Category:Arizona State University Mercado buildings

English: The Mercado (Spanish for "market"), bounded by East Monroe, East Van Buren, North 5th and North 7th Streets in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, was built in 1989 as a Mexican-style shopping and community center. Co-developed by Symington Co. and Chicanos por la Causa, and championed by Arizona Governor Fife Symington and Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard, the project received the first federal Urban Development Action Grant in Arizona. By 1999, however, the six Spanish-style buildings had failed to attract and maintain tenants and was sold to Arizona State University for use as classroom space and offices, including the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation simulation labs, American Indian Students United for Nursing, the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions program, and the advising offices for the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion. In 2019, it was reported that the Mercado's ownership would be transferred to the city in 2024 so that it could be torn down for redevelopment. (Description sources: Phoenix New Times article, Phoenix Business Journal article, "ASU Downtown Campus Self-Guided Tour")