Phoenix account, the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office has, for the time being, dropped its request for demolition of the modernist residence. “It’s not over. Stay tuned for next steps,” the account shared on an Instagram story.
As for right now there is no say on whether the buyer will continue to pursue demolition of the home. The Historic Preservation Commission is set to vote on April 15 on whether to designate and protect the White Gates house.
