Pioneering Stock
In 1623, the sailing ship ANNE left England, bound for
colonial America. Among the passengers landing in New
England was William Heard, whose family settled in
Massachusetts and played an active role in forging the new
American democracy.
Some three centuries and
seven generations later, the pioneering legacy of the Heard
family continued to exert itself, this time in the distant
desert climes of Arizona. On the eve of the 20th century, in
the territorial capital of Arizona, William's descendant,
Dwight B. Heard, would become a major force in the life of
the new-born community. His accomplishments form a chronicle
of the early history of Phoenix, the Valley, and the State
of Arizona. One chapter of this record reveals, in
microcosm, the breadth of Heard's dramatic influence upon
the shape of this emerging region, as his efforts in
politics, business, and the arts converged. It lead to the
creation of one of the most distinctive collections of
residential architecture in the city of Phoenix -
Alvarado.
An Ancient Source Of
Life
The life of present-day Phoenix commenced in 1867, when
Civil War soldier, prospector, promoter, and speculator John
William, known as Jack Swilling, began to irrigate and
cultivate land along the northern bank of the Salt River.
Inspired by the remnants of ancient Hohokam canals, Swilling
established a company to supply the U.S. Army troops at Camp
McDowell, twenty miles to the northeast. His activities
attracted additional settlers, and by 1870, the community
boasted a population of 235 with 1,500 acres of land under
cultivation. In that same year, the terrain was surveyed and
laid out in a square-mile grid pattern. With the reservation
of a central townsite, Phoenix was born.
Because the arid climate
required extensive irrigation to support crops and sustain
the population, Phoenix did not become an instant boomtown.
Rather, the town experienced steady growth as a supply
center for military, government, and mining operations.
Weathering the economic depression of the mid-1870s, Phoenix
began to flourish at the end of the decade as rising
agricultural prices led to prosperity.
Patterns of development
emerged with the growth of thriving commercial and
residential districts along the major north-south
thoroughfare, Center Street, now Central Avenue.
Roughly bounded by Central Avenue, Third Street, Oak Street
and Palm Lane, the future site of Alvarado was two miles
north of the city's center, and still just vacant desert.
But rapid growth soon would propel development northward. In
1879, the Southern Pacific Rail line made Phoenix more
accessible with the extension of its line to within thirty
miles south of town. With incorporation of the city in 1881,
the stage was set for a dramatic new era.
In 1885, completion of the
Arizona Canal provided the Valley with 41 additional miles
of irrigation, opening up 100,000 acres of desert land to
agricultural development. The economic impact of the Canal
and the promotional efforts of its builder, W. J. Murphy,
brought a period of rapid growth and "boosterism" to Phoenix
and the Sale River Valley. Phoenix was selected as the
Territorial Capital in 1889. A flurry of municipal activity
established water, sewer, gas, and electric utility
franchises. The city's population tripled between 1885 and
1890.
Visions In The Desert
Arriving in Phoenix in 1895, Dwight B. Heard quickly
assessed the Valley's great potential and grasped the
limitations imposed by the cycle of floods and drought which
plagued the Valley. Motivated by investments in land and
agriculture, he became an active force in efforts to promote
federal projects that would harness the Valley's water. With
successful passage in 1902 of the National Reclamation Act,
Heard applied his efforts locally where he served as a
county water commissioner, helping to lay the groundwork
that led to construction of the Roosevelt Dam. Completed in
1911, the dam tamed the waters of the Salt River,
transforming the Valley by providing both stable irrigation
and protection from inundating floods.
In 1903, Heard and his wife
Marie constructed a 6,000-square-foot Spanish Colonial
Revival mansion they named "Casa Blanca." Located at the
corner of Monte Vista and Central, the home was the
cornerstone of future Alvarado and was a frequent stop for
visitors and dignitaries from throughout the nation. Sensing
the promise this north central location held, Heard
purchased the entire quarter section of land on which his
estate was located. In 1909, he subdivided the 160 acres,
which ranged from Central Ave to Seventh Street and McDowell
Road to Oak Street, in to 32 parcels of five acres each.
Intended for upscale, estate size homes, the project, named
Los Olivos, was the most prestigious of the early suburban
homesite subdivisions with the largest lots available.
Preparing the project for sale, Heard provided numerous
plantings throughout the subdivision, including hundreds of
palm trees.
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
Alvarado Historic
District Homes of Distinctive Style!
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Desert Showcase
