HistoryMusic in the Round
Douglas TowneMay 1, 2023
An Italian architect and a video-game-crazed Valley developer bring a touch of Nintendo to Roosevelt Row.
Douglas Towne, Author at PHOENIX magazine
Valley NewsRainbow Over RoRo
Douglas TowneMay 1, 2023
An Italian architect and a video-game-crazed Valley developer bring a touch of Nintendo to Roosevelt Row.
HistoryCrusading Healer Dr. Ancil Martin Brought Modern Medical Equipment to Arizona at the Turn of the 20th Century
Douglas TowneMarch 2, 2023
Broken bones and suspicious masses ran wild in Territorial Arizona until the arrival of crusading healer Dr. Ancil Martin and one game-changing piece of technology – but that’s not all he did.
Long an antiques hot spot, downtown Glendale is in the midst of a modernizing revitalization.
HistoryThe Border Conference Moved the Needle on Social Justice as a Collegiate Sports Battleground in the 1930s
Douglas TowneJanuary 9, 2023
Sports and social change were intertwined long before Colin Kaepernick took a knee in protest in 2016 – and one of the earliest entanglements took place in Arizona.
Super Bowl LVIIHistory Lesson: How Arizona Fumbled & Recovered the Super Bowl in the 90’s
Douglas TowneJanuary 4, 2023
In 1991, the NFL moved Super Bowl XXX from Phoenix to Pasadena after Arizonans vetoed an MLK holiday in a contentious and confusing vote. Afterward, the state had much to prove.
HistoryThe 1916 Arizona Governor’s Election Was Undecided for More Than a Year
Douglas TowneNovember 3, 2022
A poorly designed ballot and a bevy of court cases left the 1916 Arizona governor’s election undecided – for more than a year.
FeaturesPeopleArizona’s Mount Rushmore
Douglas TowneNovember 1, 2022
From the state’s founding governor to a certain mascara-smeared heavy metal legend, here’s who would populate our theoretical Mount Rushmore.
HistoryArizona’s Ill-Fated Oil Boom
Douglas TowneSeptember 6, 2022
Predictions of rich oil deposits in Arizona fueled successive exploration booms that produced gullible investors, but no black gold.
PathogenDX’s innovative DNA-based technology fast-tracks potentially deadly microbial discoveries.
HistoryResurgence of Drag Shows on Roosevelt Row Harkens Back to Gay Nightlife Heyday
Douglas TowneMay 5, 2022
The resurgence of drag shows on Roosevelt Row recalls the heyday of Downtown gay bar 307 Lounge.
HistoryValley Scientist Created a Life-Saving Scorpion Antivenin in the 1950s
Douglas TowneMarch 3, 2022
Rock star scientist Dr. Herbert Stahnke dazzled audiences in his 1950s TV show and created a life-saving scorpion antivenin.
Early in the 20th century, the abduction of 40 Irish orphans from their Mexican foster families in Clifton created a legal battle heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
HistoryHistory: Into the Wild
Douglas TowneSeptember 21, 2021
Ruess wandered Depression-era Arizona, capturing its beauty, until he mysteriously vanished in southeastern Utah.
Historical landmarks are scant in Phoenix and recent demos raise a troubling question: What’s the impact if an owner neglected the property intentionally?