Fairview Place
Historic District
Windows
Into Time
We live in the present. We hope for the future. But we are
inescapably drawn to the past. History is restored in
libraries, displayed in museums, and recorded in archives
and files. We plan trips and excursions to seek out the
past, but fail to observe it just under our feet. The homes
where we live, our neighborhoods, and the cities that
contain them all stand as silent testament to the past that
is our prologue. On the west-central side of modern- day
Phoenix, a thriving neighborhood serves as an anthology of
the ebb and flow of the 20th century growth, trends,
regulation and economics throughout the city, the state, and
the nation. That neighborhood is Fairview Place.
Growing Pains
First settled in 1867, Phoenix grew slowly until after the
turn of the century. By 1911, const ruction was complete on
the Roosevelt Dam, ensuring a stable supply of water. In
1912, Arizona became a state, and the stage was set for a
boom to begin. Individuals conducted early Phoenix land
development and building companies, usually subdividing
small parcels of land into residential lots. Speculative
construction was rare; homebuilding was generally done on a
contract basis.
Stretching from McDowell Road to Encanto Boulevard and
bounded by 15th and 17th Avenues, Fairview Place was one of
the first attempts at large-scale residential subdivisions
in Phoenix. After recording the plat in 1916, the State
Realty and Sales Company ambitiously promoted the sale of
lots.
But the project
was ahead of its time. Outside the city limits, Fairview
Place was poorly served by streetcar lines and developed
roads. More troubling, the Cave Creek wash to the northeast
ran uncontrolled and seasonal floods surged across the land.
Completing subdivisions to the east fed the market demand,
which faded at the outbreak of the Firs World War. With it
faded early hopes for Fairview Place - no homes would ever
be built by the State Realty and Sales Company.
Great
Expectations
America prospered between the World Wars, and the "Roaring
Twenties" brought Phoenix its second burst of growth.
Agriculture led the way, fueled by a strong demand for the
state's cotton and citrus. Improved airline service nursed
an infant tourist industry. And strong economic growth drew
new residents who in turn breathed life into a dormant
housing market. Developers found new courage as speculative
residential subdivisions began to prosper.
By 1923, the Cave Creek Dam was completed, eliminating the
prospect of floods. Streetcar lines no longer limited
development, as the number of motor vehicles in Phoenix
swelled from 382 in 1910 to a 1920 total of almost 12,000.
The west side of town was now ripe for development, and in
1928, Fairview Place, under the new ownership of F.W.
Mathiesen, was a bud about to blossom.
Rivaling Revivals
"Everything Points to Fairview Place," proclaimed the
project promotions produced by the Mathiesen Construction
Company. Though still outside the city bounds, the
development boasted gravel roads and city lights and water.
Positioned in the market to capitalize on suburban trends,
Fairview Place was touted as "a distinct social and business
asset."The development appealed to prevailing trends in
architecture as well. From the mid-1920s until the
Depression, Phoenix joined the nation on a merry-go-round
ride of historic Period Revival styles. The initial waive of
construction slated for the subdivision included 50 homes,
in groups of 10, all to be in a style that Mathiesen termed
"Americanized Dutch." In reality, nine homes were completed
in 1928, reflecting six different styles including
Southwest, Tudor, and Spanish colonial Revival.
The following year brought the stock market crash and
signaled the start of a worldwide depression. But the Salt
River Valley was slow to feel the pinch, and in Phoenix, the
demand for residential construction endured. From 1929 until
1932, another 20 homes were completed in Fairview Place with
a similar variety of styles including a rare Phoenix example
of the streamlined style termed Art Moderne By 1933,
however, the Valley finally fell victim to the lengthening
cycle of financial pressure. No homes would be constructed
in Fairview Place that year, and the plans of the Mathiesen
Company would never be fulfilled.
The Long Shadow Of Uncle Sam
In the mid-1930s, a potent
force came riding into town. In an effort to break the
stranglehold of economic depression, New Deal politics
spread federal spending throughout the country. Public
construction projects revitalized Phoenix, enhancing streets
and schools and expanding the city's airport. With the
projects came jobs, income, and rejuvenated growth.
For residential real estate, the driving force was not just
these projects, but also the loan insurance provided by the
newly created Federal Housing Administration (FHA).
FHA-backed mortgage loans made home ownership a reality for
a broad range of the population. The late 1930s produced
record numbers of FHA financed homes both in Phoenix and
across the nation.
Back At The Ranch
Locally, no neighborhood more dramatically displays the
effects of FHA programs than Fairview Place. Construction in
the subdivision jumped from just two homes in 1937 to 74
completed in the next two years. "Built and Approved Under
FHA" because a mainstay of the project's promotion and
advertising. The change was evident not only in numbers, but
in architectural style as well. FHA design standards
encouraged efficiency in both form and materials. These
standards, teamed with the influence of the International
Style popularized in Europe and the declining popularity of
Period Revivals, led to the development of the Ranch Style
home. This simple, clean style would come to symbolize the
modern American West and is the essence of Fairview Place.
Two variations on the style are most prominent in the
neighborhood. The Transitional or Early Ranch is a small
box-like form with L-shaped plan and low-pitched gable or
hip roof. The French Provincial Ranch is typically an
elongated version of the design with multiple hip roofs,
steel-casement corner windows, and irregular floor plans
exhibiting greater complexity. Development continued into
the early 1940s, but World War II brought new construction
to a halt. In 1944, not a single home was built in the
subdivision. But after the war, renewed government
intervention - this time in the form of the "G.I. Bill" -
again ignited the housing industry. Servicemen trained at
Luke and Williams Air Bases returned to the Valley to build
homes financed through the Veterans Administration. The
Ranch Style home maintained its popularity in these years,
and by 1947, 90 percent of the homes now in Fairview Place
were completed.
Homegrown Heroes
Many of the city's most
prominent citizens have called Fairview Place their
home, among them some developers who gave the project form.
Andy and J.R. Womack, of the Andy Womack Building Company,
built numerous Fairview Place homes. They both lived within
the neighborhood they helped construct, as did Alfred
Anderson, principal in the building firm of Maxwell and
Anderson.
Former Arizona Governor, Wesley Bolin, lived in Fairview
Place when first elected Secretary of State. Horse breeder
and media mogul Tom Chauncey built himself a Fairview
Place home while working as a jeweler. Sixteen-year Fire
Chief H. H. Dean came home to Fairview Place as did Gladys
Bagley, whose tenure as Editor of the Arizona Republic &
Gazette's Women's Pages spanned three decades.
Fairview Place Today
Urban sprawl left Fairview Place subject to the
pressures shared by most central city, residential
neighborhoods. As movement shifted toward the suburbs, the
popularity of downtown neighborhoods declined. But Fairview
Place's proximity to Encanto Park and the Sate Fair Grounds
provided a unique setting that continued to enhance the
local lifestyle. Resurgent interest in downtown living is
now adding to the vitality of Fairview Place. Citizens
looking for new solutions have returned to the past and
rediscovered the richness of historic neighborhoods. Renewed
interest has brought a dedication to preserve and improve
these civic assets.
Fairview Place is an active participant in this movement,
and community action has brought a new
look to this historic district. The Fairview Place Citizens
Association sponsors newsletters and seminars, has brought
neighbors together, and notably, as restricted the volume of
traffic in the neighborhood. These activities have fostered
increased neighborhood pride, which has transformed not only
the spirit, but also the presence of the district. The past
is preserved, the present dynamic, and the shape of the
future will reflect both in time - "Everything Points to
Fairview Place."
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
Fairview Place Historic
District Homes of Distinctive Style!
Desert Showcase
