PHOENIX – The former Sunnyslope Presbyterian Church, which now houses the Franklin Phonetic Primary School, has officially received historic preservation status from the city.
The designation protects the nearly century-old property from future demolition or major modifications, ensuring its unique history in the Sunnyslope community is preserved.
What we know:
The former Sunnyslope Presbyterian Church, located at 2nd Street and Hatcher Road in the heart of Sunnyslope, has received historic preservation status from the city of Phoenix.
The designation marks a new chapter for the property, which has been in continuous use by the community since its early days. The building’s origins date back to 1927, when the Desert Mission Presbyterian Church was established in the area, long before the surrounding neighborhood was formally part of Phoenix.
“It’s one of the oldest churches left in Sunnyslope and probably the only part left of the Desert Mission era,” said Julia Taggart, president of the Sunnyslope Historical Society.
The original chapel burned down in 1942, but the Sunnyslope Presbyterian Church was rebuilt in 1949 and served for decades as a community cornerstone for weddings, funerals and gatherings.
‘We were just devastated’
Facing declining membership, the church put the building up for sale in 2014. At the time, it was leasing space to Tom and Dr. Cindy Franklin, who ran the Franklin Phonetic Primary School on site.
“One day they announced that they were going to close the church, and that they were going to knock everything down,” Dr. Cindy Franklin said. “We were just devastated because we thought we were doing good things for the community and the children. And so we asked them to give us 180 days to try and get a loan.”
The Franklins successfully purchased the building in 2016, saving it from demolition. Tom Franklin noted his personal connection to the site: “This is where I grew up, before it was Phoenix, across the canal and you were out of Phoenix and in Sunnyslope.”
To secure the preservation status, students from the school’s sixth-grade class made a field trip to a Phoenix City Council meeting to advocate for the building.
The move ensures the property’s storied history will continue. Today, the former sanctuary is used as a music classroom, with pews still in place. The historic preservation overlay prevents future demolition or major modifications without city approval and opens the door to city incentive programs for building rehabilitation.
“I feel like it was what we were supposed to do. I feel we were given this gift for a reason, to keep serving the community and to respect the heritage of the people who came before us,” Dr. Cindy Franklin said.
Taggart stressed the importance of reuse: “I think this is a great example of reuse for churches. That we can keep these church buildings and we can find some sort of reuse for them, because this architecture, we’re not going to see again.”