Apartment Tower Eyed for Church, Historic Home in Tempe

Wexford Developments and Core Spaces have overcome opposition by preservationists trying to block a 29-story apartment tower in Tempe, preserving a former church and moving a century-old house.

The Florida- and Chicago-based developers won support from the City Council, which denied a recommendation by the Historic Preservation Commission to reject the project at 109 East 6th Street, in downtown Tempe, AZCentral reported. The council will consider final approval next month

The preservation commission voted last month to recommend the council turn down the request to partially bulldoze and alter the buildings because of their age, history and structural integrity.

The First Congregational Church building, with roots at the site since 1899, was rebuilt in 1953. The Harry Walker house, built in 1903, was converted into a House of Tricks restaurant, which closed three years ago. The site includes an office building used by the church.

The council backed the developers’ appeal of the commission’s recommendation, saying the plan preserves significant parts of the property, while creatively redeveloping the rest.

The proposed redevelopment would save the church sanctuary building, but demolish ancillary buildings and move the neo-Colonial house to a site chosen by the city.

In 2016, Wexford bought the former church from the dwindling congregation for an undisclosed price, according to Sam Gordon, principal at Wexford. It’s been empty since.

The firm then bought the surrounding properties, including the former House of Tricks, for an unknown sum. The expansion allowed Wexford to bring on Core Spaces to plan a larger, more efficient project, Gordon said.

Plans call for a 29-story tower with 818 apartments above a ground-floor restaurant. The amount of parking, if any, was not disclosed.

Pending approvals, the developers could break ground this year by demolishing the church’s ancillary buildings and relocating the Walker House.

Wexford Developments, founded in 2014 by Gordon and Kendal Harazny, has more than $500 million in assets under management, with a second hub in Calgary, Canada, according to its website.

Core Spaces, founded in 2012, began by building a 19-story, 637-bed student housing tower in Tempe, next to Arizona State University, which it sold for $103 million, according to its website. The firm focuses on student housing and build-to-rent single-family homes.

— Dana Bartholomew