The J.B. Bayless grocery store near 7th Street and Roosevelt is a remarkable example of the power of adaptive reuse. First constructed in 1926, it was the seventh in the Bayless chain. At the time, when supermarkets were still a thing of the future, it was lauded for its modern amenities. To have all market items consolidated in one place was still an uncertain new concept.

Perhaps it’s fitting then that its new use is also cutting edge. CO+HOOTS, the main tenant of the well-preserved building is a work cooperative, based on the idea that having productive people from all kinds of different fields will help breed creativity increase productivity. It’s a garden variety of professionals, a wide and diverse selection similar to something you might find at say, a supermarket.

The resurrection of the old building was brought about by real estate broker Joseph Lewis, who recognized its potential when he purchased the space 20 years ago, according to an article in Phoenix Magazine.

“I knew it had good bones,” he said.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 for its significance in Phoenix commercial history and the architectural integrity of the building which was representative of the time period when it was built. Lewis restored the building with help from the city and now leases it to its current tenants.

Today a gym, photography studio, and a graphic designer fill out the space in addition to CO+HOOTS.

Located on 7th Avenue in the historic Melrose District, Copper Star Coffee retains the appearance of a gas station, complete with two pumps out front, but now it offers mochas, lattes, and pastries instead of leaded gasoline.

When the building first opened in 1933, it was one of the first service stations north of Indian School Road, facilitating Phoenix’s burgeoning expansion in that direction. Its 21st century incarnation also helped transform the city in a different way.

Converting the site from gas station to coffeehouse served as a catalyst for the development of Phoenix’s Adaptive Reuse Program, as city ordinances made the process of repurposing old buildings unexpectedly difficult. At the time, it took Copper Star owner Bill Sandweg over a year and a half of working with city officials before the coffee shop finally opened in the spring of 2006.

His efforts have paid off for his business and the community. Copper Star has become a favorite among locals, winning azcentral.com’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Award for Best Non-Chain Coffeehouse. Meanwhile, the award-winning adaptive reuse initiative has saved business owners who want to convert existing structures thousands of dollars and months of time in preparation, processing, and renovation.

This clip from the Building Phoenix Show, featuring Phoenix Vice Mayor Tom Simplot and Copper Star owner Bill Sandweg, gives an excellent sense of the friendly, relaxed atmosphere of Copper Star, and details the difficulties Sandweg faced in converting the old gas station into a new business.

From its inception, the federal building on the corner of Central Avenue and Fillmore has never quite served its intended purpose. Originally commissioned as a six-story structure, the end result was two stories. Designed to house all of the federal agencies in Phoenix when it was built, it became home to only nine. Phoenix had already outgrown the capacity of the post office by the time the building was completed in 1936, and the location was far from downtown at the time.

Today, a post office branch still operates on the first floor, but the federal agencies have given way to ASU student services offices as part of the university’s downtown Phoenix campus. The building is one of thirteen sites on ASU’s four campuses that have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Despite its troubled beginnings, the federal building acts as a landmark in Phoenix’s development and history. The decision to locate the building north of the existing downtown helped direct the expansion of Phoenix in that direction, and the over 1 million dollars the federal government supplied for the project (equivalent to over $15 million today, adjusted for inflation) represented a significant investment in the city.

Designed by Phoenix architects Lescher & Mahoney, the federal building also stands out architecturally as a fine example of Spanish Colonial Revival style. Arched windows, beautifully landscaped grounds, and murals decorating the interior make the site a good deal more attractive than one might expect from a government building.

Though not exactly thrilling in its past or present incarnation and purpose, the federal building stands as a well-preserved reminder of the era when Phoenix first rose to national prominence. Its combination of functionality, aesthetic appeal, and historical significance make it a valuable part of the downtown environment.

This post has nothing to do with pie.

When I saw Bragg’s Pie Factory listed on the National Register of Historic Places, I licked my lips, thinking a tasty treat would accompany my quest for historical knowledge of Phoenix. I was right, but not at all in the way I expected.

Located at 1301 W Grand Avenue, the Pie Factory no longer produces the desserts from which it derives its name. Opened in 1947, it operated as a bakery for 20 years before closing up shop in the late sixties. It remained vacant for many years as Grand Avenue, once a major highway, suffered with the advent of the freeway system, according to an article from the Arizona Republic.

Now a handful of new tenants have occupied the building, including several art studios, independent small businesses, and a cafe. The renovation and reoccupation of Bragg’s reflect a growing movement to revitalize Grand Avenue and transform the area into a trendy arts district.

Lacking pie as an incentive, I still decided to poke my head into the Sapna Cafe, one of the building’s primary tenants. As luck would have it, in 2009 the Phoenix New Times voted Sapna the “Best Downtown Building to Poke Your Head Into.”

The bright, sunlit space of the cafe makes for an enticing eating environment, though my principal concern after coming in from the 115 degree heat was some form of liquid refreshment. I ordered a mango lassi which the owner and host, Ana Borrajo, generously topped off for me after I slugged down about half within ten seconds.

As a building first incarnated as a pie factory, I assumed any repurposing would detract from Bragg’s value. But the new slate of tenants have injected personality and verve into the old structure, making it an attractive destination in one of this city’s most under-appreciated neighborhoods. If this is the way Phoenix wants to preserve its history, I’m all for it.