N early a century ago, in a compact bungalow duplex in a neighborhood two miles north of downtown Phoenix, a 26-year-old secretary murdered her two best friends. Two days later, the dead women were found stuffed inside three suitcases at a Los Angeles train station. The story of killer Winnie Ruth Judd would shake the growing Arizona city and the whole nation. Judd’s story made front-page news nationwide, spawning crime fiction novels and journalistic recountings. Even humorous plays and puppet movies were created about the “Trunk Murderess.” Decades later, the house — the only surviving witness to that saga — sits amid evidence of the city’s exponential growth. It’s a block from the Thomas Road and Central Avenue light rail station and surrounded by boxy modern condos, an office complex parking struc- ture and a contemporary art gallery. The fact that the structure remains at all is due to local bankruptcy attorney Robert Warnicke. Ten years ago, the Phoenix native purchased the dilapi- dated and weathered home to transform it into his law office. “I totally used the Winnie Ruth Judd story to save the house,” Warnicke explained, though he admits he “would have used any excuse” to do so. As the vice president of the Phoenix Historic Neighborhood Coalition, Warnicke has worked to preserve more than one of Phoenix’s most infamous residences. He also owns a 1930s-built home in the historical La Hacienda subdivision down the street from the Judd house and has been active in keeping that locality vibrant and authentic. La Hacienda is one of 36 neighbor- hoods designated by the city as residen- tial historic districts. Many of these neighborhoods have experienced notable comebacks over the past decade, and city blocks that were once essen- tially ghost towns are now among the most popular places to live in Phoenix. Since the early 20th century, when many of the houses in these neighbor- hoods were built, the city has seen tremendous growth. Almost 50,000 resi- dents called the Valley home at the time of the trunk murders in 1931. By 1950, the city’s population had doubled in size. In 1980, Phoenix was one of the 10 most populous cities in the country. Now, with 1.6 million residents, it ranks as the fifth- largest in the U.S. During that span, central Phoenix’s classic subdivisions have gone from thriving to neglected and back again. Arizona natives and transplants who once would have aimed for the suburbs are now drawn to the city’s old neighbor- hoods for their strong sense of commu- nity, older homes and proximity to downtown. As demand for these hamlets has skyrocketed, the city has spent grant money and longtime residents have fought tooth and nail to preserve them. “This was a place people were incen- tivized to live,” Warnicke said. “There was a sense of belonging, a sense of we’re together in this kind of thing.” As these neighborhoods continue to grow in popularity, he hopes they stay that way. High demand Buying a house in central Phoenix used to be relatively cheap. It isn’t anymore. In the late 1980s, Encanto-Palmcroft resident Jack Marks bought his single- story 1940s house for $225,000 — or about $560,000 in today’s dollars. Now, his home is estimated to be worth a stag- gering $1.26 million. A four-bedroom residence in the same neighborhood is listed at nearly $1.9 million today. A smaller three-bedroom home in Coronado — a historic neighborhood a mile east of Encanto-Palmcroft — is selling for $720,000, nearly three times its value from 2021. In Ashland Place, a tiny historic community off Central Avenue between Thomas and McDowell roads, a three-bedroom house valued at about $333,000 just three years ago is now going for nearly $950,000. Robert Warnicke poses in front of his law office, which is also the home where Winnie Ruth Judd committed the infamous Trunk Murders. (Photo by Morgan Fischer) Donna Reiner, 77, is a 22-year resident of the historic Coronado neighborhood. (Photo by Morgan Fischer) Central Phoenix Comeback Historic Phoenix neighborhoods are in hot demand. Is that good? BY MORGAN FISCHER >> p 16
