Roosevelt Row, Phoenix, AZ
ClozeEZ's guide to Roosevelt Row, Phoenix: Roosevelt Row, "RoRo" locally, is downtown Phoenix's arts district, running along the Roosevelt Street corridor roughly from McDowell Road south to Fillmore Street and from 7th Street west to Central Avenue. 2,098 Phoenix homes are for sale on ClozeEZ today.
The Roosevelt/Central Avenue light rail station anchors it, and the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus and the downtown core sit immediately south.
Housing here is urban infill rather than subdivision: mid-rise and high-rise residential mixed with surviving bungalow-era stock from the surrounding historic blocks. The 1904 house that holds Songbird Coffee and the converted home occupied by Cibo are good markers of what the older fabric looks like. A nonprofit, the Roosevelt Row Community Development Corporation, guides development strategy for the district, unusual for a Phoenix neighborhood.
This is the most walkable and most transit-connected neighborhood in the ClozeEZ Arizona guide set, and the only one where a car is genuinely optional.
Around Roosevelt Row
Restaurants & coffee
- Matt's Big Breakfast: Downtown breakfast institution on 1st Street, open daily 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., first-come first-served.
- Songbird Coffee & Tea House: Coffee house on 3rd Street in a 1904 house, open daily, sourcing from Arizona roasters and tea makers.
- Pizzeria Bianco and Bar Bianco: The downtown flagship of the wood-fired pizzeria and its neighboring bar, at Heritage Square.
- Cibo: Pizzeria on 5th Avenue occupying a converted historic house.
Shopping
- First Friday A.R.T.S. Market: The monthly market held alongside First Friday, with 150+ vendors and roughly 20,000 attendees for handmade crafts, art, vintage goods, and food.
Attractions & parks
- First Friday art walk: The largest monthly art walk in the United States, running since 1994 and drawing crowds through the district's galleries and studios.
- Margaret T. Hance Park: A 32-acre park built atop the Deck Park Tunnel that carries I-10 beneath downtown, opened 1992 and bordered by Burton Barr Library, Phoenix Center for the Arts, and the Japanese Friendship Garden.
- Phoenix Art Museum: The state's largest art museum, on Central Avenue, with an on-site restaurant called Alden.
- Arizona Science Center: Four-level science museum on Washington Street with the Dorrance DOME LED planetarium and a giant-screen theater.
- Japanese Friendship Garden (Rohō-en): Ticketed traditional garden on 3rd Avenue with docent-led tours.
- Crescent Ballroom, Valley Bar, and The Van Buren: Three downtown live-music venues: Crescent in a 1917 building, Valley Bar in a basement space with a game room, and The Van Buren programming national tours.
- Orpheum Theatre: A 1929 Spanish Revival theater on Adams Street, 1,364 seats, restored over 12 years and reopened in 1997; on the National Register since 1985.
- Chase Field and Mortgage Matchup Center: The Diamondbacks' retractable-roof ballpark and the arena home of the Suns and Mercury, both at the district's southern edge.
Getting around
- Valley Metro Rail at Roosevelt/Central: The district's light rail station on the A and B lines; Sky Harbor is three miles east, reachable by car in under 15 minutes or by rail plus the PHX Sky Train.
Selling in Roosevelt Row? Keep your equity.
List your Roosevelt Row home free on ClozeEZ and sell without a listing commission: a flat $200 Platform Success Fee is owed only if your home closes.
Roosevelt Row: frequently asked questions
What is Roosevelt Row?
Downtown Phoenix's arts district, along the Roosevelt Street corridor between roughly McDowell Road and Fillmore Street, 7th Street to Central Avenue. It is known for galleries, murals, independent restaurants, and the monthly First Friday art walk.
What is First Friday?
The largest monthly art walk in the United States, held since 1994. It includes the A.R.T.S. Market, which draws more than 150 vendors and roughly 20,000 attendees.
What kinds of homes are in Roosevelt Row?
Mostly urban infill, mid-rise and high-rise condos and apartments, mixed with surviving early-1900s bungalow-era houses on adjacent blocks. It is the most vertical and most walkable neighborhood in this guide.
Do you need a car in Roosevelt Row?
Less than anywhere else in metro Phoenix. The Roosevelt/Central light rail station sits in the district, Sky Harbor is three miles east, and the downtown core, ASU's downtown campus, museums, and sports venues are within walking distance.