Arizona by Design

Does Arizona have a design aesthetic worth remembering? Join Marshall Shore, Arizona’s Hip Historian, on Thursday, April 25 at the A.E. England Building in downtown Phoenix for his insights on the impact of three iconic Phoenix designers, including:

Lloyd Kiva New – He played an important role in revolutionizing Native American fashion design from the 1950’s on. Learn about his lasting impact in both Arizona and New Mexico. Get a glimpse of some of his important designs on living models.


Charles Harrison – He attended Carver High School in South Phoenix and became a successful product designer, who went on to create the iconic Viewmaster. Learn more about his unheralded impact in product design.

Glen Guyett – He is the man responsible for some of the most familiar business signs in the Valley, including Bill Johnson’s Big Apple, My Florist, Mr. Lucky’s, the Buckhorn Baths, and Courtesy Chevrolet, among others. His expertise in creating twinkling lights brought a new level of flash that still delights us today.

When: Thursday, April 25th, 2013, from 7-8 pm
Where: AE England Building @ 424 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85004
What: A multi-media presentation by Marshall Shore, featuring found film footage,
old photographs, ephemera, live models and artifacts to share the stories of three
significant Arizona designers.

Cost: $7; get your tickets at http://azbydesign.eventbrite.com

A Bunny of a Different Sort

Now that Spring has arrived and that bunny business is over. Let's chat about the other Bunny. Yes, the Hugh Hefner inspired black and white Playboy Bunny. More specific the Playboy Club that was right on Central. Across from what is Park Central, at 3033 N. Central. Located at the very top, not the 8th floor, but squint and strain your eyes for a glimpse of the elusive penthouse on top of the 9th flr and it's large balcony.
Fifty years ago, in the valley, would have been the first time your classic cocktail have been served with the world famous Bunny Dip, by a young lady wearing her custom made suit donning a tail and ears. All the clubs had closed in mid 80's. Though, with it's live music venue that featured the likes of BB King, strict rules against customer/ server relations and a support female environment there are many fond memories of prior guest and former employee. In memory let's do the Bunny Hop

Celebrate the Valley's Mother Road: Route 60

Tonight is very special indeed. We are celebrating our own famous Route.... not 66, but 60. As the car began to move folks around to Vegas or LA They would venture Grand Ave, Apache Rd. and Main Street in Mesa. Those weary travelers needed a place to stay and Route 60 responded by becoming our motel row. You can see what the stretch looked like by driving out through Mesa and seeing the motels with the great signs. Which bring us to the reason of this post. The Diving Lady, a sign that went up in 1960 to let every passerby know that the Starlite Motel had a special amenity a... POOL. This was before every hotel, motel and auto camp had the luxury of a swimming pool. The neon diving lady sign was a blown down in a wind storm in 2010 and

Charles Phoenix

found and saved by the Mesa Preservation Foundation. And tonight she officially get energized and will be diving again. Come out, join my friend Charles Phoenix and myself  and join us as we celebrate The Diving Lady and our history. 


What: Relighting the Diving Lady
Where: Starlite Motel, 2710 East Main Street, Mesa, AZ
When: Tuesday, April 2nd 6-8 with a brief program at 6:30
Cost: Free