Developmental History of Winsor Square
In the early 1920s, the parcel, which
became Windsor Square, was a tract of nearly
vacant agricultural land owned by the
Barringer family. Only a few homes appear to
have existed in the area prior to the
subdivision, including two modest Bungalows
in the Lamson subdivision on Colter Street.
The formal
origins of Windsor Square can be
traced to the announcement on February 5,
1929 that the Barringer property at Central
and Camelback was purchased by the Owens-Dinmore
Company. Typical of the era, the company
proposed to build a prestigious suburban
development. The subdivision was to feature
a creative curvilinear street layout. The
Phoenix firm of Holmquist and Maddock, along
with W. Lee Woollett from Albany, New York,
were retained to design the street plan.
Also retained, as a consultant was John R.
Case, a planner from Los Angeles who
specialized in subdivisions. The developers
intended to create a "state-of-the-art"
residential neighborhood with curbs,
sidewalks, ornamental lights, landscaping,
and a water system.
Despite its
promotion and high expectations, sales did
not meet the anticipated level. The
neighborhood quickly fell victim to the
onset of the Depression and its developer,
Owens-Dinmore filed for bankruptcy.
Windsor
Square would experience its major growth
period in the 1940s, during which time most
of the available lots were developed.
William Rasmussen would ultimately build the
majority of homes in Windsor Square. In
1944, he created the Cuesta Vista
Subdivision, which forms the northern
portion of the district.
Significance of Windsor Square
Windsor Square is significant as a
neighborhood that provides evidence of the
northern limits of the speculative land
development patterns occurring in Phoenix
during the late 1920s. The district contains
several excellent examples of Period Revival
style architecture and has unique
architectural merit due to the concentration
of homes built after 1939 and through World
War II. The emergence of custom-designed
Ranch Houses is particularly notable in
Windsor Square.
Desert Showcase
