A legal showdown is sending an 89-year-old Phoenix homeowner to court after Arizona State University sought control of the land under his pre-statehood house, angering residents who view the property as local history worth saving.
What happened?
According to KNXV, the dispute centers on the Louis Emerson home at Fourth and Pierce streets that Robert Young has owned since 1975 and is now defending against Arizona State.
The house predates Arizona's statehood in 1912 and is regarded as one of the oldest remaining homes in the Phoenix Churchill area.
With a medical and technology school planned nearby, ASU is seeking to acquire the site.
Maricopa County Superior Court records indicate the Arizona Board of Regents sued Young earlier this month.
Young said he turned down offers from the university ranging from $290,000 to nearly $1 million.
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"It's not gonna happen. That's what I thought then, and that's what I think today. I will not let it happen," he said, per ABC15.
Marshall Shore, a local historian, said more than 10,000 people have signed an online petition supporting preservation.
Why does it matter?
This fight touches on several concerns at once: property rights, neighborhood identity, and the environmental cost of demolition.
When a historic structure is torn down, a community loses a visible link to its past — and usable building materials often end up in a landfill in the process.
Shore, known locally as the Hip Historian, said that the home represents everyday Phoenix history, not just a grand landmark.
"This house was here before statehood, before Arizona even thought of becoming a state; this house was here, and so it deserves to tell that story and continue on," he said, per ABC15.
He also pointed to what he sees as a lower-impact alternative: "I mean there's nothing more sustainable than keeping a house where it is. Create a pocket park around it."
Young said what is at stake is not just the building, but "the fact that this corner itself is historic."
What are people saying?
"It's stressful. You don't know from day to day if you're gonna find the house on the corner," Young said.
Shore described the home as an irreplaceable local asset, saying it was "an everyday man's house" and deserves to remain part of the neighborhood fabric.
ASU said in a written statement that it had made multiple offers for the property and that the final one was based on an appraisal.
On Sept. 4, Young is scheduled to appear in court to argue that the house should not be demolished.
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