SUNNYSLOPE, AZ — The Sunnyslope community is rallying together to protect a site they say is the heart of their community: their cherished rock garden.
The garden near Cave Creek Road and Cheryl Drive, south of Peoria Avenue, was designed and built in the 1950s by Grover Cleveland Thompson.
It features a variety of colored stones, glass, and ceramics placed on features like windmills, sculptures of people and animals, and other small structures. Since Thompson’s passing, it’s been watched over and maintained by its new owner Marion Blake who kept it open to the public who’ve enjoyed its imaginative world for decades.
Community members are now hoping the unique spot can be a designated historic site and are asking community members to speak up at the June 17th Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission public meeting at 4:30 p.m.
Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated that the rock garden would be discussed at a Phoenix City Council meeting, but has since been updated to say it is a public meeting held by the Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission.
