ASU files eminent domain lawsuit to take historic Phoenix home
ASU wants to seize historic Downtown Phoenix home to build new medical school
The 124-year-old Louis Emerson House in downtown Phoenix could be demolished for a new medical school campus. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz learns more about the fight to preserve the past.
PHOENIX - The historic Louis Emerson House on Fourth and Pierce streets in downtown Phoenix has been around since before Arizona was officially a state. Soon, it could cease to exist, as ASU has filed an eminent domain lawsuit to take ownership of the property in order to build its new medical school campus.
What we know:
ASU said it made several offers to buy the home, but they were not accepted. The homeowner and man living in the house say it is one of the last standing reminders of the city’s origins and believe it needs to be preserved— and they are not going quietly.
Barry Schwartz has lived at the historic Louis Emerson House in downtown Phoenix for eight years.
"It’s always like a reminder of what was here and what’s disappearing," Schwartz said.
Timeline:
The house itself has been around a lot longer, 124 years.
"The house you’re looking at dates from 1902 long before Arizona was even a state," Marshall Shore, "The Hip Historian," said. "It’s got layer, upon layer, upon layer, of stories and history built into its fabric."
"The house is key to the development of the city," homeowner Robert Long said.
All that could soon change, as ASU, with approval from the Arizona Board of Regents, has filed the lawsuit to take ownership of the property, the last parcel of land required to build.
What they're saying:
"I think it’s appalling that an institute of higher learning wants to destroy it," Long said.
"It’s kind of gut-wrenching, it’s sad, it’s sort of tragic," Schwartz said.
By the numbers:
Schwartz said Long turned down the previous offers to sell to ASU, including the first offer for $190,000, and a more recent offer of $999,000, which they claim would not be enough to cover the cost of moving the house. The house was already moved once years ago.
What you can do:
Schwartz has started a petition to save the house.
What's next:
The two stated they are not going down without a fight.
"They have this motto called the future begins here," Schwartz said. "Well. There’s no beginning of the future without the past."
According to the lawsuit, the Arizona Board of Regents has instructed ASU to keep negotiating with Long behind the scenes to try and come to an agreement.
Map of where the historic home sits.
The Source: Information in this report was gathered from Barry Schwartz, Marshall Shore, Robert Long, ASU, the Arizona Board of Regents, and an eminent domain lawsuit.