Historic eligible Tempe building could be in jeopardy

By Lindsay Walker
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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.

The original building’s structure was built as a residence in the 1920s where the owner sold fruit and rented cabins on the property to people traveling through Tempe on their way through the Commerce on the Bankhead Highway. The highway was the main thoroughfare to Tucson before the construction of the Interstate-10. The building was purchased by the Watson family in 1934 and expanded with a western addition around 1936 to create Irene Watson’s Flowers. The building was expanded again by 1956, with an addition to the east and it has generally maintained its appearance since then, other than the removal of its mid-century neon sign in 2014 it was damaged in a storm. The sign is currently in the possession of the Mesa Historic Preservation Foundation.

Watson’s Flowers is among the less than 1/100th of 1% of pre-WWII buildings that are still standing in Tempe.

TCAA has emphasized that there are currently no development plans in place and demolition is not a sure thing. 

“TCAA has not currently made any decision yet on whether to acquire the Watson’s Flowers building or for what purpose,” said a TCAA spokesperson, who added that TCAA board members and city officials must take action before any development plans are made. 

During an Oct. 12 meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission in Tempe, the building’s fate was weighed, including ways to commemorate the building’s history in the event of its demolition. The commission ultimately urged the city to further explore the building’s preservation potential, according to Irma Hollamby Cain, deputy human services director for housing services and Tempe Coalition for Affordable Housing Board President.

“The floral business is not closing,” she said. “Customers can currently still visit the florist at the Apache Boulevard location. Customers can also visit Watson’s locations in Mesa and Gilbert and a new location at McClintock Drive and Southern Avenue, which could be open later this year.”

Hollamby Cain added that the exploration is ongoing and the recommendation from the Historic Preservation Commission was passed on to the current property owner. Any decisions regarding the status of Watson's Flowers will be made by the property owner and not the city.