Bischoff’s on the Park began as a 50-year-old, 5,000-square-foot one-story brick bank building — complete with its original job-fabricated wood girder trusses, wood-framed roof, and bank vault. Its location, age, history, and original use combined to give the building real historical significance for Old Town Scottsdale, and the finished project honors that heritage while serving an entirely new purpose: a gallery for native and Southwest art, crafts, and furnishings, with a private residence above. This two-phase historic renovation and adaptive reuse project remains one of my signature works as an Arizona architect.
Assessment & Planning
Every decision on this project flowed from goals and priorities established before design or construction began.
Original Building
Bischoff’s on the Park before renovation – original brick bank building NW, Old Town Scottsdale 
Bischoff’s on the Park before renovation – original brick bank building west entrance, Old Town Scottsdale 
Bischoff’s on the Park before renovation – original brick bank building southeast corner, Old Town Scottsdale 
Bischoff’s on the Park before renovation – original brick bank building south, Old Town Scottsdale
Research came first. It showed the building had just missed qualifying for the historic designation proposed by the Historic Commission. That finding opened a door: the exterior look and feel could be modified — in the spirit of historic significance — to satisfy the owner’s desires while strengthening the character of the building, rather than being frozen by regulation.
With that clarity, the roadmap took shape around a set of guiding requirements:
- Maintain and strengthen the building’s historic mid-century colonial Southwest character while repurposing it for the marketing of native and Southwest art, crafts, and furnishings.
- Take advantage of the surrounding public spaces by creating entrances on all sides of the building, and adding plazas on the sides that lacked them — turning the site itself into an invitation to Old Town Scottsdale’s pedestrian traffic.
- Add a second-floor residence in a later phase without disrupting the retail business on the first floor.
That last goal — phasing the gallery renovation so commerce and construction could coexist — set the strategic framework for everything that followed.
Architecture
Designing for a second floor that did not yet exist was the central architectural challenge of this adaptive reuse. All architectural, structural, plumbing, heating, air-conditioning, and electrical requirements of the future second floor had to be determined and built into the Phase I renovation — without a completed second-floor design in hand. Special steel columns were designed and installed to carry the future second floor while keeping the existing roof intact, a framework literally built for what came next.
The same care shaped the commercial interior design and the building’s character inside and out:
- The exterior aesthetic was carried into the interior, where the original brick walls, wood-framed roof, and vault were carefully sandblasted to remove 50 years of dust and paint and restore their original character.
- Long deliberation went into whether removing the interior plaster would interfere with displaying art. It proved to be the right call — the exposed brick created a warm, non-interfering backdrop for the artwork.
- Traditional materials were used in contemporary ways, paired with contemporary fixtures, to create an inviting, blended feel. Flagstone accented select walls and flooring areas.
- Original wrought-iron light fixtures of historic significance were relocated and reused — work handled by a well-known local blacksmith — and display lighting was added for the gallery.
- Custom exterior doors and millwork were fabricated by an Albuquerque millwork company, selected during an in-person trip with the owner. The exterior door pulls were designed and created by a Texas artist.
- Outside, the existing parking and alley were reconfigured, improved, and landscaped into multiple small plazas with pleasant seating areas to encourage pedestrian traffic. Used sand-cast brick was located, imported, cleaned, and laid throughout the project to carry on the building’s historic nature.
Implementation
Phase 1 – First Floor Renovation
Execution of this Scottsdale gallery renovation spanned more than two years of daily job-site visits — ongoing design changes, owner consultation, and construction observation, every day.
Bischoff’s on the Park Phase 1 gallery renovation, Old Town Scottsdale — southwest exterior and patio view 
Bischoff’s on the Park Phase 1 gallery renovation, Old Town Scottsdale — west exterior and patio views 
Bischoff’s on the Park Phase 1 gallery renovation, Old Town Scottsdale — southern view 
Bischoff’s on the Park Phase 1 gallery renovation, Old Town Scottsdale — patio view
Phase 2 – Second Floor Residential Addition
The second phase posed problems that had to be solved in sequence, not on paper:
- The original roof had to be replaced, yet remain in place beneath the new second floor constructed above it.
- An elevator was required to serve the residence.
- The rooftop heating and air-conditioning system serving the first floor had to stay in service, with new air-conditioning added for the second floor.
- Construction contract negotiations for the second floor, conducted on the owner’s behalf, produced substantial savings with no change in quality.
Bischoff’s on the Park Phase 2 — second-floor residence addition above the historic gallery, NW view, Scottsdale 
Bischoff’s on the Park Phase 2 — southern view of historic gallery 
Bischoff’s on the Park Phase 2 — second-floor residence addition above the historic gallery, western view 
Bischoff’s on the Park Phase 2 — second-floor residence addition above the historic gallery, balcony view
Final Results
Two statements capture the commitment, time, creativity, and teamwork involved in bringing Bischoff’s on the Park to life.
From a local resident:
“The building is too good for Scottsdale. It ought to be in Santa Fe.”
And from the owner:
“I would have never thought that the way the building looks would cause people to go in.”
Project Information
| Project | Bischoff’s on the Park |
| Location | Old Town Scottsdale, AZ |
| Project type | Historical Renovation |
| Architect | Sam J. West |
| Year | 2013 |
| Site dimensions | Approximately 130′ wide × 124′ deep (~16,100 sq ft) |
| Zoning | Commercial, 23′ front setback |
| Retention requirements | Waived by the city at my request |
| Parking | Requirements met |
| Completed project | Approximately 9,300 sq ft |
| Floor area ratio | Approximately 58% |
| Open space | Requirements exceeded |