Taking a walk down Convent Alley in 1928, Phoenix, Arizona

Walk with me. Today we will be walking along Convent Alley in Phoenix, Arizona, which was between Monroe and Van Buren and 3rd and 5th Street in Phoenix, Arizona.

The name of this alley has been in use since St. Mary's Church was built, in 1915. There were residences along there, including where the nuns lived. The photo at the top of this post from 1928, which is from the McCulloch Collection at ASU, shows the view looking west.

I've never seen the words "Convent Alley" on any map, but I have seen it printed in ads, like these from 1918:



Phoenix had a lot of alleys with residences on them, including Melinda's Alley, Gold's Alley, Wall Street (although those were businesses, mostly banks), and others. The reason for this was that the scale of the streets was so enormous that it just made sense to divide the space up some more.

As we walk along Convent Alley in 1928, I can hear singing. I wonder if it's a choir practicing, or just some of the sisters lifting their voices up? It's a nice sound.

Thank you for walking with me. Go in peace.

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