Tempe Town Lake celebrated its 25th anniversary at Tempe Beach Park on Nov. 3 in a community event that featured free boat rides, live music, a variety of food trucks and entertainment for attendees.
Since its inception as a concept, ASU has been closely tied to the lake. The original plan for a man-made lake in the Salt River bed was created at ASU in 1966. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, The Design School at ASU, formerly known as the College of Architecture at ASU proposed different plans for the lake almost every year, including one with man-made islands, according to the Tempe website.
While many groups were involved with the project over the years, the lake finally opened in 1999 after the city of Tempe took the lead on the project and modified the ASU plan to make it a reality.
Today, multiple ASU clubs operate out of the lake, including the ASU Sailing Club and the Women's and Men's Rowing Clubs at Arizona State University.
"One of the biggest questions we get (is), 'Oh, where do you guys sail?'" said Mitchell Powers, the vice president of ASU Sailing Club and a senior studying mechanical engineering. "We're in the desert. So that is, again, one of the great things about Tempe Town Lake. It provides us the opportunity to grow and compete and learn in an environment that people don't really expect."
The sailing club and both rowing clubs are the only organizations of their kind in the state.
"We're the only collegiate rowing team in the state because U of A (doesn't) have a usable body of water," said Kelly Masucci, the president of the Women's Rowing Club at ASU and a junior studying urban planning.
The clubs were created after the lake opened and they also travel across the country to compete against other collegiate teams.
"Tempe Town Lake is the only body of water to row on nearby," Masucci said. "So we started after the lake was made."
ASU's Sailing Club originally started as an accessible sailing program for people with disabilities, before it morphed into a racing club.
"The distance between our campus and our sailing venue is probably one of the shortest amongst college sailing," Powers said. "I know a lot of sailors end up having to drive up to an hour or more to get to their practice venue from their school. It's super convenient for our club and one of the ways that it makes sailing really accessible, which is one of the goals for our team."
Outside of organized sports, the miles of bike paths and greenery have created an outdoor space for Sun Devils and Tempe residents alike to enjoy.
"(The lake) is a location for events, a place to go for walking, biking, hiking, kayaking on a regular basis, "Freda Rothermel, an attendee of the Tempe Town Lake anniversary celebration, said.
Beyond the addition of exercise and event space, the creation of Tempe Town Lake also changed the environment in the area drastically. What used to be mostly a dry riverbed is now a lake frequently visited by people.
"It brought so many birds and so much wildlife," Rothermel said. "We took the kayak on the other side of the dam and it's just tons of herons and cranes and egrets."
Along the bike paths, multiple housing developments and retail centers have been built in the past few years, with more under construction. The Lot 6 highrises are three multifamily housing apartment buildings ranging in size from 21 to 23 stories. Construction began in 2023 and is ongoing, according to ENR Southwest.
"I think you'll see more pedestrian development on both sides (of the lake)," Rothermel said.
The City of Tempe is also planning to continue developing the area around the lake for community use. The Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU has provided artistic renderings for the planned Arizona Boathouse and Welcome Center, which is set to continue the city's ongoing partnership with ASU's watersports teams.
Edited by Senna James, Abigail Beck and Natalia Jarrett.
Reach the reporter at allipper@asu.edu and follow @lippert_audrey on X.
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Audrey is a sophomore studying journalism and mass communication with a minor in Spanish. This is her first semester with The State Press. She has also worked at Blaze Radio.
