Where Arizona TV Was Born: Phoenix Designates Historic KPHO Studio

The Phoenix City Council has approved local historic designation for the former KPHO Television Studio at 631 N. 1st Avenue, formally recognizing the site where Arizona television first went on the air, and where one of the nation’s longest-running local children’s shows, The Wallace & Ladmo Show, took shape.

Built in 1949, the modest two-story studio became the launch point for KPHO-TV Channel 5, Arizona’s first television station. That same year, KPHO made history when it signed on from this building at a time when Phoenix had no other television service, and local programming was produced live on-site. Early news broadcasts, community features, variety shows, and filmed segments were all created inside the walls of this building, making it the setting for some of the earliest televised moments in Arizona.

The studio is equally known as the birthplace of The Wallace & Ladmo Show, which began airing from the building in 1954. For 35 years, the live weekday program became a classic for generations of Phoenicians. Its cast, characters, and signature Ladmo Bag giveaways helped shape local entertainment history and cemented the building’s role as a historic center of creativity and storytelling.

“Protecting places like the KPHO studio preserves not only a piece of Phoenix’s architectural history, but also the stories and creative milestones that helped shaped our City.” said Helana Ruter, the City’s Historic Preservation Officer. “It helps protect a site that supported decades of local arts and entertainment, and thanks to this historic designation, it will continue to do so for future generations.”

After KPHO relocated in the 1980s, the property became First Studio, a creative hub that continues to host artists, filmmakers, musicians, and small businesses. Its adaptation into a community arts space shows the building’s enduring role as a place where Phoenix’s stories are created and shared.

With the approval of the Historic Preservation (HP) overlay, the property is now eligible for City historic preservation incentives that support rehabilitation, maintenance, and sensitive improvements. The designation ensures that character-defining elements, such as the building’s streamlined mid-century façade and original studio volume, are preserved as the site continues to evolve.

The historic preservation overlay process was supported by preservation advocates, local historians, and former KPHO staff who contributed firsthand knowledge of the building’s broadcasting legacy. The Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission recommended approval earlier this year. To learn more about the City’s historic preservation program and explore other designated sites, visit https://www.phoenix.gov/administration/departments/pdd/historic-preservation.html.