The Phoenix Indian School Visitor Center (PISVC), former site of the Band Building for the Phoenix Indian School located at 300 E Indian School Road, Phoenix, AZ 85012, IS open for business! The beautiful, inspiring space is available for the following:
- Conference style meeting space with A/V to hold up to 120 people (theatre style)
- Classroom meeting/teaching space with A/V to hold up to 45 people
- Commercial kitchen for rent for commercial food preparation or for use during your event
- Board room with A/V for meetings to hold up to twelve people
- Exhibit space with tours to learn the story of the Phoenix Indian School
Donations are being accepted in support of the PISVC. Your donation will directly support the remaining renovation and ongoing maintenance costs. Every dollar donated is allocated directly to renovations and maintenance. Donations are never used for administrative costs or overhead. With your help, the PISVC will be available to all for many years to come.
Note: We continue to identify and interview former students and employees of PIHS. If you attended the school at any time or know of someone who did, please call us at 602-254-3247 or email: PIVisitorCenter@Nativeconnections.org.
The renovation is a collective project between Phoenix Indian Center, Native American Connections, City of Phoenix and LISC. Partners on documenting the history of the Phoenix Indian School included the above plus the Heard Museum.
In the Media
Students from nearly two dozen tribes attended Phoenix Indian School in central Phoenix for nearly 100 years.
Some of the earliest students were forced to break ties with their families, were forbidden from speaking their native language and prohibited from practicing their native religion. >> Keep Reading
Four groups are working together with the hope of renovating the Phoenix Indian School band building, which has been closed since 1991.
Phoenix Indian Center (PIC), Native American Connections (NAC), Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) and the city of Phoenix are the main supporters behind this initiative. >> Keep Reading
Arizona was once the home to a unique school campus that existed for nearly a century. Today part of that school remains in central Phoenix, even after the vision for the school changed and ultimately led to its closure.
The Phoenix Indian School is part of the Steele Indian School Park. Native American children from tribes in and around Arizona attended the boarding school for nearly 100 years. Did You Know the Phoenix Indian School was the only non-reservation Bureau of Indian Affairs school in Arizona? >> Keep Reading
Students from nearly two dozen tribes attended Phoenix Indian School in central Phoenix for nearly 100 years. The boarding school was closed by the federal government in 1990, but two Valley non-profit groups want to revive the band building and create a place where Native Americans can again share their culture.
The Phoenix Indian Center and Native American Connections plan to raise $1.3M to restore the inside of the band building at Steele Indian School Park, 300 E. Indian School Road. >> Keep Reading
For nearly 100 years, American Indian children were sent to the United States Industrial Indian School in Phoenix. Built in1891 at the corner of what is now Central Avenue and Indian School Road, the boarding school was a place to educate primary and secondary students. The government-run boarding school was approximately 3 miles north of the city’s downtown.
In the beginning the children were forcibly removed from their homes and forbidden to speak their native languages. >> Keep Reading
