While we were exploring Tucson and the university campus, we frequently drove down the city's main east-west drag, Speedway Boulevard. East of the campus, I noticed that the boulevard was lined with fine old Craftsman houses and apartment buildings, some of them derelict, but others clearly occupied. Intrigued, I took my camera and walked through this area, known as West University Neighborhood. It was Tucson's first suburban enclave, developed to house faculty and staff after the university was established on a large land grant in 1885. Back then the campus was a small group of buildings sitting on desert land outside the city limits. Over the next 50 years, the West University area grew to be a middle-class neighborhood of some 600 homes, most built in the Craftsman and Mission Revival styles.
I snapped away at these photogenic houses. These homes feature some notable sustainable features: first, they form walkable neighborhoods, being close to campus and the city center, making residents less dependent on cars. Their deep porches, overhanging roofs, and thick masonry walls protect the interiors from the fierce Arizona summer sun, and provide substantial thermal mass in winter. The most appealing gardens I saw featured cacti and other succulants and small trees adapted to the desert. Xeriscaped gardens used stone and drought-tolerant plantings instead of lawns. Energy efficiency upgrades, such as the installation of a reflective aluminum radiant barrier on the roof and low e window film to cut solar glare, would help bring down the energy load on many of these houses. (Personally, I like awnings, although you don't see them much anymore.) With all the sunshine, solar hot water systems with solar PV panels on the roof seem like a good investment. Unfortunately, many of these older homes have become student rentals over the years, and I sighed to see frequent signs of neglect. I hope the sadder rentals are reclaimed for permanent residents someday. What a treasure trove of houses! Here are some images from my walk:
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| I love the exotic plantings in this desert garden. The turquoise trim looks very appropriate on a Southwestern bungalow, no? |
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| The great variety of shady porches was a striking feature of this neighborhood. |
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| No lawn: a very green choice! |
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| Many houses feature low stone walls that add texture and a friendly sense of boundary. |
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| The palm trees are part of the architecture. |
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| A very handsome pergola on the side of this house. Again, what an inviting shady porch! |
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I love the iron grillwork on the front door. And who wouldn't want a funky Sonoran cactus by their front gate?  |
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| As always, the detail on old houses delights me. Look at the scrolling on the pillars. |
Wanting to know more about this neighborhood, I picked up a copy of A Guide to Tucson's Architecture by Anne M. Nequette and R. Jeffrey Brooks (University of Arizona Press, 2002) in a local bookstore. I learned how many well-known and eclectic architects were attracted to Tucson back in the first half of the twentieth century. Nequette and Brooks provide maps and excellent commentary on individual buildings in this neighborhood and others. When I next visit Tucson, I plan to explore the city's other historic neighborhoods and photograph their Spanish Revival, Art Deco and Mid-Century Modern houses. I did manage to visit the oldest part of the city, the Presidio Historic District, for a look at Tucson's old adobe houses. Some of them incorporate the outer walls of the 1775 Spanish fort, Presidio San Augustín de Tucson. Clearly the Spanish and early Anglo settlers learned a thing or two from the Native peoples of this region. The Tucson Museum of Art owns a block of four historic houses in the Presidio, one of which is a classic example of a Sonoran row house. The nearby Corbett house, built in the early twentieth century, is built in the Mission Revival style and has been preserved with its original Craftsman furniture made by Gustav Stickley. The four houses can be entered through the museum.
Many of downtown Tucson's historic buildings were razed during the so-called "urban renewal" period of the 1960s and 70s. What a shame. However, much great architecture remains around the city. Finally, if you visit Tucson, don't miss the beautiful University of Arizona campus:
Afterthought:
And while you're in Arizona, why not check out some other great old houses? There's Frank Lloyd Wright's Talesin West in Scottsdale, the pretty town of Prescott with its blocks and blocks of charming Victorian homes, and the Riordan brothers' Arts and Crafts mansion up in Flagstaff. What, you came for the scenery? Well, when you visit the Grand Canyon, take the time to appreciate the wonderful buildings designed for the Park by Mary Colter during the 1930s. Then check out her masterpiece, La Posada Hotel, down the road in Winslow. . .
Links for Tucson residential architecture:
Tucson Preservation Foundation: www.tucsonhistoricpreservationfoundation.org
Downtown Tucson: Local booster organization--info. on the Presidio Historic distric: www.downtowntucson.org/culture/history/
Tucson Museum of Art Historic Block: www.tucsonmuseumofart.org/block/
Tucson Newcomer Website: Overview of Tucson's many historic neighborhoods: www.tucsonnewcomer.com/features/historic.html
Sustainable Tucson: A local non-profit sponsoring many events of interest to owners of older homes: www.sustainabletucson.org
Old Pueblo Walking Tours: Led by local historian and preservationist Ken Scoville. Contact: ivo1775@yahoo.com
Other Arizona links:
Talesin West: www.franklloydwright.org
Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, Flagstaff, AZ: www.pr.state.az.us/parks/RIMA/index.htmlwww.nps.gov/archive/grca/photos/colter/hermit/index.html
Grand Canyon National Park architecture: www.nps.gov/archive/grca/photos/colter/hermit/index.html
La Posada Hotel, Winslow, AZ: www.laposada.org
A Nice B & B in the West University Neighborhood:
The Catalina Park Inn Bed and Breakfast
309 E. 1st Street, Tucson, AZ 85705-7821
(520) 792-4541
catalinaparkinn.com
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