After weeks of public discussion, the fate of a one-story, 124-year-old historic home in Phoenix may soon be decided in the Maricopa County Superior Court.
The Louis Emerson home, located at 623 N. 4th Street in the city’s Evans-Churchill neighborhood, is listed on the Phoenix Historic Property Register and thought to be one of the last examples of the Queen Anne architectural style in the vicinity.
But because the structure sits on a larger site where work will see the construction of a five-story, 170,000-square-foot medical education building belonging to Arizona State University, its future is problematic.
Earlier this year construction launched on the $200 million John Schufeldt School of Medicine at the larger site. During the groundbreaking ceremony, resident Barry Schwartz, who is a long-time resident of the home, approached ASU President Michael Crow and asked him what was to become of the residence.
Crow, according to the Phoenix New Times, responded: “We’re going to demolish or remove it.”
In late May the Arizona Board of Regents filed a lawsuit in the superior court requesting immediate possession of the house via eminent domain. ASU officials have since said the school offered a fair market price for the residence based on the findings of a state-certified appraiser.
That $850,000 offer was subsequently rejected by the owner of the house, Robert Young.
An evidentiary hearing is scheduled to be heard in the court on the matter on September 4.
July 2, 2026
Photo courtesy of Change.org
