Phoenix, AZ (Oct. 9, 2026)— Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) today announces the acquisition of properties at 119 E. Coronado Avenue and 101 E. Coronado Avenue in Central Phoenix from Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council (GSACPC). The properties include three buildings, among them the historic Pleasant House, and 46 parking spaces. The Museum has acquired the properties through its endowment, creating a long-term opportunity to expand the institution’s capacity to provide arts-education and community programming. The partnership reflects a shared commitment by two longstanding Arizona non-profit organizations to better serve their communities.
In the immediate term, GSACPC will continue to occupy the Coronado Avenue properties during a transition period, as it shifts administrative functions to The Bob & Renee Parsons Leadership Center for Girls and Women at Camp South Mountain. Following that transition, PhxArt anticipates making the properties available for lease to other nonprofit organizations, allowing the buildings to continue serving community-based organizations. Over the next five to 10 years, the Museum envisions adapting the Coronado Avenue properties for administrative use. This would enable PhxArt to reimagine and repurpose its existing administrative building on the Museum’s main campus to become a dedicated, integrated arts-education and community programming space.
“The acquisition of these properties represents an important expansion of Phoenix Art Museum’s campus and our long-term vision for the institution” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “For more than six decades, the Museum has grown alongside this community, and this expansion gives us an opportunity to thoughtfully extend our presence in Central Phoenix while continuing to advance the arts and cultural footprint of the downtown area. We are grateful to Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council for their stewardship of these properties and look forward to carrying that stewardship forward as we consider how these spaces can best serve the Museum and our community for generations to come.”
In addition to the transition of the Coronado properties, the partnership between PhxArt and GSACPC will extend to community programming and initiatives. Over the coming year, the organizations plan to explore and develop collaborative arts-engagement opportunities for youth of all backgrounds, interests, and abilities. Additional information about these programs will be announced in the coming months.
“Phoenix Art Museum is an incredible partner to ensure the legacy of the buildings continues to uplift our community,” said GSACPC co-CEOs Mary Mitchell and Christina Spicer. “The sale of the buildings is a strategic step forward for our mission. Net revenue from the sale will create more opportunities to place council staff directly in communities alongside girls and volunteers by improving access to meeting space, strengthening connections, and enhancing customer service.”
The history of Phoenix Art Museum extends back to 1915, when the Phoenix Women’s Club pledged to purchase one work of art each year, the genesis of the Phoenix Municipal Collection, which would eventually become the foundation of the Phoenix Art Museum Collection. Over the following decades, community leaders established the Phoenix Fine Arts Association and organized exhibitions throughout the burgeoning metropolis.
The Museum’s modern history began in 1936, when artist Philip C. Curtis was appointed director of the Phoenix Federal Art Center through President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration program. Following World War II, community leaders organized a fundraising campaign to acquire property along Central Avenue and Coronado Road, and in January 1959, construction began on the site to erect a new museum building designed by Michigan architect Alden B. Dow, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Phoenix Art Museum officially opened to the public on November 18, 1959, and over the decades has continued to evolve alongside the community it serves. Expansions in 1965, 1996, 2006, and 2010 provided additional gallery spaces to present special exhibitions and modern and contemporary artworks from the PhxArt Collection, along with multipurpose spaces now used for public engagement and educational offerings. The partnership with Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council represents the next chapter in the Museum’s evolution, with a focus on building greater opportunity for the Valley’s diverse community to experience, learn about, and engage with the arts.
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About Girl Scouts–Arizona Cactus-Pine Council
In partnership with 6,500 adult volunteers, GSACPC serves over 12,000 girls grades K-12 in more than 90 communities across central and northern Arizona. Since 1936, GSACPC has helped girls develop leadership skills and tools for success in a rapidly changing environment. We know that given the opportunity, every girl can become a leader, act confidently on her values, and connect with her community. For more information, visit www.girlscoutsaz.org.
About Phoenix Art Museum
Since 1959, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) has engaged millions of visitors with the art of our region and world. Located in Phoenix’s Central Corridor, PhxArt creates spaces of exchange and belonging for all audiences through dynamic exhibitions, collections, and experiences with art. Each year, 300,000 guests on average engage with critically acclaimed national and international exhibitions and the Museum’s collection of more than 21,000 works of American and Western American, Asian, European, Latin American, modern, and contemporary art and fashion design, along with vibrant photography exhibitions made possible through the Museum’s landmark partnership with the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona in Tucson. PhxArt also presents live performances, outstanding examples of global cinema, arts-education programs and workshops, a monthly live-music series, and more for the community. To learn more about Phoenix Art Museum, visit phxart.org, or call 602.257.1880.
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