Last year, Maria Radloff finally found her niche in Downtown Phoenix. After moving from Wisconsin twelve years ago, she bounced around the Valley, living in Scottsdale and Tempe. Radloff always knew she wanted to live in a metropolitan area so she started researching Downtown Phoenix. She found a unit for sale in The Lofts at Fillmore. According to her, it was fate.

Built in 1929 as a 60-room hotel (the same year as the Westward Ho), The Lofts at Fillmore was renovated in 2000 by developer Bill Mahoney and architect Carl Bruckman. The 18-unit building is home to the first lofts ever constructed in Phoenix.

Seeing the historical value in this beautiful building, she decided to take the plunge, and can now call one of the units her own. She relishes in the feel of modern living, but often reflects on the antique charm of the building, complete with raw interior brick and exposed piping. Radloff is friends with almost all of her neighbors and loves her Downtown community. Just like a surrogate family, the residents have parties and hang out on the patio together on a regular basis. She is also happy about improvements the city is making such as renovating the street she lives on, making it well-lit for evening walks and adding park benches for relaxing Sunday strolls.

Radloff also plays an integral role in the emerging Phoenix art community. As the owner of the Grand Avenue art gallery, Holy Click!, she is excited by the current rebirth of the city. She finds urban Phoenix completely fulfilling and is excited there is something to do every night of the week. Her typical weekend begins early on Thursday night at Carly’s Bistro, where she enjoys live jazz. She can also be seen at Hot Pink on Friday nights. Additionally, Radloff practices yoga at the YMCA and plays with her greyhound, Lacy, at the park.

Reprinted with permission from Contact Magazine, Holiday 2005 issue, www.contact-mag.com.