If you grew up in Phoenix, you’re likely familiar with the cultural activity of cruising Central Avenue. For decades before the advent of social media, teen entertainment in the Valley often turned to motoring along Central. It was a way to meet other teenagers and fin...

Since we can't visit the ornate Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix these days, the next best thing is to take a look at Arizona Contractor & Community Magazine's "Back When" (Mar-Apr 2020 issue) about its history, and the crowds that flocked to the venue to watch Bridge on the...

Charles A. “Chuck” Runbeck passed away on Monday, March 9, 2020, roughly six weeks shy of his 92nd birthday.

Born in 1928 in Aberdeen, South Dakota, his parents were Swedish immigrant Anton Runbeck and Wisconsin native Nina Hooper. In 1937, his family moved to Coolidge,...

The 38th issue of Arizona Contractor & Community Magazine is a whopper coming in at 96 pages. Think of it as a mid-morning break at the construction site. We’ve decided to emphasize the “community” part of our name, briefly idle the big yellow machines, and focus on ho...

Mother Nature caused a massive traffic jam in the Valley in the spring of 1965. For the first time in 24 years, heavy winter snowfall in northern Arizona resulted in sustained high flows in the usually dry Salt River channel.

The water came primarily from its major trib...

To read the rest of this issue, you are invited to purchase the digital issue here.

This article originally appeared in the Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, Jan/Feb 2020 issue, Vol. 9, No.1. The Arizona Contractor & Community magazine is a bi-monthly publicatio...

Theodore Roosevelt was a busy man when he arrived in Phoenix in 1911 to dedicate the dam named after him. He had championed the passage of a federal reclamation act in 1902, which spurred dam construction nationwide. Theodore Roosevelt Dam was the first federal reclama...

ACC magazine begins our ninth year of publication with a special issue focused on the lifeblood of the Valley: The Salt River. We explore the river’s dams, canals, bridges, aggregate operations, and habitat restoration projects. The Salt River had its first modern util...

Scottsdale went “hi-fi” in 1961 when the Executive House Arizonian opened in the “West’s Most Western Town.” The $3 million, 210-room resort at 4823 North Scottsdale Road, located just north of Camelback Road, was built with five wings facing a central patio. The Chica...