Tempe is getting ready to serve history by the scoop. The city is putting cash into restoring a 1903 house and plans to slide a fan-favorite local ice cream shop inside. The Harry Walker House, rolled over to the City Hall block last year, is set to become home to Novel Ice Cream once renovations finish, with the shop expected to open this fall. The move and rehab slot into a larger wave of redevelopment reshaping the Mill Avenue corridor.
According to the Phoenix Business Journal, the city has invested more than $500,000 to preserve the 123-year-old Walker House and get it ready for adaptive reuse. Novel, which already runs several Valley locations and is known for its dough-stuffed "Dough Melt," now lists a Downtown Tempe spot on its Novel Ice Cream page. The Business Journal reports that the shop is anticipated to open in downtown Tempe near City Hall on Fifth Street later this year.
Walker House moved across town to save it
The Walker House was hoisted onto heavy-haul equipment and moved from its original Seventh Street site to a parcel beside City Hall in an overnight operation last September, according to the City of Tempe. City staff say the carefully choreographed relocation allowed a planned 30-story mixed-use tower to move forward without demolishing the landmark. With the structure now in its new spot, crews have been securing the building and preparing it for rehabilitation ahead of tenant build-out.
City frames rehab as preservation
"Now that the city has ownership of the Walker House, and soon the historic church sanctuary, we’ll be able to ensure they are both preserved for future generations to enjoy," Mayor Corey Woods said in a statement to the City of Tempe. Officials say the rehabilitation is being carried out to meet historic-preservation standards, and the building will be marketed for retail or restaurant use once the work is complete. The project is being held up as an example of adaptive reuse that can help keep downtown’s character intact while higher-density development rises nearby.
Where the scoop shop will sit
Local listings and coverage place Novel’s future outpost at about 110 E. 5th St., just east of Mill Avenue and a short walk from Tempe City Hall, which would make it an easy stop for students and downtown workers. That address, and the plan for a small retail use inside the Walker House, have shown up in community and development roundups tracking downtown openings. Preserving the house cleared the original Seventh Street lot for the larger apartment and retail project that developers have proposed for the block.
Novel's neighborhood track record
Novel has built a Valley-wide following for its small-batch flavors and novelty items, and local outlets have covered the brand’s steady expansion and fanbase. Regional food roundups have highlighted the shop’s signature creations and the owner’s ties to the area, which have been cited as reasons the business wanted a Tempe location. The Tempe shop is expected to join a growing roster of small, food-forward businesses that developers and city planners say are part of a deliberate downtown recalibration.
City and industry listings suggest a late-summer or fall opening window, and the Phoenix Business Journal notes the shop is expected to start serving after restoration wraps up. An official opening date is likely to come from Novel or the City of Tempe once final inspections and tenant build-out are complete.
