By Lynn Trimble | Phoenix New Times
The city of Phoenix recently denied a citizen petition to preserve the Chinese Cultural Center. Now, people hoping to save the defunct center’s architecture and gardens are pursuing historical preservation efforts to legal action.
On Tuesday, September 12, the Phoenix City Council agreed to undertake a cultural survey that Chinese Cultural Center advocates hope will help make a case for historic preservation. Later that week, a Chinese-American-owned business still located on the site filed a lawsuit aimed at stopping changes to the center.
Located on 44th Street just north of Van Buren Street, the now-defunct Chinese Cultural Center site is set to become the headquarters for True North, a Scottsdale-based private equity firm. One of its subsidiaries, a company called 668 North, purchased the Center’s property in June for $10.5 million.