[Source: Andrea Kelly, Arizona Daily Star] -- Getting a historic designation for a neighborhood can be daunting, but 21 neighborhoods in Tucson have done it, and the city's Department of Urban Planning and Design is trying to make the process a little easier. Normally, a neighborhood has to go through many steps, including getting a contractor to inspect each house for its historical architecture and design. The department plans to do a study of all of the neighborhoods built after World War II to determine which ones have historical significance, said Marty McCune, historic preservation officer for the city.The study will help the department develop more specific eligibility criteria, McCune said. Neighborhoods meeting the criteria will be encouraged to pursue a historical designation, she said. The midtown San Clemente Neighborhood earned its historical neighborhood status last spring after more than five years of hard work. The neighborhood has about 280 homes and is bordered by East Broadway, East Timrod Street, South Columbus Boulevard and South Alvernon Way.
Homeowners and volunteers completed some of the application work before the inspections began, said Tony Haswell, treasurer for the San Clemente Neighborhood Association. McCune suggests before any of the long-term research begins, find out how old the homes are. A majority of the homes in the neighborhood must be at least 50 years old, she said. Another consideration is the historical significance of the neighborhood, either in the architecture or the role the neighborhood played in Tucson's history, she said. "There are other issues, too, such as having had famous or significant people who've lived in the neighborhood," said Matt Zoll, president of the San Clemente Neighborhood Association.
[Note: To read the full article, click here. For more information, contact Kristi Jenkins at 520-791-4505. Photo source of San Clemente neighborhood home: A.E. Araiza, Arizona Daily Star.]
