Arizona State University Historic Properties

Arizona State University was established in 1885 as a teachers college on twenty acres of a former cow pasture donated by local residences. It became Arizona State College in 1945 and Arizona State University in 1958. Throughout the twentieth century, the university’s life was symbiotic to the history of Tempe and the State of Arizona. This legacy is reflected in the varying styles of architecture located on and around the Tempe campus.

In 2003, Ryden Architects conducted a study of historic preservation policy and procedures on ASU-owned historic properties. The Ryden report states that ASU is in disagreement with the Tempe Historic Preservation Commission and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) as to the National Register of Historic Places eligibility of over a dozen historic buildings in their possession. Four of the buildings mentioned in the report have already been demolished.

• Charles H. Merritt House, 216 East 7th Street (1927)
• Duplex House, 208-210 East 7th Street (1937)
• First National Bank of Arizona Autobank, 811 S. Mill Avenue (1960). Torn down for a new Business-Arts complex that never materialized. A half dozen or so parking spots occupy the site.
• Valley National Bank building, 826 E. Apache (1962)

With the precedence set for demolition of historic structures that the university does not see as historic, whether lawfully or otherwise, the following properties on or adjacent to the Tempe campus are at risk (National Register properties astericked): Harrington/Birchett House (1895); Industrial Arts/Anthropology Building (1914)*; Matthews Hall (1925)*; Men's Gymnasium (1927); and Matthews Library (1930); B.B. Moeur Activity Building (1939)*; Center for Family Studies (1939); Irish Hall (1940); Lyceum Theater (1940); West Hall (1940); Dixie Gammage Hall (1941); Science/Agriculture Building (1948).

[For more information, contact Joe Nucci, historic preservation officer, City of Tempe, at 480-350-8870 or e-mail. Photo source of West Hall: Vince Murray.]

February 2008 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
• "Shop Talk: Science at Colgate and Lehigh, Arizona Preservation," The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 17, 2007

Buckhorn Baths

In 1939 Ted and Alice Sliger established the baths unknowing that their efforts to make a living of the natural mineral waters would help to establish the East Salt River Valley as a mecca for spring training. In 1947, the New York Giants made the Buckhorn Baths their spring training home and continued to do so for over twenty-five years. Willie Mays, Ty Cobb, Gaylord Perry, Leo Durocher and others were regulars at the Baths. The Sligers established a post office, bus stop, water hole, museum, and motel, which they operated for over sixty-five years.

Also known as the Buckhorn Mineral Wells and Wildlife Museum, the latter moniker due to an immense taxidermy collection, the baths have been closed for years. Ted has passed away and Alice is a century old. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the location of the Buckhorn Baths makes it a prime target for development, and speculation is rampant that this part of Mesa and Arizona’s early history will soon be replaced by a Wal-Mart.

[For more information, contact Ronald L. Peters, Mesa Historic Preservation Commission, at 480-833-6066 or e-mail.]

September 2007 Update:

• “East Valley historic sites are fighting for survival,” East Valley Tribune, September 16, 2007
• "Greetings from the Valley of yesteryear: A look back along the 'Mother Road,' the former gateway to the East Valley," Arizona Republic, September 16, 2007
• "Want to help preserve history? Go ask Alice," East Valley Tribune, September 16, 2007

Glendale Tract Community Center

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and built in 1937 to function as a social hall, the Glendale Tract Community Center is a 1,900 square foot adobe structure located at 5027 West Waite Place in Glendale. The social hall (pictured at left) was built to serve the surrounding neighborhood -- a residential subdivision developed by the Resettlement Administration, a New Deal Agency. During the Great Depression, the Roosevelt Administration created the 24-home Glendale Tract subdivision as part of a plan to relocate displaced farmers and unemployed urban workers to planned, part-time subsistence farm projects where they could help themselves by growing their own crops. The current nationally recognized historic district consists of 13 of the original houses and the community center, all of which are a rare example of New Deal programs in Arizona, specifically in Glendale.

The current owners want to redevelop the parcel, demolishing the community center and constructing eight-residential units. While the City of Glendale has rejected the initial plans for the site, it's only because the city will not allow more than five residential structures to be built. The owner needs eight residences to make their project viable, however, if they can make due with a smaller number of residences, there is little to stop the destruction of this rare, New Deal building.

[For more information, contact Ron Short, historic preservation officer, City of Glendale, at 623-930-2592 or e-mail.]

Kerr Cultural Center

The center was built by Louise Lincoln Kerr, the "Grand Lady of Arizona Music," in the 1950s as a home and studio. Kerr was instrumental in the development of a myriad of cultural organizations in Flagstaff and the Phoenix area and built the center from adobe dug at the site. The daughter of John C. Lincoln, who financed the Camelback Inn and the hospital that bears his name, Kerr bequeathed her home and the studio, which is a theatre that seats 250, as well as her manuscripts to Arizona State University.

Once located out in the desert north of Scottsdale, the urban area surrounding the Kerr Cultural Center and adjacent properties has been developed into condominiums. This development has drastically driven up property values and recently there have been fewer acts booked at the center. A local grassroots organization, the Concerned Citizens for the Kerr Cultural Center, fears that the owners, ASU, may be approached to sell the property to developers.

[For more information, contact Patricia Myers, Concerned Citizens for the Kerr Cultural Center, c/o P.O. Box 4201, Scottsdale, AZ 85261-4201.]

January 2008 Update:

• “East Valley historic sites are fighting for survival,” East Valley Tribune, September 16, 2007
• "Cactus Needles," East Valley Tribune editorial, October 6, 2007
• Scottsdale HP Commission votes to put Kerr on local register, October 14, 2007
• "Scottsdale postpones decision on Kerr Cultural Center," January 11, 2008
• "Scottsdale panel delays Kerr center’s historic status", January 11, 2008
• The Concerned Committee for the Kerr Cultural Center received a letter from ASU stating that the university does not intend on selling the property. APF has requested a copy of the letter for its records.

Maple Ash Neighborhood

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

Old U.S. 80 Bridge (Gillespie Dam Bridge)

Located on the Gila River below the community of Arlington and adjacent to the Gillespie Dam, the bridge, though obsolete, has been in continuous use for eighty years. The bridge went into service in 1927 as an all-weather crossing of the Gila River. As part of U.S. 80, the bridge was a component in the early transcontinental highway system. Listed on the National Register, the bridge possesses a high degree of integrity and provides a local transportation corridor for daily travel and during times of high water on the Gila River. It’s also the only suspension bridge in Maricopa County and one of very few in Arizona.

The bridge is in danger of failure and catastrophic loss due to bent steel truss compression members, deficient roller bearings that distribute weight and adjust thermal stresses, and the potential of washout during a significant flood event. Action is needed to repair and restore the structure so it can continue to be used and appreciated for the future.

[For more information, contact the Maricopa County Department of Transportation at 602-506-8600.]

Valley National Bank, 44th Street & Camelback Road

Built in 1968, this unique structure and its park-like surroundings are situated in a high-profile, and therefore high-dollar location. One of bank CEO Walter Bimson's commissioned structures, the 44th Street and Camelback Road branch is a rare artistic, architectural form. The current owner, Chase Bank, and its developer, Opus West, have offered to preserve the bank structure while developing the rest of the property.

The local neighborhood association and others are vehemently opposed to this idea. The latter contingent state that original owner, Valley National Bank, made promises to preserve the park-like setting around the bank and they will settle for no less. While this bank, and the few remaining that were commissioned by Bimson, qualifies for the National Register of Historic Places, it does not have a historic designation by the city and therefore the owner may decide to demolish it and develop the entire property.

[For more information, contact Joanna Peters, president, Arcadia Camelback Mountain Neighborhood Association, at 602-770-8215 or e-mail. Photo source: Ron Passarelli.]

September 2007 Update:

• “Bank designs of 1950s leave a lasting imprint,” Arizona Republic, September 15, 2007
• Letter from National Trust for Historic Preservation to Mayor Phil Gordon, September 18, 2007

White Gates House

Perhaps the first design by architect Al Beadle, the White Gates House was probably influenced by the Farnsworth House, which was built by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1951. Previous owners gutted the interior and scraped the landscape from the property. Eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, the house now sits vacant and neighbors are complaining about the blight it is creating for the area. The homes in the neighborhood sell in the seven figures and the property is valuable for redevelopment. If action is not taken soon, the owner may be required by the city to demolish the house and sell the property.

February 2008 Update:

• From Alison King, Modern Phoenix Neighborhood Network: "The owner of the White Gates home (family home of Al Beadle), who was THIS CLOSE to leveling the place two years ago to rebuild on the site, went to court to fight the two blight charges on her property, and has now officially transformed into a Beadlemaniac. The owner wrote, 'We got a remodeling permit and are ready to submit a set of plans for a full restoration of the property.' Story starts here, or click on the 8th page to read the latest updates."

[For more information, contact Lynda Maze, owner, at 602-703-2333.]