Arizona Contractor & Community Fall 2015 V4 I3

Arcadia Fiesta Renovation Full of Surprises H idden glass storefronts and an unknown basement containing forgotten relics are just some of the mysteries Wespac Construction has uncovered in renovating the stores located on the southwest corner of 32nd Street and Indian School Road in Phoenix. “The center is renowned for either being empty or struggling to sustain longterm tenants,” Wespac Public Relations Director Nate Largay says. “The renovation will be the first effort to improve the structure and its surrounding areas.” Wespac renovation plans include a partial demolition of the shopping structure and a ground-up build for multiple connected and stand-alone structures. “The primary use of the buildings is retail, but the eight-to-12 suites will be suitable for most industries seeking storefront property,” Largay says. The project is due for completion in February 2016. The Bashas’ family built the center in 1959. The site was home to a Bashas’ grocery store, the AMF Squaw Peak Lanes bowling alley, Howard’s Ace Hardware, and other retail outlets. The 147,000 square-foot building will be renamed Arcadia Fiesta “We had to use a little extra firepower for the demolition especially for the thicker/harder plaster and brick walls,” Largay comments. ”There’s also the Sixteen Images courtesy of Arizona Contractor & Community standard asbestos removal with an old structure like this.” The renovation project has presented additional difficulties to the Wespac Construction team. “The most challenging part is dealing with a very old structure,” Largay says. ”Materials, building processes, and layouts were all done entirely different back in the day. Adjusting to that approach requires a specialized approach for each building.” Another hurdle to overcome is that there are no as-built plans for the center. “The structure has gone through multiple renovations, repairs, and new layouts over the course of more than 50 years, and none of the drawings were kept on file,” Largay laments. “Wandering blind into the dark is not ideal for construction, but it does pose a challenge we’re capable of handling.” The unknown context of the original structures has resulted in some unusual discoveries for Wespac, including an old bowling alley that dips two feet below the standard elevation of all the other storefronts. “Everything in that storefront is modified to match the dip, meaning all the framing for doors, windows, and walls are entirely useless to any future renovations,” Largay says. “The floor has to be infilled up two feet, and the entire interior has to be blown out to match all of the other storefront elevations.” Another odd discovery is hidden glass storefronts covered up by additional walls for new storefronts. “The demo crew smashed into a wall and found a glass storefront that was covered up for decades: windows, doors, and signage were still intact hidden behind drywall,” Largay says. The craziest step of the renovation was locating an unknown basement. “The owners knew of only one basement underneath an existing storefront,” Largay says. “A second basement was discovered during the demolition process, which contained a handful of old Salt River Project equipment from the 1960’s. The owners didn’t know about it, SRP didn’t know about it, so it was somewhat humorous to be stumbling upon the old relics.” Current renovations, 2015. Fall 2015 Image courtesy of Wespac Construction Around Arizona Bashas’ supermarket construction, 1959.

Arizona Contractor & Community Fall 2015 V4 I3 | Page 16