Watching construction in Phoenix, Arizona


Like all kids, I love watching construction. Of course, I really have no idea what's going on, I just think that it looks cool. I enjoy seeing the Tonka Toys moving around, and I wonder what it would be like to be one of the guys in the hardhats.

Luckily, I live in the Phoenix area, which always has stuff going on. OK, to be fair, construction hit a nasty bump about eight years ago, but it's recovering nicely nowadays. There are new buildings under construction, subdivisions, freeways, you name it.

Yes, I understand how annoying construction is to grownups. They see the orange signs and know that wherever they're going, there's probably gonna be a delay. So, among all of the other things that make me weird, as I am well over ten years old, is that apparently I never really needed to get anywhere in that much of a hurry. So if grownups complain about construction, I nod and sympathize and secretly I am hoping that traffic will stop long enough for me to get a good long look.

I collect old photos of Phoenix, and believe me, there are a lot of images of construction! The city of Phoenix has been pretty much in a state of continuous "under construction" since it began, in 1870. It must really annoy the grownups.

When I look at the old photos, I like to imagine what it would have been like to have been standing there when one of my favorite buildings, like the Luhrs Tower, or the Professional Building, was being built. It must have been a mess, and the grownups must have hated it, and the kids must have loved it.

Image at the top of this post: Glendale Community College under construction in 1965.
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