This Day in History

May 28, 1937 : GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE OPENS. Workmen on catwalks (pictured) constructing the Golden Gate Bridge, in 1935. The Golden Gate Bridge opened to vehicular traffic on this day in 1937. One of the world's largest single-span suspension bridges, the Golden Gate Bridge was designed by Clifford Paine. Paine submitted the final blueprints for approval in 1930. With the official design completed, it took over three years for the builders to attain the approval of the military, the city financiers, and the voting public. Construction of the bridge commenced on January 5, 1933. The bridge's aesthetics were influenced greatly by an assisting architect named Irving Morrow. Morrow had no experience building bridges, but he convinced Paine to adopt many of the Golden Gate's most striking features.

It was his idea for the portal bracings above the roadway to diminish in size as they climbed, thereby creating the effect of heightening the bridge. The height of the towers over the water is a breathtaking 746 feet, and the length of the suspended structure is 6,450 feet. Over 80,000 miles of wire went into the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. Morrow was also the driving force behind the bridge's striking color, international orange; he believed a warm color should be used to contrast with the cold tones of the surrounding land. The Golden Gate Bridge cost the community nearly $35 million during its five-year construction. Its name is derived from the body of water over which it spans, Golden Strait. The "gold" comes from the strait's location at the mouth of the North Bay, beyond which lies the gold of California. Other have mentioned that the Golden Gate Bridge is the Gateway to the Land of the Setting Sun, but they didn't mention this until nearly 30 years after the bridge was originally erected.

Jerome Council postpones vote on historic hotel

[Source: Philip Wright, Verde Independent] -- The rear wall of the historically significant Sullivan Hotel on Main Street in Jerome desperately needs structural support. About $250,000 worth of work and materials. During a recent Town Council meeting it looked as though that work would be paid for, in large part, with an Arizona State Parks Historic Preservation Grand. The grant would provide $150,000, and matching funds from the property owners, Mary Wills and Sally Dryer, would add the additional $100,000. It looked like a done deal. Now there is a major glitch. The council had been asked to pass Resolution 451, which would give approval for the town to serve as the grant sponsor and the town staff to manage the grant. When first presented to the council the grant was thought to be a pass through grant. With that agreement, the town would accept no liability and would be paid a fee from the grant to act as the grant sponsor.

In a special meeting Wednesday afternoon, the council learned that the grant is not a pass through and that the town would not receive any fees for sponsoring it. But the terms of the grant get worse from the perspective of the town and probably the property owners. To allow more time to digest the actual terms of the grant contract, the council decided to postpone action on the resolution until May 29 at 9 a.m. Mayor Bob Bouwman said the main reason for postponing action on the resolution is because of the changing commitments required of the town. "The town would have to be put on the property owners' deed for the next 30 years," Bouwman said. "The town has to agree to maintain the property if the property owners did not." Balt Lozano, town clerk, said the town must commit to maintaining the building for the 30-year term. "We must guarantee that the building will never be torn down," he said. Vice Mayor Jane Moore said there is just too much new information regarding the grant for the council to have proceeded Wednesday. "The grant writer isn't here," she said. At this time it isn't known how the council will react to accepting such financial liability for a grant given to private parties. Nor is it known if the property owners will be agreeable to having the town listed on their property deed. The Sullivan Hotel is an important historical building in Jerome because Jennie Bauters, a famous saloonkeeper and madam, built it in 1899.

State grant helps restore Phoenix's first synagogue

[Source: Beth Shapiro, Jewish News] -- The Arizona Jewish Historical Society will receive a $150,000 grant from the Arizona State Parks Board to renovate Phoenix's first synagogue, according to Lawrence Bell, AJHS executive director. The synagogue renovation is part of a $4 million campaign to restore the site, now known as the CutlerAPlotkin Jewish Heritage Center, as an educational center, a Jewish history museum, an archive, AJHS offices and a venue for community events. Located at 122 E. Culver St. in Phoenix's cultural corridor adjacent to the Burton Barr Phoenix Public Library, the facility housed Congregation Beth Israel from 1922 until 1949, when it was purchased by a Chinese Baptist church. Later, it was sold to Iglesia Bautista, a Mexican Baptist church. AJHS bought the property in 2002.

According to Vivia Strang, historic preservation grant consultant to the state parks board, the grant is drawn from the state's lottery revenues, which support the state parks' Heritage Fund for wildlife conservation and historic preservation. "It's a competitive grant program, and a great deal of emphasis is placed upon project planning and the public benefit," said Strang. To be eligible, a project has to be more than 50 years old and either on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, Strang said. No more than $150,000 can be awarded at one time, but applicants can request more funds for a later phase. Bell told Jewish News that AJHS received the highest rating of all applications for this funding cycle because of the quality of the application and the value and importance of the project to Arizona. "Right now, there is no Jewish site in downtown Phoenix. I think our site will do a great service for the community by providing a Jewish location in the heart of downtown and a place for people of all different backgrounds to come and visit and connect with our community. It will educate non-Jews about who we are and what we've done and how we've contributed to the state and to this country."

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo: Concept drawing of CutlerAPlotkin Jewish Heritage Center.]

Hohokam Temple Park still on Mesa’s wish list

[Source: Sarah N. Lynch, East Valley Tribune] -- Archaeologist Jerry Howard has dreamed for years of transforming the Mesa Grande ruins near Brown Road in Mesa into a park for the public. The site is home to the ancient temple grounds of the Hohokam Indians, and it’s listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Mesa has owned the land since 1985, and archaeologists and volunteers from the Mesa Southwest Museum have been studying and preserving the land for more than two decades. But today, there is still a lack of funding for the park and the plan remains in limbo. The proposal has sat on a waiting list of capital improvement projects for more than 21 years. “It’s our greatest accomplishment,” Howard said, referring to public ownership of the mound. “But it’s also our greatest pain.”

The holdup, as usual, is money. The city this year will apply for $600,000 in Indian casino funds to help get the overdue project off the ground. The money would be used to build interpretive trails, signs, shade shelters and to pay for a study that would lead to an educational visitors center, said Tom Wilson, director of the Mesa Southwest Museum. The park enhancements would cost $5 million or more. When finished, it would be similar to the Pueblo Grande public recreation site in Phoenix. Mesa and museum officials hope to someday build an environmentally friendly 30,000-square-foot visitors center with exhibits on the Hohokam tribe, trails, parking and restrooms. The problem is, Mesa has applied for the casino money twice before and was rejected both times. This will be the city’s third attempt to secure the money to build a Mesa Grande park. It is one of 18 projects Mesa will pitch to Indian tribes for grant consideration, said Jerry Dillehay, the city’s grants coordinator. Altogether, the projects would cost $9.7 million to complete. Mesa Grande is one of the few surviving platform mounds in the Valley. It is larger than a football field. Between 1000 and 1450 A.D., it served as a place of religious significance for the Hohokam tribe, according to museum officials.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Lisa Olson, East Valley Tribune.]

Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission acts on downtown Civic Space

On May 21, the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously on the following recommendations regarding the development of the downtown civic space: that it should return the A.E. England Motor Company building to productive use with activated spaces as part of the initial park development project; that the quality of the redevelopment of the A.E. England Motor Company building should be as high as possible; that the significant historic features of A.E. England Motor Company building should be preserved, while allowing appropriate modifications to open up the building to the park and to accommodate possible LEED certification; that the overall park development should respect the historic character and context of the three historic buildings in or immediately adjacent to the downtown civic space; that the project should engage the City and ASU to come to resolution on the use of the A.E. England Motor Company building; and that all downtown civic space plans should refer to the three historic buildings by their historic names, i.e. "A.E. England Motor Company building" rather than "424 Building" and "PESD Administration Building" rather than "Means" Building.

Grand opening set for new Ajo School for artisans to live and work

[Source: Alicia Barrón, Fox 11 News] -- A new center for artisan housing and workspaces is opening its doors after undergoing extreme renovations in Ajo, Arizona. The grand opening of Curley School Artisan Housing is scheduled for May 29th. This project will have 30 units for artists to live in and work. The school will also include classrooms, workshops, an indoor and outdoor auditorium, a micro-enterprise center and a computer lab.

Among those scheduled to attend the grand opening ceremony is Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson, U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva who will be the keynote speaker, State Historic Preservation Office for Arizona State Parks James Garrison, and Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry among others. The Curley School was originally constructed in 1919 as a public school in Ajo. In 2003 the Pima County Board of Supervisors allocated $100,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for pre-development costs for converting the school into artisan lofts. In 2005 International Sonoran Desert Alliance (ISDA), a non-profit agency, secured additional funding from numerous sources to complete the project that cost over $9 million. The Curley School appears on the national register of historic places and qualifies as affordable housing units where artists of all mediums are welcome. For more information on the school, contact the International Sonoran Desert Alliance at (520) 387-6823.

Phoenix HP staff meets with Opus and Chase Bank to discuss 44th & Camelback property

[Source: Barbara Stocklin] -- On May 22, HP staff met with representatives from Chase Bank and Opus Development to discuss the potential for the proposed Opus new development project to incorporate historic site features, including palm trees, concrete mushrooms and concrete boomerang benches, into the new development project. It was agreed at the meeting that Opus would research further the possible in-site preservation, or possible temporary relocation and then re-installation of these features and report back to the City with the results in the next few weeks. [Photo source: Walt Lockley.]

Tucson architectural historian speaks out against the use of historical reconstruction

[Source: R. Brooks Jeffery, Daily Star] -- I am against the reconstruction of the Convento (and the Presidio wall) because it is inauthentic. The exact location of the Convento is not known, the building materials and construction systems will not be authentic to the original 18th-century building, and the spatial experience of the building will be compromised due to contemporary accessibility standards, not to mention other code requirements, such as fire sprinklers and air conditioning. All that will be left is a full-scale model of the building — a Disneyland-esque icon representing the political and economic values of the 21st century more than the cultural and technological values of the 18th century. David Yubeta, the pre- eminent adobe restoration expert who works for the National Park Service's Tumacácori National Monument and who coined the term "designer ruin," was asked to work on these projects for the city of Tucson. He told me that he chose not to, because the projects were not incorporating authentic building materials, nor construction techniques appropriate for their historic period.

He's not the only person who feels this way. The National Park Service and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) have codified standards that dismiss reconstruction outright due primarily to issues of authenticity. If these internationally recognized agencies don't support the reconstruction of historic monuments, why should the city of Tucson? I am a dedicated preservationist and I do want to honor the Convento site in a way that is appropriate to interpret Tucson's pluralistic heritage. In this site's richly layered history, I'm also afraid that the story of the Convento's slow demise and ultimate demolition by a generation more concerned with city building than the preservation of our heritage will not be told, thus condemning future generations to repeat its action (e.g., Marist College and Tumamoc Hill). I don't believe you need to rebuild a full-scale model of a building to interpret and honor that history. In the same way that, thanks to the Vietnam Memorial, we don't need to build statuary monuments to honor the casualties of war. The architectural firm for the Convento project is more than capable of creating a contemporary landscape that honors, informs and interprets this complex site without reconstructing a building. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Public record archives may leave Mohave County

[Source: Jennifer Bartlett, Kingman Daily Miner] -- When the new state archive repository is completed next fall, Mohave County public archives could find a new home. Public record archives currently stored at the Mohave Museum of History and Arts are tentatively set to travel to the new repository at the Arizona State Library in Phoenix, Museum Director Shannon Rossiter said. An early 20th century law requires public records to either be stored by the county government or by the Arizona State Library, according to Melanie Sturgeon, state archives director. Her staff routinely makes visits to the various counties who keep their own archives to ensure they are being kept properly, she said.

On one such visit, she said museum staff said they were aware that they shouldn't technically be keeping the archives and asked if the archives should move once the new building was completed. They are currently discussing the potential move, Sturgeon said. If the archives move, Sturgeon said the State Library would be responsible for the transfer. She explained that when the state archives were first being put together in 1937, officials were horrified to find that permanent records were being disbursed and lost. At that time, the Legislature looked into how records should be used and stored to ensure they would be around for hundreds of years. It created a law whereby only the county where the documents originated and the State Library could authenticate the records. For years, the museum has stored the county archives. While they cannot authenticate the records, the museum has seen that they are stored in ideal conditions to protect them. Volunteers wear cloth gloves to protect papers from body oils. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

In 30 years, Mesa museum becomes focal point for fossils

[Source: Sarah N. Lynch, Tribune] -- Mesa Southwest Museum was born inside a single room in the old city hall building in 1977. It only had one employee to oversee its exhibits. There were no moving dinosaurs or towering bones of a Tyrannosaurus bataar in the lobby. But despite its humble beginnings, the institution at 53 N. Macdonald has evolved from a one-room exhibit into one of the premier natural history research museums in Arizona. It houses fossils that have made scientific history. It helped Mesa acquire the mound of a Hohokam temple that is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. And while budget cuts forced the museum to cut its staff in half, it has managed to survive, with its most recent success involving the excavation of one of the most complete Rhynchotherium skeletons ever found. This Friday, the museum will celebrate its 30th anniversary. The public is invited to celebrate and reflect on the institution’s history.

“It’s been tremendous,” said Jerry Howard, the curator of anthropology. “We’ve gone from what was a small, local museum before the (2000) expansion to a major museum. We’ve doubled our space.... As a result, our visitation has quadrupled.” The museum was the brainchild of the Mesa Historical and Archaeological Society, a group that wanted to create a space to honor Mesa’s history, Howard said. The city was excited by the prospect of a local museum and agreed to sponsor it. Over time, it acquired more of the city hall building as other departments left seeking larger quarters. Since its inception, it has undergone two expansions, including a $4.5 million addition in 2000. The museum was similar to others in neighboring cities, except for one thing — it always emphasized the importance of archaeology, which allowed it to evolve into a natural history research museum, said Robert McCord, the curator of paleontology. “Most cities have pure historical museums, and I think that was a little unusual,” he said. “In the early years, (archaeology) was our mission and that allowed us a certain flexibility. We had a drive to be bigger and try exhibits on a wide array of topics.” But what changed the museum’s focus to natural history was the addition of two popular exhibits.

[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Leigh Shelle Robertus, Tribune.]

Jerome residents meet to discuss historic preservation issues

[Source: Philip Wright] -- Bob Frankeberger (pictured), architect for the State Historic Preservation Office, met informally in a workshop with members of the Jerome Town Council, Planning and Zoning Commission, Board of Adjustments, Design Review, Jerome Historical Society and town staff. Frankeberger said that following a historic preservation program boils down to "specifically what the duties are of Design Review." He said that in the other 27 cities or towns in Arizona with preservation programs, their ordinances specify three duties for Design Review. The first is to identify historical properties. The second duty is to designate those identified properties, and the third is to protect the properties through Design Review.

Frankeberger said there is no language in Jerome's ordinance that tells how properties are identified and designated. "I don't know if you've been legal," he said. "Design review can be very subjective unless it has some ground rules," he said. He explained that the ground rules must be enforceable. "The design guidelines have to parallel the national and state programs." The basic process of using Design Review to follow the town's intentions for preservation come into play primarily through ruling on building permits and demolition permits. "That's about it," Frankeberger said. Vice Mayor Jane Moore said that Jerome's ordinance says the town uses the guidelines of the U.S. Secretary of Interior's standards. "Rather than design guidelines," Frankeberger said, "try to be more quantitative in ordinances." He said that concept is new in the design process and is called "Form Based Ordinances. It becomes a little bit more formal and more enforceable." Frankeberger told the audience that historical preservation involves four different treatments: restoration, rehabilitation, preservation and stabilization. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

How will Arizona grow? That's up to all of us says UA economist

[Source: Ann Brown, Daily Star] -- Talking about growth is a stroll through a garden of flowers and weeds. The stunning prospects of prosperity fed by newcomers can be choked by misinterpreted data and lack of public policy. Economists and public officials exposed 57 Western-state journalists and association executives to the thorns of growth Friday during "Covering Growth in the West," an educational symposium held at the Star. Here are a few tidbits from the symposium that might spark community conversation:

• Arizona has been one of the fastest-growing states in the nation for more than 100 years. No one forecasts a reversal in that trend. Population growth will be a constant — how our state grows is up to us through public policies.

• The possibility of a better life is what has attracted new residents to the West since the wagons left St. Louis and will continue to drive population here, said University of Arizona economist Marshall Vest, director of the Economic and Business Research Center at the UA's Eller College of Management. A warm climate, few natural disasters, relatively inexpensive housing, job availability and low taxes draw new residents here. However, Arizona has a reputation as a state of "haves" and "have-nots," with a mediocre workforce, a troubled school system and a poor quality of life.
  

• The state has a high rate of population churn — people moving in and out of the state. It is difficult to develop sensible, sustainable public policy when a quarter of the population wasn't here five years ago, said Vest. Many newcomers don't know the history and culture of the community and may not be fully engaged or invested. However, that churn also means there are fresh ideas. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

Rio Nuevo's latest plan: $100M science center

[Source: Tom Beal, Daily Star] -- A $100 million Science Center with planetarium, Imax-style theater, permanent exhibits and space for traveling national exhibits would anchor the cultural plaza of Rio Nuevo under the latest plan sent to the Tucson City Council by City Manager Mike Hein on Thursday. The Science Center would share space with a $30 million Arizona State Museum of anthropology on the east side of the cultural plaza, along the banks of the Santa Cruz River south of West Congress Street. The city would foot the entire $130 million cost. On the west side of the cultural plaza the city would build:

• An $80 million Arizona History Museum, which would house historical exhibits, the offices of the Arizona Historical Society and an "e-library" with 100-150 computer terminals and some books and other materials. The city would contribute $50 million to those two programs.
• A $20 million Tucson Children's Museum, with the city footing half the cost.

Hein also asked the council to commit:

• $102 million for an arena, expansion of the Tucson Convention Center and a convention hotel.
• $170 million for parking, infrastructure and streetscape improvements Downtown.

The plan was given a unanimous and enthusiastic endorsement Thursday by members of the City Council's Rio Nuevo/Downtown Subcommittee, which includes council members Jose Ibarra, Steve Leal and Nina Trasoff. The full council will review the plan Tuesday. Leal said he was never sure he would be in his seat when Rio Nuevo's musical-chair game stopped. "I'm relieved," he said, "and I'm so excited." Ibarra said he had favored the grander plans for a Science Center but was happy that "we're finally going to bring the U of A to the neighborhood." Interesting the children of Tucson in math and science is the most important aspect of the plan, he said. "All of a sudden it's like it's all coming together," said Trasoff. She added that "it's important to note we're not committing every penny," after Rio Nuevo Director Greg Shelko told the council that about 9 percent of the total remained to be doled out. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]

APF extends deadline for 2007 Most Endangered Places nominations

Nominate a property and help in the effort to preserve Arizona's Most Endangered Historic Places! The Arizona Preservation Foundation is now accepting nominations for our 2007 Most Endangered Historic Places list. Compiled by preservation professionals and historians, the list identifies critically endangered properties of major historical or archaeological significance to the state. Properties selected for the Most Endangered Historic Places list will receive the Foundation’s assistance in developing support to remove the threat. The list will be announced at a press conference during the 5th Annual Arizona Statewide Historic Preservation Conference, June 15-18, 2007 in Prescott, AZ.

To apply, email apf79@cox.net to receive a nomination form (Microsoft Word file) and submit one hard or digital copy on disk or via email of the completed form with all supporting materials to: Arizona Preservation Foundation, P.O. Box 13492, Phoenix, AZ 85002 or info@azpreservation.org. Completed nominations must be received electronically or postmarked by May 23, 2007. A separate application form must be submitted for each nominated property. Selections will be made based on their significance as determined by the Foundation.

To be considered for our 2007 list, there must be a degree of endangerment by owner neglect, proposed demolition, rezoning, redevelopment, or other human or environmental factors. Additionally, the property must be listed on or be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, our state historic register, or a local register. Visit the Endangered Places section to view the Foundation’s 2006 Most Endangered Historic Places list. [Photo: APF 2006 Endangered Property, Geronimo Station, Geronimo.]

This Day in History

May 20, 1862: UNION CONGRESS PASSES HOMESTEAD ACT. The Union Congress passes the Homestead Act, allowing an adult over the age of 21, male or female, to claim 160 acres of land from the public domain. Eligible persons had to cultivate the land and improve it by building a barn or house, and live on the claim for five years, at which time the land became theirs with a $10 filing fee. The government of the United States had long wrestled with the problem of how to get land into the hands of productive farmers. Throughout the 19th century, politicians had pursued a variety of schemes to raise revenues from land sales, but the results were always mixed.

By the 1830s, Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton proposed a program that would allow citizens to claim land from the public domain to develop farmland. By 1890, only about three percent of the lands west of the Mississippi had been given away under the act. This measure was far less effective in making vacant land productive than were liberal mining laws and grants to railroads. Nevertheless, it stands as a shining example of legislation that passed in the North while the South had seceded from the Union.