The Past is Prologue?
Do you miss the warm and fuzzy past of Mill Avenue?
For each generation of Tempeans there is a snapshot that encapsulates a golden age. These were once all on Mill Avenue together:
Rundles
Q-And-Brew
Nevitt’s Arco
Sellah’s Sports Shop
Tempe Bicycle
Restaurant Mexico
Roads to Moscow
Pumping Iron
Dana Brothers Dodge
Bunch’s Radiator…
But before we get too warm and fuzzy, it is important to remember that this was no paradise. Tempe City Council in 1968 came within one fateful vote of relocating the municipal complex to Rural and Southern where the Library is located today.
Downtown had become a haven for hippies, bikers, dive bars and head shops. Frankly, our place (Monti’s) was one of the only draws for civilized people.
In 1966 Tempe was still a relatively sleepy community and was shocked by the random stabbing of a young ASU student at the old Casa Loma hotel at Fourth Street and Mill. The murder was an awakening from innocence for many residents who lived in Tempe at the time. The story is well summarized here: Murder, She Wrote
Next time you find yourself strolling along Mill, near the Birkenstock store and our (delicious) neighbor Cafe Boa, think briefly of Laura Bernstein.
Only thanks to the vision of many civic leaders was Dowtown Tempe set upon the path of urban renewal and revitalization. Mill is now a safe, urban playground for denizens of a prosperous and secure society. So, before lamenting the merely possible problems of development and density, think about the rough times in the past and be grateful.
