Chinese Cultural Center construction to continue

PHOENIX - UPDATE: The stop work order has been pulled, and True North Companies can now continue as planned.

Rose + Moser + Allyn Public & Online Relations says True North intends to effort on-site and off-site preservation elements.

It also says the fence was installed around portions of the Chinese Cultural Center for "safety reasons while tenant improvements and the other work is undertaken." The company says this is not an indication of "pending or future demolition of buildings."

The fight continues as supporters of the historical Chinese Cultural Center push to keep the new property owners from reconstructing the building.

On Tuesday, the Phoenix City Council voted unanimously to now look into the historical significance of the building and on September 13, the city issued a stop work order.

A lot of the controversy began with the fencing that now surrounds much of the Chinese Cultural Center. Less than 24 hours after the city stated officials would look into whether or not this building can be saved, new owners moved forward with the fencing.

The city says they had no permit for this, and hit them with a stop work order. Supporters who have been fighting to preserve the center say when they saw the fence up Wednesday morning and feel it was a slap in the face.

It's been a summer long fight from supporters of the center who fear developers will modernize the building a do away with artifacts worth millions that give the building its Chinese history. But now the city council says they'll look into just how significant the history is and supporters feel things could go up.

Over the next few weeks, the council will analyze guidelines as they fall under codes protecting historical buildings and monuments. This will alow them to see whether any codes can protect the building from being revamped.

While fences around the building suggest construction is coming soon, the city responded with the stop work order, saying True North Companies had no permit to begin.

We reached out to True North Companies for comment, but they haven't replied. At this point, it's not clear how long they'll be analyzing the building.