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Back by popular demand, the annual Historic Roosevelt Neighborhood TourFest by the Roosevelt Action Association has re-started. The Historic Roosevelt Neighborhood is a modern name for a series of neighborhoods that grew north of the city between 1893 and 1930 and it spans from McDowell to Van Buren and from Central Ave to 7th Avenue. TourFest offers a rare glimpse into the history and architecture of Phoenix’s earliest suburbs.

The tour takes place on Saturday, November 10th, from 10am to 4pm and will include classic cars on display and self-guided tours. Please bring your walking shoes as the tour is spread over the entire Roosevelt area. Limited tickets are were available for a guided tour full of history and stories by the famous Phoenix historian Marshall Shore.

Come on in. A loft in the Fontenelle is just one one of the historic homes open on Saturday. Photo by Jack London, courtesy of Roosevelt Action Association.

The Fest in TourFest is the Certified Local Fall Festival presented by Local First Arizona.  The free annual festival has relocated to Portland Parkway, right in the heart of the Roosevelt Neighborhood.  Enjoy the valley’s best food, live music, fun activities for kids and unique shopping from Arizona’s locally owned businesses.

Proceeds from TourFest support the work of the Roosevelt Action Association’s mission to preserve the neighborhood’s unique historic character.  Tickets cost $12 per person for the TourFest.  Please visit http://www.rooseveltneighborhood.org/ for advanced tickets and full details.

The Roosevelt neighborhood reflected the early efforts of Phoenicians to create a genteel society, the dusty frontier town emerging into the urban center of the Southwest.  Today, the neighborhood is a mixed use urban neighborhood with restaurants, offices, hotels and multifamily incorporated throughout the historic character of the original neighborhood.