Ashland Place Historic District

Generally bounded by Third Street and Virginia, Hoover and Central Avenues.

Period of Significance: 1920-1950

Ashland Place was one of the most successful of the subdivisions that expanded the city’s boundaries during the 1920s. While most of the other historic residential areas were built by multiple developers, contractors or private investors, Ashland Place was largely the product of Home Builders, Inc., one of the biggest and most prolific residential development companies in Phoenix in the early 20th century. Home Builders, Inc. was organized in February 1910 under the management of R.H. Greene and in association with the real estate firm of Greene and Griffin. The company was responsible for the construction and marketing of over 800 homes in Central and North Central Phoenix before its liquidation in 1939. A key to their success was the use of an affordable, time payment plan for the purchase of residential lots and the construction of homes. This was an innovative concept for the time. It brought national exposure to Home Builders, Inc. when a cover story of the National Real Estate Journal was published in 1924 about the company’s development, construction and financing methods.

The Ashland Place subdivision was platted in 1920, consisting of 76 lots along Hoover and Vernon Avenues between Central Avenue and 3rd Street. It was annexed by the city that same year. By 1926, 47 homes had been built on a speculative basis. Like the other subdivisions undertaken by Home Builders, Inc. at that time, the initial construction consisted of Craftsman-influenced bungalows. In 1924, the company retained C. Lewis Kelley, an architect from Hollywood, California, and their construction began to diversify into other architectural styles. Fourteen homes were added to the subdivision over the next two years, primarily picturesque Tudor Revival and Spanish Eclectic cottages, styles popularized by Kelley. The tract was heavily promoted by Home Builders, Inc. as part of their “specialty of building for folks of moderate means.” The early residents of Ashland Place reflect this emphasis with occupations generally of the middle class: salesman, bank teller, pharmacist, teacher, bookkeeper, tailor and engineer. The promotion of the subdivision was very successful. By 1931, only four vacant lots remained.

 The success of the Ashland Place subdivision apparently prompted land owners to the north to subdivide their property for residential development. In 1924, A.F. & Ella Jones and Angus & Ella Douglas platted the North Ashland subdivision. The new subdivision consisted of 11 lots along the north side of a new street, Ashland Avenue, extending west from Central Avenue. The south side of the street was not subdivided.

An article from the Arizona Republican dated March 13, 1927, titled “Trio of North Ashland Homes are Completed” shows a photo of three homes in the North Ashland subdivision. The articles states that they are “the first three of a group of nine homes to be built on Ashland Avenue,” in the North Ashland subdivision, which was a “continuation of Ashland Place.” The homes, which were built by the A.F. Wasielewski Construction Company, were similar in style, size and price to those in the offered in the Ashland Place subdivision.

Development to the north of Ashland Place continued when the Woodward Place subdivision was platted in 1929. Platted by the Phoenix Title & Trust Company, the subdivision consisted of 21 lots along Woodward Drive, which curved north from Central Avenue to Virginia Avenue. The earliest building to be constructed in Woodward Place was the Clarence Saunders Grocery Store #9, which opened at the southeast corner of Central Avenue and Woodward Drive in 1929. That same year, both the North Ashland and Woodward Place subdivisions were annexed by the city.

As the Great Depression took hold in the early 1930s, building activity ceased. By the late 1930s, recovery was underway and over 50 new subdivisions had been platted. The Ashland Park subdivision was platted in 1936 by Ella Jones, Ervin & Christa Atkerson, and the North Central Investment Company. Ashland Park consisted of 10 lots, five of which were created from the earlier North Ashland subdivision. The other five lots were located on the south side of Ashland Avenue, which had not been subdivided previously. The majority of homes on the west half of Ashland Avenue appear to have been built during the late 1930s as part of the Ashland Park subdivision.

By 1937, all of Ashland Avenue had been annexed by the city. That same year, the Monterey subdivision was platted, connecting Ashland Avenue to 3rd Street. The subdivision, which was platted by Erwin & Christa Atkerson and Blaine & Edith Alexander, had a unique layout with a one-way oblong loop road around a large island which became the focal point of Ashland Avenue. Development of the subdivision began in the fall of 1937. The unique aspect of the tract’s development was that it was entirely owned and built up by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). The LDS Third Ward Chapel, built in 1938-1939, became the centerpiece of the 11-lot subdivision. The building, which was designed by Alexander & Burton, is exemplary of the Period Revival architecture of the late 1930s, combining elements of American Colonial architecture with Italian Renaissance to provide eclectic imagery. The remaining 10 lots facing Ashland Avenue were intended for the residences of church officers and members and were also designed by Alexander & Burton. The first house completed was that of Bishop David Stohl, located at 78 East Ashland Avenue. The remaining residences were built between 1938 and 1940.

The remaining homes in the Woodward Place subdivision were built between 1936 and 1950. Ervin Atkerson, who was involved with the development of the Ashland Park and Monterey subdivisions, also owned property in Woodward Place. Newspaper advertisements from 1929 show that Atkerson was marketing the property as a “bungalow camp site” with “room for from 8 to 12 bungalows.” Although no homes were built at that time, Atkerson eventually built at least one home in Woodward Place, at 31 East Woodward Drive in 1936. Another home was built by the North Central Investment Company at 45 East Woodward Drive in 1937, followed by a third home by Wayne L. Gray at 37 East Woodward Drive in 1939, and a fourth by Paul M. Burroway at 39 East Woodward Drive in 1941. The four remaining buildings were built between 1946 and 1950; three are duplexes and one is a triplex, reflecting the dire need for additional housing in Phoenix following World War II.  

Source: https://www.phoenix.gov/pddsite/Documents/PZ/Z-20-18.pdf#search=Ashland%20place