A
Stretch of Time
Near the central core of
Phoenix lies a quiet stretch of pavement less than
one-quarter mile in length. Within that quarter-mile, a
collection of 30 homes comprise the compact neighborhood
called East Alvarado - a neighborhood whose evolution traces
the history of Phoenix and illustrates a pivotal phase in
the development of both the Valley and the nation.
Located on East Alvarado Road, between Third and
Seventh Street, the East Alvarado District evolved from the
accumulated forces of nature, politics, and the dreams of
strong-willed individuals dreams that traced their roots to
the earliest days of the city and beyond.
Up From The Ashes
Befitting the mythic origins of its name, the city of
Phoenix rose from the ashes of an ancient culture. A people
called the Ho Ho Kam are thought to have occupied the Salt
River Valley as early as the third century B. C. They
thrived in this desert setting by constructing a
sophisticated system of canals to deliver the waters of the
Salt River throughout the Valley, providing irrigation for
the stapes of their diet corn, beans and squash. Although
the Ho Ho Kam would vanish from the Valley in the 15th
century, the canal system remained lying dormant for the
next 400 years.
In 1865, the U.S. Army established Camp McDowell, twenty
miles north east of the Valley. The resulting demand for
supplies drew attention to the river below where a man named
Jack Swilling uncovered the ingenious canals of the Ho Ho
Kam. Described as equal parts soldier, deserter, prospector
and promoter, Swilling formed a business that began to
revitalize the waterways and cultivate land along the north
bank of the Salt River. His activities drew additional
settlers, giving birth, in 1870 to the town of Phoenix.
Taking
Nature's Cue
As the waters granted Phoenix
life, they also checked its early growth and form. The
seasonality of the river flows saved the city from the
frenzied fluctuations of the western boomtown syndrome,
nurturing instead a paced and steady rise. Drought would
curb rapid accelerations in growth, while alternating floods
along the Salt River gave a northward push to development as
residents abandoned low-lying areas, moving north along the
square-mile grids established at eh city's founding. Center
Street, now Central Avenue, became the major north-south
thoroughfare, thriving with commercial and residential
development. On the eve of the 20th century, the future site
of East Alvarado was still two miles north of the city's
center.
Building Momentum
By the late 19th century, the components were assembled to
pave the way for dramatic growth in the Valley. In 1885, the
opening of the Arizona Canal brought irrigation to an
additional 100,000 acres of desert land. In 1888, the
railroad came to Phoenix. And in 1889, the city was selected
as the Territorial Capital. All the while, demand for
agricultural products was on the rise.
The population of Phoenix tripled between 1885 and 1890. But
the alternating plagues of floods and droughts persisted. It
became evident that to provide for continued, stable growth
the waters of
the Salt River must be tamed.
Leading The Charge
In 1895, Dwight B. Heard arrived in Phoenix. A
young assistant credit manager with a Chicago hardware firm,
Heard was forced to make the move because of weakened
health. A seemingly unlikely candidate to pioneer the rugged
deserts, Heard was in fact from solid stock. His ancestors
were among the hardy lot to colonize 17th century New
England. With equal vigor, Heard took to the 19th century
West.
By 1897, Heard had established an investment company and was
actively engaged in raising crops and cattle. His business
activities quickly revealed the limitations of the fickle
waters of the Salt River. He became an active force in
promoting federal efforts to control water in the dese4rt.
Heard's tireless efforts were rewarded with passage of the
1902 National Reclamation Act. The Act provided needed funds
for construction of the Roosevelt Dam which, when completed
in 1911, stabilized the Valley's water supply and provided a
platform for unparalleled agricultural expansion and
economic growth.
Drawing Up Dreams
In 1903, anticipating the prosperity his political
efforts would bring Heard and his wife Maie ventured north
along Central Avenue and constructed a 6,000-square-foot
Spanish colonial Revival mansion at the corner of Monte
Vista and Central. The home, named "Casa Blanca" would
become the anchor for an entire quarter section of land that
Heard subdivided in 1909 Ranging from Central Avenue to
Seventh Street and McDowell Road to Oak Street, Heard called
his new subdivision "Los Olivos" and divided the 160 acres
into 32 parcels of five acres each. Originally intended for
upscale, estate size homes, the project was ahead of its
time. The market demanded smaller home sites, and Los Olivos
was resurveyed and replatted numerous times between 1909 and
1919 to meet this demand.
By the mid-1920s, activity spurred by the reclamation
projects created an explosive period of residential
construction throughout the Valley. Construction moved at a
rapid pace in Alvarado Place, a development located at the
northwest corner of the Los Olivos subdivision. In 1929,
East Alvarado Road was extended out of Alvarado Place from
Third Street to within 100 feet of Seventh Street. Two
tracts were recorded, and the East Alvarado neighborhood was
born.
Fits and Starts
The real estate firm of Greene and Griffin
enthusiastically promoted East Alvarado. In 1930, the firm's
construction partner, Home Builders, Inc. built the first
home in East Alvarado as a speculative venture. Designed by
C. Lewis Kelly, this "spec" house showcased the Spanish
colonial Revival Style, then the most popular style of the
day.
Popular styles, however soon gave way to much larger forces
as the decade of the 1930s brought
depression on a worldwide scale. Though its vibrant economy
resisted, Phoenix also had succumbed to the economic malaise
by the mid-1930s. Government action would once more step in
to jumpstart the fortunes of Phoenix.
With roots tracing back to housing shortages following World
War I, federal housing programs were beginning to mature.
Passage of the National Housing Act of 1934 created programs
to foster an increase in individual home ownership
throughout the country. Additional impetus was provided
locally through the efforts of Arizona's powerful
congressional delegation. Led by Senator Carl Hayden, the
legislators were responsible for a rise in employment -
stemming from government projects.
The
Advent Of The Ranch
The Federal Housing
Administration (FHA), established under the National Housing
Ace, would in large part mole the look of housing throughout
the country during the next few decades. The FHA's
requirements for standardized house forms, materials, and
construction methods moved styling away from the
romanticized Period Revivals of the 1920s to a simplified
style, now called the Ranch Style.
With financing bolstered by FHA loan insurance, the new
ranch styles became prolific. The 1930 "spec" house had
remained the sole dwelling in East Alvarado until
1937. But fueled by the FHA and employment from additional
government initiatives, the remaining 29 East Alvarado homes
would be constructed in only five years.
Based on FHA theory, East Alvarado was promoted as a
model home development. The efforts included establishing
outreach programs to inform the public of improvements in
construction standards, encouraging home ownership, and
increasing awareness of FHA mortgage financing. With uniform
lots, setbacks and scale of structures, East Alvarado
exemplified the "streetscape concept" promoted by the FHA to
create uniformity and continuity of design, with the
intention of enhancing sales and protecting real estate
values.
Through the continued involvement of Homebuilders, Inc.,
East Alvarado would flourish. The homes that were
produced are generally known as Early Ranch or Minimal
Traditional Style. There are several variations of the Early
Ranch, including the Monterey-influenced Early Ranch house,
characterized by tits "L"- shaped plan and low-pitched roof,
and the French Provincial Ranch with its characteristic
hipped roof and cornice molding at the eaves. Retaining a
hint of the old, East Alvarado also contains several
versions of simplified Period Revival Styles.
The Ranch Becomes Ubiquitous
East Alvarado evidences the emergence of an architectural
form that would come to epitomize the modern American West.
From its origins in the late 1930s, the Ranch Style house
reflected the economics of the times. Simplicity and
adaptability of size and layout allowed the style to
flourish, particularly in Phoenix where it would become the
dominant design of the 1940s and beyond.
East Alvarado
stands as testimony to a period of critical transition in
the residential architecture of
Phoenix - a model for the "suburban ranch" neighborhoods
that would follow.
Information, maps and
photographs provided courtesy:
Historic Preservation Office of the City of Phoenix
Neighborhood Services Department
200 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
(602) 261-8600
East Alvarado Historic
District Homes of Distinctive Style!
Desert Showcase
