An iconic piece of Arizona’s architectural history is moving down Camelback Mountain. Pieces from architect Al Beadle’s White Gates house will be relocated to Shemer Art Center, including three ellipsoid panels from the front of the house, the back patio’s metal shade structure and concrete planters.
They’ll eventually become part of a White Gates Pavilion at Shemer, which will also feature two of Beadle’s sculptures.
The White Gates House has been at the center of a preservation controversy for a while, with debate over plans to tear it down making its way to city hall. This plan to save some of the house’s elements is seen as a compromise of sorts.
The Show talked more about this with architect Taz Khatri of the Phoenix firm Taz Khatri Studios, and they started with what comes to mind for her when she thinks of Al Beadle and this particular structure.
Full conversation
TAZ KHATRI: Well, it's a stunning building, very unique, but also a tragic story with hopefully a happy ending. And really iconic of Al Beadle. Its previous life up until now has been pretty stunning in terms of visual and, you know, the architecture part of it. And also in terms of preservation has had a real roller coaster story for a long time, which ended in a difficult compromise.
So that's what comes to mind.
MARK BRODIE: Is there something specific about this structure that for you is sort of emblematic of his work? Is this a particularly significant building relative to everything else that Al Beadle did?
KHATRI: Yeah, well, this was a house that he built for his own family, so that has a lot of significance. And it's also a Beadle box, very classic Beadle structure. It's a box. And then he also has the famous Brise Soleil panels that are also emblematic of his work.
And then also the sighting of it, how it's up against Camelback Mountain, up against the rocks, and it's this very like contained building up against these rugged amorphic rocks. And that sighting is very intentional.
BRODIE: OK, so you referenced "a difficult compromise." What do you think about when you think about the fact that the building itself will be no more, but elements of it will be relocated to a place where seemingly, you know, they're going to be put on display. People can go see them and learn about Al Beadle and sort of appreciate the work that he did.
KHATRI: You know what? I think it's an example of how something positive can come out of a very painful situation that nobody expected. I think there was a lot of disappointment and angst and sadness that we weren't, the preservationists of the city weren't able to save this building, but somehow they were able to get this compromise and get the owner to salvage certain parts of the building and available for people to see.
And like, I feel like this is one of those wonderful things that no one expected because this is going to be so great for preservation in the future and it's going to honor Al Beadle and more people in the Valley are going to have access to this mid century modern Al Beadle, like the legacy of Al Beadle.
So in a way it's like, it's an unexpected. Like it's not a victory, but a little bit of a triumph for Al Beadle despite the loss.
BRODIE: Do you see it as kind of like a better than nothing kind of situation? Like it's better to have these elements preserved somewhere where people can go see them and learn about them, even if it means we can't have the building as opposed to we just don't have anything?
KHATRI: Absolutely. It's better than nothing. It's more better, I mean it's more than just better than nothing. At first I thought because I was on the Historic Preservation Commission when this project came before us and it seemed like consolation prize that we're going to get these elements, you know, and it just seemed like so minute compared to the loss.
And now seeing the future of it and what it's and how the art center is making a White Gates Pavilion and how it's actually gonna live on in the memory of the city for a long time and maybe in an even more effective way where more people will know about it.
BRODIE: Do you see this potentially as a template for future preservation battles either in Phoenix or maybe in other Valley cities, where if the owner of a building is not willing or able to keep the structure standing, certain elements of it can be preserved elsewhere?
KHATRI: Yeah, I think so. I'm a little bit hesitant to say yes because I don't want to make it seem like, well, to encourage people to be like, "Well, it's the same thing where we're keeping the building or keeping elements of the building." It's not.
BRODIE: Keeping the building is always better.
KHATRI: It's always so much better. Yeah, I mean if it's absolutely impossible like it was in this case, and if the elements are saved and preserved to be viewed by the public, that's a wonderful thing, and I think. But I wouldn't call it a template as much as like it's a case by case scenario.
BRODIE: For as good as you think this situation has turned out, I would imagine on the flip side, there might also be the danger for preservationists that other building owners could say, "look, look how well this worked out with this house. I don't want to keep this whole structure. I will give you X, Y and Z. You can put them wherever you want. And that will allow me to tear down the building."
That sounds like it's not what you want.
KHATRI: Not at all. I think it's a double-edged sword and something that we need to navigate very carefully not to encourage that sort of thinking because this is really a unique thing where, you know, those panels were able to be salvaged and in a lot of buildings, like there aren't unique things like that that would be salvaged, but it's the whole building that has the historic significance and the architectural significance.
So it's very particular to this project. I, so that's why I hesitate to call it a template.
BRODIE: And I guess as you reference, it would be difficult in some buildings to take elements, like the element is the building itself, right. Like you can't take a certain piece of it and put it somewhere else and still maintain some of the significance. You have to have the whole building.
KHATRI: Absolutely. And this is what's so unique about White Gates is that it has those very artistic elements that can be extracted and put somewhere else. Other buildings, it's like, well, sometimes it's the way the light comes in or the way the composition is, or the way it's sighted or the views. It's so many different things.
Sometimes it's not just an object that you can just take out. So I think it's really particular to each situation.
BRODIE: So in that case, maybe template, as you say, is maybe not the best word, but maybe it's sort of another tool available where if sort of negotiations are getting to the point where it's intractable and they' not going to be some kind of agreement to preserve the building, save the building.
That in cases where there are elements that are salvageable, maybe this is something else that sort of, at that last moment, preservationists can go and say, "OK, if you're not going to save the building, we don't like it, we get it. How about if you give us X, Y and Z?"
KHATRI: Yes, absolutely. I think as a last resort, I think this is a really good path, and I'm so glad that we've achieved it. So I think the salvaging of these elements, I think may be more significant than what we originally thought it would be. Because it's going to be in the art center, because it's going to be open to the public.
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