(Tom) This week on Arizona Illustrated, we'll see how two historic buildings are being used today.

The Pima County Courthouse.

(Rosemary) From an academic perspective, the history and architecture of the building are incredibly intriguing.

(Tom) And the Curley School in Ajo.

(Aaron) Everyone who moves in does qualify as quote-unquote low-income.

Everyone who lives here is an artist or artisan.

(Tom) If you think video rental stores are dead, think again.

Tucson's Casa Video is celebrating over 40 years in business.

(Gala) It seemed to be a destination that people go to because they can't find that movie anyplace else.

(Tom) And life lessons from a chess king.

(Jonathan) I think that chess can bring people together from all different backgrounds, ages.

(upbeat music) (Tom) Hello and welcome to Arizona Illustrated.

I'm Tom McNamara.

Today we're joining you from the new Visitor Center at the old Pima County Courthouse.

And you know for Pima County residents, this place holds so many memories.

Some of them very good, some of them maybe not so good.

In any event, let's begin today with a look at why local architect Rosemary Bright calls this courthouse her favorite place.

My name is Rosemary Bright.

I'm an architect in Tucson.

And one of my favorite places is the Pima County Historic Courthouse.

[Train horn in distance] The historic Pima County Courthouse has received a major renovation in recent years, culminating in 2021 and is now a newly vibrant public space that serves as an urban hub and historic architectural gem and an economic driver for the Tucson region.

More than simply a historic restoration project.

The Pima County historic courthouse renovation is an inventive adaptation that has breathed new life into a nearly 100 year old building and its surrounding area within downtown Tucson.

[Soft piano continues] The project had been on Pima County's radar since 2010 and involved unique community partnerships, including bringing in tourism giant Visit Tucson as a partner in 2015, an alliance with the University of Arizona further expanded the functionality of the project and enriched the depth of unconventional local involvement between various entities.

As a community hub, the Pima County Historic Courthouse encompasses some amazing amenities.

The world class gemological specimens housed in the Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum dazzle the eye and incite the imagination.

I have had a lifelong interest in gems and minerals, which makes this portion of the project even more magical to me on a personal level.

Additionally, the project sits adjacent to the culturally significant January 8th memorial.

From an academic perspective, the history and architecture of the building are incredibly intriguing.

The courthousewas originally designed by Roy Place and constructed in 1929, then expanded in 1954 and received its historic designation in 1978 from the National Register of Historic Places.

The courthouse was dubbed the most outstanding Spanish colonial revival building in Arizona, and locals recognized its prominent tiled dome, which is portrayed in the official Pima County logo.

Throughout its history, the courthouse has borne witness to some of the region's most significant trials, most notably the John Dillinger trial in 1934.

[Piano music continues] The Dillinger courtroom has now been restored and is open to the public for the first time.

Including an exhibit with historic artifacts and information.

Other historic aspects of note.

The courthouse has been visited by celebrities such as Clark Gable as a defendant in 1954, Johnny Depp, also a defendant in 1991 who would later play John Dillinger.

In the 2009 film Public Enemy's.

"She's afraid of an escape.

"Oh, no, I'm.

Not afraid of an escape.

"I can take care of Dillinger or any other prisoner.

This historic landmark has been featured in several blockbuster films, such as A Kiss Before Dying in 1956, and a Star is born in 1976.

It's yours, man.

I mean it.

It's yours.

In addition to the history embodied in the project, the quality and execution of the design and construction of this historic renovation are inspiring.

Architects Poster Mirto McDonald did a fabulous job with their project, assessment and commitment to the historic aspects of the original building.

Collaborating closely with historians, artisans and structural engineers, they managed to balance their dedication to the historic with utilization of new technology in the design of the renovated space to enhance its new functions.

All in all, the functions brought together under the very iconic roof of the historic Pima County Courthouse culminate in the best the region has to offer.

Highlighting Tucson's robust tourism industry, natural beauty and culture and geological and academic proficiency in the area of gems and minerals.

(Tom) Next, we take you to another one of Pima County's best examples of Spanish colonial architecture.

The Curley School in Ajo was built in 1919, and that's 10 years before this courthouse was built.

Now in recent years, it's been renovated to create affordable live work apartments for artists - It's like a secret nobody knows about 'cause nobody I know has every heard of this place.

- [Narrator] This is the Curley School in Ajo, Arizona, a town of about 3300 residents, 120 miles west of Tucson, in the middle of the Sonoran Desert.

The school was originally built in 1919 as part of the City Beautiful Movement, when Ajo was a booming mining community, but the town and school have gone through many changes since then.

The New Cornelia open-pit copper mine closed in the 80s.

People moved out of town, unemployment and people living under the poverty line went up, and, eventually, the school and several other beautiful, historic buildings went vacant.

- There were also other personal issues for me, as far as a tribal member was concerned and being concerned about the Sonoran Desert.

- [Narrator] Lorraine Marquez Eiler grew up just outside of Ajo.

In the 90s, she helped found the International Sonoran Desert Alliance, or ISDA.

In the beginning, their goals were all about the environment, post-mining.

- We decided to solve the problems of the world, as the story goes.

And so we talked about saving the Sonoran Desert.

- What we found is as we met with communities again and again and again, the top priorities of that community were not environmental in nature but were housing, economic opportunity, jobs.

We realized, to be really sustainable in environmental impacts, you've got to address the people living in the environment.

Seems obvious but it was really an a-ha moment for us.

- [Lorraine] Our goals, you know, we're looking at economic development, revitalization of an area, protection of an area, education.

Ajo always said to us, "Save the Curley School.

"Save all these huge buildings that were just "laying there."

- [Narrator] Through a patchwork of grants, foundation support, and individual donations, ISDA was able to raise $9.6 million to purchase and renovate the Curley School and in 2007, it reopened as 30 affordable live-work apartments.

The next year it was listed on the Nation Register of Historic Places.

- Everyone who moves in does qualify as quote-on-quote low-income.

We don't believe in aggregating poverty, per se, so we said, "Well, why don't we aggregate it "around something else, to not say "everyone who lives here is low-income "but everyone who lives here is an artist or artisan?"

- You know, all I've heard is how you know, it's low-income housing and that's all those people went there for, they're not really artists.

But right now we've got a huge amount of artists and there have been a huge amount of artists that have come through here.

- Ajo has some interesting opportunities if you're receptive to it.

- [Narrator] Karen Sucharski and Mike Henrichs live on the Curley School campus.

They came here specifically because of the clay studio, but they also paint, sculpt, make bread, garden, collage, sew, write poetry, and make music.

- I still make a living as a ceramic artist but I do everything else.

- Glad I already found this before all these other storms here.

You know, mom died and they're raising their rent in a lively neighborhood.

- [Narrator] Army veteran Arnold Alexander moved here from LA.

To him, Ajo is quiet and relaxed, which is a welcome change of pace.

Behind his apartment, he makes Tibetan-style paper from recycled materials.

Eventually, it turns into postcards and other goods he sells at artists markets.

- I put it in Photoshop and take everything off the photograph except the butterfly and just leave the butterfly on there and transfer the butterfly to my paper.

(soft piano music) - The best way to describe my style is kind of like movie music, it's very cinematic and very moody.

- [Narrator] Bobby Narcho moved here from the Tohono O'odham Reservation about an hour away.

He spends a lot of time working on his music, photography, and video projects.

- I wanted to try something different.

I was kind of just home all the time, on the reservation.

I thought to myself, "Why not get out of the reservation "and live on my own?"

Ever since then, it's been four years here and it's been very cool.

- I was able to move out here and I thought, "I'm not looking for a job, I have "a modest pension that supports me."

- [Narrator] Zee Galliano has always wanted to work on her jewelry full-time.

Her apartment at the Curley School, which she loves, has helped make that happen.

- I want to really explore.

This place gives me the freedom to do that.

I had no idea any of this existed and the more I researched, the more incredible it, I mean, everything they've done here, the plaza, this school.

- [Narrator] The Curley School is basically an urban revitalization effort in a rural area.

The project garnered several awards and recognition across the Southwest.

With the success, ISDA has been able to expand and save more historic buildings.

- We rolled a developer fee from that project into purchasing the rest of the campus, which is now a whole host of things but primarily, the Sonoran Desert Inn and Conference Center.

- [Narrator] This conference center was designed to bring in large groups and retreats to the area.

It started carrying these javelina pillows designed and handmade by Karen Sucharski and they're a success story for the organization.

- The conference center opening was huge.

I made 600 of them last year and I make them by hand.

Saved all my javelina money, put it in a separate account so I can keep track of it and we went to Paris in March.

- [Narrator] After the conference center, ISDA was also involved in preserving the historic town center.

Each year on September 22nd, the organization hosts an international day of peace.

- I think it's probably the most illustrative event of our organization and our mission and our focus.

- [Narrator] This event brings kids from three nations together and hints at the potential of this town and this region.

- Every year, it's the same.

It's just totally fun (laughs).

- I'm amazed at the progress.

It's been a long struggle.

Art and culture knows no boundaries with people.

(Tom) In this day and age of streaming video, you might think the video rental store is dead, but think again.

Casa Video in Tucson is one of the largest remaining video stores in the country and in 2024, they celebrated their 41st anniversary.

(cars passing) - Well, it was in the '80s, that was the explosion of VHS, and there was all sorts of independent video stores that were popping up all over.

(tool grinding) (light switches clicking) We were going to these stores and not finding the movies that we were necessarily interested in, 'cause we're big fans of classic movies and foreign films and documentaries and things like that.

We thought there was a niche that we could fill.

We had a little store in Granton Campbell, and we started that in '83.

Two years later, we were looking for more space, and my brother actually saw that this location was available.

(popcorn machine whirring) (slow jazz music) (computer beeping) There was a distributor that was in Phoenix that we would go to, they're no longer in business, but they had a huge warehouse.

And you would go there and you would just get a shopping cart, (scanner beeping) and we would go down the aisles.

We'd spend all day and we'd go down the aisles and just grab movies and fill up this cart, "Oh, this is great, we gotta..." And, it just sort of blossomed like that.

It didn't really take off until people started realizing that we were different and we were carrying these different titles.

And then, DVDs came in, I think in the '90s.

(popcorn popping) (slow jazz music) - I guess what I really enjoy most about movies, in general, is just storytelling, I just love a good story.

Pretty much a lifelong obsession.

The moment I moved out here, my brother-in-law insisted that I needed to come see this place.

(DVD machine whirring) (mysterious music) - [Movie] Bald Eagle calling Tippytoe, over.

Bald Eagle, calling Tippytoe, over.

- I'm the general manager here, I've been here 14 and a half years.

My first job was in a grocery store, and I did everything I could, as soon as I could, to move to their video rental department of that grocery store.

So, I've pretty much been working in video stores since '97.

A lot of other video stores would get rid of a lot of their copies of older movies, whereas we always made sure we held onto at least one copy of everything.

We do have customers who are like, "Oh, you haven't seen everything in this store?"

No, I'm only in my 30s, there's no way.

(soft music) - We do have, I would say, probably hundreds of VHS still in our inventory, and the reason we hang onto those is because they're not available on DVD.

A lot of people have hung onto their VHS recorders, but we do rent them, as well.

- [Lance] Just our selection, it's so far beyond what was available for the heyday of video stores.

(dramatic music) - [Off Camera Man] The adult section?

- It exists.

(laughs) I honestly don't know what to say about that section, other than, it exists.

As does the internet.

- For a long time, I thought Steven Spielberg directed everything, and that was just the thing.

(laughs) Some of my favorite movies when I was little growing up was "Serial Mom", "Hairspray", "Cry Baby", and then I realized, wait, these all kind of have the same vibe to them.

And that's when I first discovered, wow, the director who did this, this is John Waters."

So, I don't know, a whole new world opened up for me.

(dramatic music) (scanner beeping) - All right, sir, they're due back on Saturday.

You have yourself a great week, man.

- [Customer] Thank you, you too.

- [Clerk] Thank you.

- We seem to be a destination that people go to because they can't find that movie anyplace else.

I think it's great, I mean, we've really managed to have quite a film library.

I don't think people realize really how important that is.

(dramatic movie music) I'm still buying a lot of different titles.

What we don't buy as much of is the big blockbusters like we used to.

We used to get like 70 copies of something.

And now, maybe we pick up maybe 20 of a big hit.

- There's a note on your account that says, "Groovy."

(scanner beeping) - What?

- All right.

(woman laughing) - That's cool.

(laughing) - All right, there we go, $4.35 today, man.

- [Gala] You have like, Netflix and Hulu... - [Clerk] Thank you.

- [Gala] And, all these different platforms.

- It's not so much that we get customers who don't watch Netflix.

I think Netflix is down to maybe a couple thousand different titles on their streaming service, whereas we have something close to 80,000 different movies here.

- Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO, I have all of them.

- [Clerk] Nine pieces of licorice.

- And, this place.

- [Clerk] Now, how many do I get to have?

- I'd better watch it again.

- Okay.

(laughs) - I've used Netflix and those type of online or order 'em online services.

There's something to be said about holding the product in your hand, reading who's in the movie, right?

- That's why this place is still around, because old-school people like us are still interested in having, like Larry said, having it in his hand.

- Yeah.

This is much more a whole package deal.

- Okay.

(children chatting) - [Gala] If you're paying attention, most video stores are sliding off the map.

- When I first started, I would pass two Blockbusters and a Hollywood everyday to get here.

- [Gala] Once these huge libraries go, it will be harder for people that really love film, if there's something particular they're looking for, they might not be able to locate it.

(bar patrons chatting) - There you are.

Keep it open, close it out?

- [Patron] Close it out.

- [Gala] We realized that we had to support this business another way.

- There's Red Seal, all right.

(soft music) - [Gala] When craft beer really kind of took off in town, I was trying to figure out a way how I could include that.

We just sort of started looking at the store and seeing if we could actually find a spot for it.

(soft jazz music) - [Lance] Sure, the bar has certainly helped business.

It does help bring in new customers.

- We come about once a week, every Thursday, 'cause the Curry Pot food truck is here.

(men chatting) - No special occasion, we just decided to show up on a Thursday night and watch a movie, just have some wine and cheese, and just have a good time.

- Remember how fun it used to be to just walk up and down the aisles and look at all the movies?

- [Woman] And, they have everything, like-- - Yeah, literally everything.

- Stuff you can't get on streaming services, if you want something really obscure, you put a suggestion in the box, and they'll get it for you.

(bar patrons chatting) - We always have a movie playing, we have events, board games and trivia events.

It actually kind of worked out better than we even had imagined it working out.

- [Off Camera Man] The whole thing works together.

(man laughing) - Having drinks while watching a movie, it's like having Mystery Science Theater right here.

- [Gala] We love movies, we love this business.

- Thank you, buddy, appreciate that.

There you are, dude.

- [Gala] We put a lot of time and effort into it.

And, we wanna hang on as long as we can.

(soft jazz music) (Tom) Jonathan Martinez started playing chess at the age of eight.

A few years later, he became the Arizona State Chess Champion.

But his passion for the game is matched only by his desire to serve his community.

(slow Spanish guitar music) - [Jonathan] Right when I started to play I just loved it right away.

I don't know what it was but, it like, it made me feel something that I'd never felt before.

(slow Spanish guitar music) - [Girl] This one is like the extra one because-- - Guys, can you pay attention real quick.

So, I'm gonna do a quick lecture on how all the pieces move, just so everybody here knows how they all move.

So, the pawn can move either one space forward or two spaces forward.

Pawns can never go backwards and they can never go sideways.

- [Girl] Wait, you can't play my-- - You want to play her?

Okay.

I like teaching, it's really fun and it's really rewarding for me.

'Cause you kind of have to like, be able to put your thoughts into words.

And sometimes it's hard because you know it but you can't really say it.

- I beat you in this game.

- I know, you're too good.

I was eight, my mom taught me how to play.

After a few weeks, I started to beat her.

So, she found a website called chesskid.com.

I stayed up all night playing on that website and that's how I knew I was hooked on chess.

(slow Spanish guitar music) This one is definitely the most important.

This is the State tournament.

- In a clear first place, Jonathan Martinez.

(claps and cheers) The first rating that you start out with is Unrated.

Then after you play a tournament you are hundred.

And then it goes up from there.

And I'm an Expert, Master is above Expert.

And then FIDE Master is above Master.

And then International Master and then Grand Master.

Grand Master is, I don't even know, they're just so smart.

And, like they, I just, I don't even know how you could become a Grand Master.

It seems so far away from where I am now.

Can you click on the bell?

- No.

- Gotta click it one more time.

Yeah, click that one.

- Oh, there.

He, he analyzes my games.

You know, sees where I went wrong, or right, you know.

And so that's what we're doing basically, yeah.

- Well, we met at the Amateur West.

I was a tournament director there, which means, I didn't play but I helped solve disputes, do award ceremonies, all that stuff.

And he was playing and we had a mutual friend.

I guess he liked my teaching style ever since that, so.

My question is, why didn't you play a knight here.

- That's a good question, yeah.

But what am I gonna do if he brings the pawn there?

- Like you're kinda cramped, right?

- Yeah, yeah.

- Yeah.

- I know-- - So, like, when you're cramped, what do you do normally?

To be, like, you know, free yourself.

I think that chess can bring people together, from all different backgrounds, all ages.

Our relationship is just, like, a perfect example of that.

I've met a lot of people through chess.

I don't know how to explain it.

They think like a chess player.

We kind of attract each other 'cause we kind of have the same mindset.

Planning ahead, being confident in your decisions, also being confident just in general.

We kind of like understand each other, I feel, like, on a different level.

(airplane swooshes) I've traveled in the United States, like New York, Tennessee, Alabama, or not, I've never been to Alabama.

I don't know why I said that.

Georga, Florida, Ohio, Colorado, California, Monte Video, Uruguay, Santiago, Chile, Cuba.

(bright Spanish guitar music) One of the games I played in Cuba was against a FIDE Master.

His name's Ernesto Piedra.

So basically this is a simul game where there are all of us, playing against one guy.

So this is a print out of the game.

And he played this opening called The Italian, which is one of the oldest openings, dated back to like the 16th century.

Everybody else just got demolished very quickly.

And then it was just me.

And we were the only ones playing.

So I got a breakthrough.

I put F five.

Take this pawn.

Sacrifice this bishop.

Double check the king.

So he's trying to make as many threats as he can so he can slow down my attack.

(bright Spanish guitar music) Rook G eight, king here, and then I checkmated him.

I put him away, which was crazy.

(bright Spanish guitar music) And I never woulda been there if I had not played chess.

(bright Spanish guitar music) I think chess is such a great game and I would've never met the people that I met if it wasn't for chess.

So, I try to bring that to people.

("Chan Chan" by Compay Segundo) (Tom) Thank you for joining us here on Arizona Illustrated from the old beautiful Pima County Courthouse.

I'm Tom McNamara.

We'll see you again next week.