Coronado neighborhood alley in Phoenix turned into art gallery

Nestled in the vibrant Phoenix neighborhood of Coronado, is an art gallery many residents do not know exists.

Anita Putney and her husband Scott Borchardt have filled the alley on 12th Street and Palm Lane with art, flowers and cacti to help prevent dumping and fires.

"The alley 25 years ago was really scary," said Putney. "I think it is because of the proximity to the park."

Putney has lived in the neighborhood since the 1970s. She has seen it change from dealing with crime to being a place for families and musicians.

The "alleria" created by the couple reflects the personality of the area. It is filled with paintings and photos that highlight their neighbors' personalities.

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Growing over time

The couple originally started by cleaning the alley to prevent dumping and fires. Then, they introduced art.

"I started off with animal pictures and the kids like those," said Putney. "It started off for the kids mostly on the corners. We try to keep that with butterflies and a beaver."

Children ride their bikes to the alley after school and on the weekends to play with the mirrors and the fairy garden.

The couple has seen more neighbors offering help to maintain the alley.

There are donated carpets on the ground to help keep the area cool during the summer. And a popular photograph of a beaver in a Phoenix-area canal was taken by a neighbor.

However, Putney believes many of the residents in Coronado do not know the alley exists.

"They just walk past the corner and they don’t know there are more things to look at,” said Putney.

Not only a neighborhood attraction

The alley has attracted people from outside of Coronado.

The couple remembers teenagers taking prom and senior photos in the alley.

Borchardt recalled meeting an outspoken child.

“A four-year-old kid came by with his parents and he said, ‘I like what you have done to the place,” laughed Borchardt.

Nick Leonard saw the alley while taking a home tour in the neighborhood. He recently moved to Phoenix from California.

“It was definitely appealing,” said Leonard. The alley reminded him of the Los Angeles Arts District, he said.

Some Phoenix-area neighborhoods are considering closing alleys to prevent crime. However, Putney believes this shouldn’t be the case for the alley in Coronado.

“Some people want to close alleys and I think that depends on the alley and the people who live on it,” said Putney. “For this alley, it is so close to the park. I think if you closed it off you would just make it more isolated.”

Borchardt says people can start volunteering to clean up their section of an alley. “Attitudes are contagious whether they are good or bad,” said Borchardt.

“I know of neighbors who complain ‘Oh my alley is so ugly, it’s so terrible. I wish I had an alley like yours.’ Well it can be,” said Borchardt.

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