Tempe's Maple Ash Neighborhood consists of three subdivisions in proximity to Arizona State University. In this area is the largest concentration of historic resources in the city. The Gage Addition, Park Tract, and College View subdivisions are significant as one of the oldest surviving neighborhoods in Tempe. The area is adjacent to downtown Tempe, Arizona State University, and Tempe St. Luke's Hospital, each of which have exerted pressure on the neighborhood at various times in the past.
While the city historic preservation office and a majority of the homeowners in the neighborhood would like to have a historic district zoning overlay placed on the neighborhood, the property is zoned multi-family and many of the owners would prefer to develop their properties. Without some kind of control, local preservation advocates see the historic character of the neighborhood, and with it any potential National Register of Historic Places designation, in jeopardy. According to one homeowner, "In five years, there will be very little left."
[For more information, contact Joe Nucci, historic preservation officer, City of Tempe, at 480-350-8870 or e-mail. Photo source: Durrant Williams.]
September 2007 Update:
- "Tempe tops among endangered historic properties," Arizona Republic, September 4, 2007
- “East Valley historic sites are fighting for survival,” East Valley Tribune, September 16, 2007
