Historical society works to make Phoenix mortuary a designated historical building
PHOENIX - UPDATE: The Phoenix City Council voted 9-0 to make this a historical designation.
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A Phoenix funeral home operating for 75 years is asking the city to declare the building historic.
If you drive along 7th Street often, you know this building. For decades, it's been a staple in Phoenix, and soon, that may become official.
What we know:
From the outside to the inside – it's beautiful. The family that started it all loves this place.
"Yeah, I believe this building is history," said Trish Kerr of Hansen Mortuary.
Hansen Mortuary was first built in the early 60s along 7th Street in the Sunnyslope neighborhood.
Trish inherited the business from her father.
"For me, it's a gift. Because I get to give," she said.
Trish Kerr
Now, her son, Tanner Kerr, will become the third generation to run a building that provided so much to grieving families.
"There's a legacy here," Tanner said. "This has been here for so long and been able to bring comfort and remember and honor a lot of people."
There's no doubt history has happened here.
"It's one of the prime examples of mid-modern century that we have left here in Phoenix," Julia Taggart of the Sunnyslope Historical Society said.
Tanner Kerr
Dig deeper:
She's applied for the building to receive a historic building designation.
"You look up and see the beautiful lights coming in from the diamond panels. You see the the rose quartz wall back there. I mean, it's gorgeous," Taggart said.
Trish says none of those things will ever change.
"We've been here so long and it's meant so much to so many people. It's not going to happen," Trish said about changing parts of the building.
Taggart says preservation in Phoenix has become important as so many developers have come in as our city expands.
"What do we want to save from developers? What do we want developers to know? We value our history and this is one of the buildings we never want to see go," Taggart said.
What's next:
She says this place is one to save, and the city council will soon vote.
Taggart says this place is more than a building, and she knows the history it holds.
"If my parents gave us anything, it's that we do the right thing, and I think they would see that and be like, ‘Wow, you kids are doing the right thing,’" Trish said.
On June 4, Phoenix City councilors will meet to vote on the historic designation.