My final tour was the morning of my departure in the Roosevelt Row (RoRo) neighborhood which began with a simple question (mine). Are palm trees native to Phoenix? They are not. Most of the palms you see in Phoenix today were imported from California and Mexico during the early 1900s to make the city seem more like a tropical oasis with a resort feel. Guess who imported most of them. If you answered Dwight B. Heard, of the Heard Museum, you were correct! He was a major land developer and used palms extensively along major streets and in his developments.
The discussion got back on the topic of street art with information about its evolution in the United States. Cornbread, born Darryl McCray, is often called the first modern graffiti artist. In the late 1960s he started boldly tagging “Cornbread” all over Philadelphia—on buses, buildings, even an elephant at the city zoo—kick-starting the name-writing movement that shaped today’s street-art culture.
In just two days, Phoenix revealed five completely different sides of itself to me – quiet gardens, rich history, iconic architecture, vintage glamour, and vibrant street art. I also found it interesting that Julia, my friend from my Chicago days, and I explored three landmark places (the Heard Museum, Taliesin West and the Wrigley Mansion) which each had roots in Chicago. Phoenix is a whole lot better because of Julia’s move here. And, yeah, those other guys, Dwight, Frank and William’s move from Chicago enhanced Phoenix, too.
New City New State 