VIA TEMPE HISTORY MUSEUM
By Lindsay Walker | YourValley
A Tempe building dating back to the 1920s could be in danger of demolition, though its fate remains up in the air.
The Watson’s Flowers building, located at 2425 East Apache Boulevard, is considered ‘historic eligible’ but has not been officially listed among 200 other historic buildings on Tempe’s register. Without the designation, the adobe structure could cease to exist.
Watson’s Flowers is currently owned by the Tempe Coalition for Affordable Housing, though the Tempe Community Action Agency has expressed a desire to purchase it for their own use. Plans could include TCAA offices, a food pantry and transitional housing, among other purposes, according to Historic Preservation Office documents.
In those documents, the city argues that the Watson’s Flowers building should be demolished prior to redevelopment for multiple reasons, including structural and landscape issues.
