Warehouse District Hispanic Heritage Month - Phoenix Then & Now

September 23, 2024 12:00 AM

​ The area near third Street and Buchanan is what is known as the Warehouse District. In the early 1900s, there was a subarea of the Warehouse District that was primarily occupied by Hispanic businesses, Hispanic residences, churches and restaurants. Two of those businesses were the Sonorense Cafe in the Gerardo Building and Arvizu's El Fresnel Grocery. The Sonorense Cafe was on the ground floor of the Gerardo Building with residential spaces on the top floor. Arvizu's El Fresnel Grocery was right next door and served Mexican-American laborers who worked in the produce warehouses and resided in nearby barrios. The building was also the Mexican Masonic Lodge for many years.​​​