Grand Avenue

Grand Avenue never lived up to its splendid name. It continued as U.S. 60 from Van Buren Street northwest, picking up the companion Santa Fe Railway at 19th Avenue on the way to Wickenburg and eventually — in pre-Interstate days — to Los Angeles. Let's take a tour through the years. Click a photo for a larger image.

In 1892, this map shows Grand Avenue running to Glendale, Peoria, and beyond.

This 1915 map shows how Grand was the only street to break the ordinary street grid of Phoenix.

Narrow and under a shade canopy, here's Grand Avenue in the 1920s. Joseph John's Grocery at 1007 Grand (McCulloch Brothers Collection/ASU Archives).

Grand near Lateral 4 near Thomas Road, looking southeast, in the 1930s (McCulloch Brothers Collection/ASU Archives).

Another view of Grand and Thomas, circa 1930 (McCulloch Brothers Collection/ASU Archives).

The same location looking northwest in the 1940s (McCulloch Brothers Collection/ASU Archives).

 

Twenty-Seventy Avenue crossing Grand and the Santa Fe Railway in the 1940s (Brad Hall collection).

Grand running northwest in 1940 wit Glen's roadhouse and La Fiesta motor hotel. The location is the intersection with Encanto Boulevard. Today, Grand is six lanes wide and the BNSF (former Santa Fe Railway) is double-tracked (Brad Hall collection).

Leeds Bros. Garage at Indian School and Grand Avenue, 1940s. Note the sign leading to the Wigwam resort in Litchfield Park (Brad Hall collection).

Grand crossing Grand — the avenue and the canal — in 1944 (Brad Hall collection).

Grand Avenue cuts through Glendale in this photo from the 1920s.

In the 1940s, this is the New River bridge for Grand, next to the Santa Fe Railway bridge, promoting itself as the "Grand Canyon Route" (Brad Hall collection).

Grand and 10th Avenue in Phoenix in the 1930s (McCulloch Brothers Collection/ASU Archives).

Grand near Five Points in the same decade, where Grand ends at Seventh Avenue and Van Buren Street (McCulloch Brothers Collection/ASU Archives).

It's 1942 and a side street branches off to cross the railroad tracks (McCulloch Brothers Collection/ASU Archives).

During the Japanese internment of World War II, Grand and Van Buren — U.S. 60 — marked the internment boundary. Those Japanese and Japanese-Americans living south and west of the line were sent to camps. The farm of George Yashimoto, above, was just east of Grand so the family was spared.

This farmhouse sat on the west side of Grand near Bethany Home Road in this 1940 photo. Reader Marsha Roach shared it — her grandparents owned the home and surrounding 80 acres from 1894 to 1933 and her father was born there in 1894. Into the 1960s, farmland and dilapidated farmhouses could be found along Grand Avenue before Phoenix and Glendale merged.

Jack's Grocery, owned by Jack Yee, at 1716 NW. Grand in the 1940s (photo courtesy of Duncan J. Chang).

This 1950 map showed how Grand fit into the pre-Interstate highway system.

The iconic Goodyear Tires sign presides over Grand Avenue, a Santa Fe freight train (we once had passenger trains, too), and a baby Black Canyon Freeway, circa 1960.

Sitting behind a cowboy in a ragtop, circa 1966, at the six-point intersection where Grand meets McDowell Road and 19th Avenue. The view is facing west on McDowell. Out of sight is the throat of Santa Fe's Mobest Yard and the Arizona State Fairgrounds (Brad Hall collection).

Grand's intersection of McDowell and 19th Avenue was home to the Santa Fe Railway's Mobest Yard, Until the mouth of the yard was rebuilt farther south, this was the site of terrible traffic jams as trains tied up McDowell.

From the late 1940s through the 1960s, Grand in Phoenix from Five Points several blocks northwest was known for its many motels.

Grand and McDowell's northeast corner was the entry to the Arizona State Fairgrounds. Many buildings, such as the grandstand, were built by the WPA during the Depression.

Six Points Hardware sits on the southeast side of McDowell and 19th Avenue with Grand Avenue running off to the right.

Grand looking southeast toward downtown from 12th Avenue in the early 1970s (Brad Hall collection).

Grand Avenue heads toward its terminus at Seventh Avenue and Van Buren Street in 1972. In the distance, the state's tallest skyscraper, Valley Center, is under construction (Brad Hall collection).

Grand Avenue south of McDowell, with Minnie's Cabins, a survivor of the old "auto courts" that once lined the avenue (Brad Hall collection).

Indian School crosses Grand in 1972. Note the Frisco (SLSF) boxcar on the Santa Fe Railway, which parallels Grand (Brad Hall collection).

Legendary nightclub Mr. Lucky's was at 3660 Grand Avenue.

After years of neglect, the southeastern end of Grand has been revived as an arts district, an effort led by Beatrice Moore. The top photo is from the 2015 Grand Avenue Festival. Farther northwest, Grand is increasingly a controlled-access freeway.

———————————————————————————
 

My book, A Brief History of Phoenix, is available to buy or order at your local independent bookstore, or from Amazon.

Read more Phoenix history in Rogue's Phoenix 101 archive.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Shelley HIXSON Rickert]

Thx so much Jon! I thoroughly enjoyed this stroll down this GRAND memory road! You are amazing! You SHINE!🌟💕hugs

[Cal Lash]

Good photos Jon
I still use Grand avenue from 27th Avenue and Thomas going west to any place this side of Wickenburg.
I make note of the famous drinking hole, the Buggy Inn
https://www.bing.com/maps?FORM=SLBRDF&pc=SL20&q=buggy%20Inn%20on%20Grand%20Avenue%20phoenix%20azto
And just a skip to 27th Avenue and Indian School where you could get good Mexican food served by Union waitresses. Across the street was the Indian Drive In Movie Theater. And to the west was an airport that got moved to the Litchfield/Good year area.

And of course Mr. Lucky’s was on the North side of Grand Avenue.
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/mr-luckys-is-up-for-sale-again-phoenix-music-venue-grand-avenue-11526369

Then past Gruber Under wear factory where a lady friend from Mexico worked back in 56. She had blonde hair freckles and green eyes.
Passed the great downtown of Glendale and past the Horse breeding ranch of Read Mullen where I lived in his barn. And bought my first truck from him, A 1960 Ford Pickup with no radio and no Heater. Put 100000 miles on it delivering the Arizona Republic Newspaper.
And sweeping by small sleepy Peoria and El Mirage on to Morristown and Wickenburg. Or maybe a right turn to catch a dirt road to Castle Hot Springs.
Love Grand Avenue. Even today 10th Avenue and grand is cool.

[Cal Lash]

Hmm. For some reason the photo of the Buggy Inn didn't come up.
I'll check manana.

[Roger Simpson]

I can speak about Grand Avenue. I practically grew up on Grand at Alhambra School. My dad was a teacher and principal there. I went there from 4th grade on.

I can speak about Grand Ave. I practically grew up at Alhambra School. My dad was a teacher and principal there. I attended from 4th grade until I transitioned to West High in 1950.

I worked in the packing sheds on the westside of Grand in high school.

I drank at the Buggy Inn when I was eighteen. Some buddies and I ran dragsters and Milt would buy our beer if we won and displayed our trophy there. Hell he even tried to hire to tend bar. ID was not required only money.

I learned to stay out of domestic disputes there. I kicked a guy off of his wife who he was choking her she got up and proceeded to beating the shit out of me with her purse I could go on but this is too long already.

Keeping with Cal's thought I am going to start posting my name instead of my alias: Ramjet

[Donna Roberts]

I was hoping to see Alhambra school. My parents managed a motel (with cabins) next door. My best friend lived on the school grounds, The Woodwards. Her Dad worked for the school and my Dad did also. I think there is a strip mall there now.. 39th Av was an alley between my home and the school. I went there in the 8th grade.

[Cal Lash]

The current issue of The History Issue of the Arizona Highway magazine has great photos and good reads.

[Roger Simpson]

Donna,
I probably know you since Joyce was in my class and my off and on girlfriend for years. I did lots of things with the Woodwards and Chuck was one of my running buddies.

[Roger Simpson]

The only thing left of the school is the gym which is now used for storage. I have some bricks from the center building.

[Roger Simpson]

Jon mentions that Grand was the line to determine which Japanese Americans went to “interment camps “ and who did not. I went to school with some who went and some who did not since the school district straddled Grand Ave. both East and West. It was not a good time in American History.
My Dad secretly took over two farms and held them for the families until till they returned. Needless to say we never lacked for whatever fresh was in season.

[Joe Schallan]

I couldn't help but notice on the 1915 map that there is a subdivision between 12th and 16th Streets and Van Buren and Roosevelt called "Germania." Bet that name got changed in 1917 or 1918! Little known fact: There was internment of Germans and confiscation of a great deal of their property, including the American branch of Bayer aspirin, during WWI. (The German Bayer company reacquired the rights to the brand in the U.S. in 1994.) Anyone born in Germany or with a German-born parent or grandparent was suspect. That included my grandparents and, indeed, my Iowa grandpa got weekly visits from a G-man, to keep an eye on him just in case he was making gunpowder in the barn for... you know, the Kaiser.

[Cal Lash]

Joe thats interesting as the exact bounderies you described were populated about 1900 by Immigrants from Spain. My lady friend is 86 and her grandparents from Spain lived there as did she and her parents.

[Jon7190]

Roger Simpson, you state: Jon mentions that Grand was the line to determine which Japanese Americans went to “interment camps “ and who did not. I went to school with some who went and some who did not since the school district straddled Grand Ave. both East and West. It was not a good time in American History.

I'm aware of the U.S. internment policy, of course, but this intrigues me. I pictured it as a near universal internment. Was is done in stages? Did some people just never get interned? Was the geographic line arbitrary or was there some rationale given? I'd really be curious to know more details if you or Jon have them.

[Roger Simpson]

Jon7190,
A new book just out: "Facing the Mountain" byDaniel James Brown covers a lot about the interments and also the story of the 442 Regiment (all Nisei -Japanese American Soldiers) in Europe during WW II.
I consider this book to be excellent and factual. I highly recommend it.
The interment was not universal-many Japanese-Americans were never interned. I actually had classmates who were and some who were not.

[Cal Lash]

Note reference Jon's column Days of Risk,
See his Front Pages section for Guardian news item on Amnesty says Israel is an Apartheid State.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/05/amnesty-israel-apartheid-israeli-politicians-agree

[Cal Lash]

Great article in Front Pages on Self driving cars and sprawl.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/04/opinion/self-driving-car-escalade.html

[eclecticdog]

Good on your parents Roger. Too many Japanese-Americans lost their property to their greedy neighbors at rock bottom prices.

Spent more than a few nights in Mr. Lucky's. Had fun, but never 'lucky'. Country Western upstairs and Rock n Roll downstairs. Even a mechanical bull and for a while a real bull should one feel the need to ride.

[Carl Dombek]

Great memories! Our family would go out to eat once a week, and often it was to the Embers truck stop on Grand. Plenty of parking for the trucks and some darned good broasted chicken, as I recall. Plus some drunk fellow stumbling around, mumbling, “Don’t nobody know Merle Haggard?” This was the 60s; now we ALL know…