SELLING HISTORICAL BUILDINGS

SELLING HISTORICAL BUILDINGS THAT ARE BROUGHT BACK TO LIFE IS A GREAT SIDE BENEFIT TO SOME REALTORS. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO BE THE PRIMARY COMMERCIAL REALTOR RECENTLY INVOLVED IN LISTING AND SELLING THIS PROPERTY TO THE “Ann Carson Dater Visual Arts Center” As One of Prescott's oldest buildings - and its "first territorial skyscraper" - has received a statewide honor. Local historian Elisabeth Ruffner reported that the Knights of Pythias Hall/Herndon-Hawkins building on downtown's Cortez Street is among the honorees for the Governor's Heritage Preservation Honor Awards. The building, which dates back to 1892, has had its share of close calls through the years. More than a century ago, it was one of just two or three downtown buildings that escaped the Great Fire of 1900, according to documentation in the nomination for the State of Arizona's Governor's Award. So, it was with enthusiasm and civic pride that I watched the building's recent restoration, under the direction of local firms William Otwell Architects and Haley Construction. At three stories (46 feet in height), the Knights of Pythias/Herndon-Hawkins building was one of the largest commercial properties in Prescott during the 19th century - earning it the nickname of "Prescott's skyscraper." "I've always been very fond of the building - it is Prescott's skyscraper, and it survived the fire of 1900." The building currently houses the office of the 'Tis Arts Center and Gallery, as well as several Law Firms on the second floor and a Grand Performing Hall on the third floor which is used primarily for Performing Arts by students. A plaque on the exterior notes that the Pythias building - officially the Ann Carson Dater Visual Arts Center - "was restored and dedicated to the purpose of promoting the arts in the Prescott Community." John Gorden, Realtor Realty Executives Prescott Arizona