The Roosevelt Chapter, looking back.

On Friday night, Roosevelt showed up.

Neighbors walked over, some with dogs in tow. We talked on sidewalks and porches, told stories and heard a few better ones, and walked through homes on Second Avenue and McKinley Street. Old houses and new ones, side by side, the way Roosevelt has always been.

Roosevelt was the first neighborhood in Phoenix to be officially designated historic. That history lives in the architecture, and just as much in the artists who built the neighborhood. The six homes at Residences on 2nd are named for them: the steward, the photographer, the musician, the painter, the sculptor and the writer. On Friday we honored six artists for what they created: Kimber Lanning, Tomás Karmelo Amaya, Lewis Nash, Antoinette Cauley, Peter Deise and Rosemarie Dombrowski. Their stories are still here, along with ways to support their work.

Nights like this work when people say yes, and when we’re all willing to try something new. Yes to opening a door, sharing a story, setting up a bookstore on the sidewalk, painting in a window above the street. Thank you to everyone who said yes, and a special thank you to the owners and developers of Residences on 2nd for letting me host a fun little night of storytelling in their homes.

And thank you to every neighbor who walked over, shared a story and stayed to hear one. This neighborhood has always been built by people who show up. On Friday, you did.

We’re already wondering where Chapter Three should be. If you have a street, a house or a neighborhood in mind, tell us below.

Bri