History in the Making

Downtown Flagstaff is a window into the past, present, and future. Many of the small town’s encounters are students and locals. However in the summertime the students are replaced with tourists as most students retreat to their hometowns. Standing on the corner of Leroux and Aspen looking up at the Weatherford Hotel, that has a story of its own. The Weatherford Hotel was originally a railroad hotel when its doors opened in 1900, but today it has been restored and houses many of Flagstaff’s tourists. Although the hotel has quite an extensive history, today the hotel is popular, because of its “ghost stories,” New Years pinecone drop, and the bar Charlie’s located on the 1^st floor.

Above is a photo the Weatherford Hotel today.

As you walk East on Aspen the right side of the street is filled with unique businesses and café’s, but each one tells its own story as you peak through the window. These businesses as well as the others in the historic downtown have the same color scheme which consists of tan, black and brick red. All the buildings are covered in masonry of brick or stone. Across the street there are a few businesses, but sandwiched in between the AG Edwards Building and Babbitt's Backcountry Outfitters store is Heritage Square. This is more or less the stage for the downtown area, on the weekends people gather here, movies are shown here, and other town functions. However, at the back of this social stage is a restaurant called Diablo Burger, which has been named the best hamburger in Flagstaff. They have very unique burgers that are served on an English muffin, but this hidden burger joint leads to an ally-way that is the gateway to the Market Place, which is another area of shops and restaurants. However, as you continue down Aspen you will come to San Francisco Street and on that corner is the Babbitt store. This is significant, because the Babbitt’s expanded and went to the mall when it came to Flagstaff, but couldn’t afford both stores and in 1987 closed the store on Aspen and San Francisco. However, this store and many others are open today through the revival of the downtown in the last few decades.

A photo standing across the street from the Babbitt Brothers Store.

As you venture North on San Francisco Street you find “breaks" in the land going from small businesses to government use. Then as we turn onto Cherry Street there is an LDS church on the corner and the street curves as it leads you towards neighborhood. The church implies that Flagstaff is a religiously diverse community, because of the Baptist Church in the South Side neighborhood. This also alludes to diffusion of religious ideas from Utah. The general grid pattern is lost once you enter the residential area, but this is likely to distract your eye toward the street as well provide the idea of “private property.” The neighborhood is not directly connected to the grid system and curves and winds as you enter it which could keep tourists from wandering around the neighborhood as well. These houses are surrounded by trees which help seclude them and make each property private. As you go further up the hill the houses get bigger, giving the idea that the owners had more power economically and physically, because of where their houses are situated.

Historic Downtown Flagstaff is alive and the place to be in the 21^st century through the economy of the local residents, tourists, and college students.