The Van Buren facts for kids
The Van Buren as seen from Van Buren St. in 2019.
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| Address | 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ 85003 |
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| Location | Metro Phoenix |
| Coordinates | 33°27′04″N 112°04′46″W / 33.45106°N 112.07943°W |
| Owner | Live Nation Entertainment |
| Capacity | 1,800 |
| Opened | August 23, 2017 |
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Phoenix Motor Company building
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The Van Buren located in the Phoenix Motor Company, 2018
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| Location | 401 W Van Buren Street, Phoenix, Arizona |
| Built | October 1930 |
| Architect | Lescher & Mahoney |
| Architectural style | Spanish Revival/Baroque Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 100003064 |
| Added to NRHP | 2018-11-01 |
The Van Buren is a popular place in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, where people go to enjoy live music. It's located on the corner of Van Buren Street and 4th Avenue. This building has a long history! It was first built in 1929 for the Phoenix Motor Company. Back then, it was known as the Phoenix Motor Company building. The famous architects Lescher and Mahoney designed it. They also designed the beautiful Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix.
Contents
History of The Van Buren
How the Building Started
The building that is now The Van Buren was first built in 1929. It was home to the Phoenix Motor Company. The building was designed by a well-known architecture firm, Lescher and Mahoney. They are famous for designing other important buildings in Phoenix, like the Orpheum Theatre.
Bringing the Building Back to Life
In 2015, two business partners, Pat Cantelme and Jim Kuykendall, bought the building. They paid $2.2 million for it. At that time, the building looked very different. Most of its doors and windows were covered up. It was hard to see how great the building could be.
Cantelme and Kuykendall talked to Charlie Levy. He owns other popular music venues in Phoenix, like The Crescent Ballroom. They thought about working together to fix up the old building. They found the original storefront, doors, and windows hidden under the covers. The group even received a $250,000 grant. This money helped them restore the building to its original look.
The Van Buren Opens Its Doors
The Van Buren officially opened as a music venue on August 23, 2017. The band Cold War Kids played the very first show. The venue was designed to hold between 1,700 and 1,900 people for concerts.
The Van Buren quickly became very popular. It was voted "Best New Music Venue" in 2017. Later, it won "Best Large Venue" in 2019 and "Best Medium-Sized Venue" in 2020. The building itself is also important. It was added to the Phoenix Historic Property Register in May 2017. Then, in December 2018, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's a special historic place in the United States.
New Ownership for The Van Buren
In April 2021, a big entertainment company called Live Nation Entertainment took over The Van Buren. Live Nation already owned a part of the venue. They bought out Charlie Levy, who was the main owner. This change happened because many music venues faced challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic caused many concerts and tours to stop.
Memorable Performances
The first official concert at The Van Buren was on August 23, 2017. It featured the bands Joywave and Cold War Kids. The night before, the Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra played a "soft opening" show. This was a test run for the staff and equipment. The Phoenix Afrobeat Orchestra was also the first band to play at the venue after it reopened. This was after being closed for 15 months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
See also
- List of historic properties in Phoenix, Arizona
- Phoenix Historic Property Register
