7XFVRQ'DLO\&LWL]HQ 7XFVRQ$UL]RQD 7XFVRQ'DLO\&LWL]HQ 7XFVRQ$UL]RQD POST-WORLD WAR II RESIDENTIAL SUBDIVISION DEVELOPMENT in TUCSON, ARIZONA 1945-1975 National Register of Historic Places Eligibility Assessment prepared by: J. Chris Evans, Architect Modern Architecture Preservation Project Jennifer M. Levstik City of Tucson Historic Preservation Office R. Brooks Jeffery, Professor University of Arizona Heritage Conservation Program 2016 KWWSLQWHUDFWLYHDQFHVWU\FRP3ULQW1HZV$578B'$B&,BB"ODQGVFDSH IDOVH VRXUFH3ODFHPHQW TXHU\ EDFNXUO'KWWS« KWWSLQWHUDFWLYHDQFHVWU\FRP3ULQW1HZV$578B'$B&,BB"ODQGVFDSH IDOVH VRXUFH3ODFHPHQW TXHU\ EDFNXUO'KWWS« Post-World War II Residential Subdivision Development in Tucson 1945-1975 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This project was funded in part by a Certified Local Government Historic Preservation Grant issued through the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office. Funding was also provided by the Drachman Institute, the community-based research and outreach arm of the University of Arizona’s College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. Additional resources and support were provided by the City of Tucson’s Historic Preservation Office. 2 Post-World War II Residential Subdivision Development in Tucson 1945-1975 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 4 Methodology 4 Context: “The Evolution of Post-World War II Subdivision Design and 11 Development in Tucson, Arizona 1945-1975” Results and Recommendations 27 Priority Subdivisions 30 Maps 48 Bibliography 53 Appendix 56 3 Post-World War II Residential Subdivision Development in Tucson 1945-1975 INTRODUCTION In 2012, the City of Tucson’s Historic Preservation Office--in partnership with architect Chris Evans and the University of Arizona’s Heritage Conservation Program--embarked on a three- year project to address the preservation issues surrounding the hundreds of single-family residential subdivisions built in Tucson during the mid-20th century. The vast number of post- World War II era subdivisions that would likely meet the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) standards of eligibility for age and integrity posed a daunting urban planning challenge for the city. The primary goal of this project was to determine which subdivisions should be prioritized for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, in order to provide guidance to the City of Tucson in the allocation of preservation resources. To achieve this goal, the research team performed the following: • a preliminary evaluation of nearly 400 subdivisions that were platted or built in the mid-20th century • a comprehensive survey of more than 240 subdivisions built between 1945 and 1975 • a context study on the evolution of post-World War II subdivision development in Tucson • evaluations of subdivisions on integrity, NRHP eligibility, and historic significance • comparative evaluations of historic significance. This research builds upon a 2007 city-sponsored historic context and survey by Akros, Inc. entitled “Tucson Post- World War II Residential Subdivision Development, 1945 - 1973.” Together, these two documents provide a complete framework for evaluating the National Register of Historic Places eligibility of post-World War II neighborhoods, now and in the future. This report and associated database will become a planning and management tool for the City of Tucson’s Historic Preservation Office. It may also provide guidance to the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the Historic Sites Review Committee (HSRC), which are tasked with reviewing nominations to the National Register of Historic Places in Arizona. It will also be of value to Tucson-area neighborhoods seeking historic designation. METHODOLOGY Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods A. Establish Context for Evaluation To establish a context for the identification and evaluation of relevant subdivisions, a literature review was undertaken at the beginning of the research project. This was done to develop a 4 Post-World War II Residential Subdivision Development in Tucson 1945-1975 general understanding of the themes of significance and character-defining features within the planning, architecture and landscape design of the era. This included a review of the Akros report, which consisted of a context study and preliminary survey of more than 300 subdivisions. The extensive data mapping in the Akros report was particularly valuable in revealing patterns of development in the post-World War II era. However, although the study provided substantial contextual information, the research team determined that the evaluation criteria and typologies identified in the report were insufficient and could not be applied to the development of a subdivision evaluation methodology. The literature review also included a review of the context studies developed for post-World War II subdivisions in Tucson already listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including Winterhaven, San Rafael Estates, Indian Ridge, Catalina Vista, and Harold Bell Wright Estates. In addition, several documents focused on the post-World War II era and the Ranch style were also reviewed. Although the scope of this research project only included subdivisions within the Tucson city limits, the research needed to consider development within the entire Tucson region to establish a broader perspective. So approximately a dozen subdivisions outside the city limits, known to the researchers to have potentially played a significant role in Tucson subdivision development, were reviewed for comparison purposes. B. Identification of Relevant Subdivisions The Akros report was the initial starting point for identifying relevant subdivisions. That survey included 304 subdivisions built between 1945 and 1973. However, review of the survey’s methodology raised two issues. The Akros study had identified relevant subdivisions based on original plat date, and only included subdivisions that were first platted between 1945 and 1973. This had the unfortunate result of discounting a large number of subdivisions that were platted prior to 1945, but were built out during the period of significance. A second concern was the period of significance identified in the Akros report. The year 1945 reflected the end of World War II and a clear shift in the development models in Tucson and elsewhere in the country. However, the conclusion of the period of significance in the Akros report had been identified as 1973, which was earlier than anticipated by the research team. After reviewing subdivisions that were platted after 1973, the research team determined that the period of significance should be extended. Residential design and subdivision development both underwent substantial changes in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but these changes did not substantially begin to occur in Tucson until after 1975. In addition, a handful of relevant subdivisions that were platted in 1974 and 1975 had build-out periods that extended into the late 1970s. As a result, the period of significance was extended to include subdivisions that were platted in 1975. In the search for subdivisions relevant to the post-World War II era, the City of Tucson’s GIS data resources were employed to identify all subdivisions that were platted or constructed 5 Post-World War II Residential Subdivision Development in Tucson 1945-1975 during the period of significance. More than 700 subdivision plats were reviewed for relevance. Some plats were combined into communities of interest, where appropriate (for instance, the Terra Del Sol subdivision had 15 separate plats). A substantial number were eliminated because they did not contain single-family detached housing, or were determined to be too small for consideration. This reduced the number of subdivisions to approximately 390. An initial review of the 390 subdivisions was undertaken to identify and eliminate from consideration subdivisions that were obviously ineligible or that would clearly not rise to the level of priority status. Subdivisions were eliminated because they failed to demonstrate: integrity, cohesiveness, a defined build-out period within the period of significance, or potential for significance in design. This initial review was completed using Google aerials, Google street views, windshield surveys, and City of Tucson GIS data. This substantially reduced the number of subdivisions to be surveyed to approximately 240. C. Data Collection Data collection for these 240 subdivisions was completed using a combination of GIS data sets, archival research, and field surveys. Substantial information regarding the broad physical characteristics of each subdivision was available through the GIS resources of the City of Tucson. Data fields were established to identify categories of information necessary to determine significance and eligibility. Prior to data collection, data entry conventions were established to allow for ease of data entry, subsequent database analysis, and for future database queries. After an initial survey period on selected subdivisions, original assumptions about relevant development features were re-evaluated and data fields were revised. In a valuable feedback loop, data fields and data entry conventions continued to evolve based on new information revealed in subsequent survey work. The information collected for each subdivision included: • statistical data on the number of lots, average lot size, and average square footage of houses; • historical information on the dates of development, original selling prices,