La Hacienda Historic District Phoenix AZ

Generally located along Verde Lane and Catalina Drive between Third and Seventh Streets.

Period of Significance: 1926-1954

The La Hacienda Neighborhood Historic District is a north central Phoenix residential neighborhood that developed predominantly between 1926 and 1954. The district lies within the southeast quarter of a quarter-section of land bounded by Osborn Road on the north, Thomas Road on the south, Central Avenue on the west, and 7th Street on the east. The neighborhood includes parts of the La Hacienda and Mayfair subdivisions, platted in 1926 and 1928, respectively. The district displays the typical planning concepts of the day including straight streets aligned with the cardinal directions, and north and south residential exposures. While there are other styles represented, homes in the district primarily represent two eras: the latter part of the Period Revival era, 1926-1930, and the early Ranch era, 1935-1954. Despite being surrounded by modern commercial properties and in the shadow of nearby high-rise office buildings to the west, La Hacienda retains a high level of its early to mid-20th Century architectural character, and remains one of Phoenix's small, yet prestigious residential neighborhoods.

The La Hacienda Neighborhood Historic District is located along the west side of 7th Street, north of Thomas Road in Phoenix, Arizona. At the time of its development this area of open desert land, just north of the Phoenix city limits, was undergoing rapid residential subdivision. Due to the explosive growth of the city in the last fifty years, the neighborhood is now in the center of the city.

The neighborhood encompasses a small portion of the southeast quarter of the section of land originally subdivided as the Buena Vista Tract in January 1895. This plat extended from Oleander Avenue (Thomas Road) north to Walnut Avenue (Osbom Road), and from Central Avenue east to Cave Creek Road (Seventh Street). At least five subdivisions were established within the Buena Vista Tract between 1898 and the early 1920s, prior to the platting of the La Hacienda and Mayfair subdivisions.

The plat of La Hacienda (1926) consisted of 23 lots bounded by Thomas Road to the south, Catalina Avenue to the north, 7th Street to the east and 5th Street to the west. The plat of Mayfair (1928) established 48 lots that extended the neighborhood west from 5th Street to 3rd Street. The first subdivision, La Hacienda, featured large lots ranging from 76x134 1/2 to 81/134 1/2 feet in size. The Mayfair subdivision created lots of a more moderate size of 50x126 1/2 feet, allowing for a greater number of lots and home development in this section of the neighborhood. Homes generally have uniform setbacks providing a front yard (usually turf and landscaping) of 20 to 30 feet in depth.

The overall character of the district is emphasized by mature, dense plantings of trees which line the streets, which give the neighborhood an upscale suburban feeling. There is a wide variety of mature vegetation including palms, eucalyptus, citrus, mesquite, and pine trees. In the Mayfair section, between 3rd and 5th streets, these trees sit as a buffer of landscaping in the right-of-way between the sidewalks and the paved streets. In the La Hacienda section, between 5th and 7th streets, lawns extend directly out to the paved streets without sidewalks. In the historic period, both neighborhoods touted their paved streets as a modern convenience to the suburban driver.

Period Revival and Ranch houses dominate the streetscape of the historic district, but a few noteworthy Southwest, Contemporary, and International style houses are also found exhibiting the neighborhood's eclectic nature. The Period Revival, Southwest, and Transitional/Early Ranch styles form the dominant trend in the pre-war phase of house construction (1926-1939), while California Ranch, International, and Contemporary styles dominate the postwar phase of construction. Monterey Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Mediterranean Revival and other Period Revival style housesconstitute 55 percent of the La Hacienda neighborhood houses, while 36 percent are Ranch style. Contemporary and International style houses make up the balance, or 9 percent. Of the 25 Period Revival houses, ten are Spanish Colonial, three Monterey, four Tudor, two Pueblo, five Mediterranean, and one Cape Cod. The single Southwest style house fits with this stylistic period. Of the 16 Ranch houses, five are from the pre-World War II era and eleven are from the postwar period. Most are characterized as either Transitional/Early or California, but also include Modern Ranch, American Colonial, and eclectic. The three Contemporary style houses and one International style house appear appropriate for the neighborhood.

Retaining a high level of integrity in location, setting, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association, the La Hacienda neighborhood appears today much as it did in the years proceeding and following World War II. In the years following the period of significance, the area surrounding the La Hacienda Neighborhood has seen both commercial and high rise development. However, within the neighborhood the location and setting remain intact due to the unique streetscape, mature landscaping and large lots which provide a reprieve within the urban area. While some of the neighborhood's houses have undergone alterations, primarily additions, window replacements, and roofing substitutions, the majority are little changed from the time of their construction, and several are virtually unaltered. Where additions have occurred, they are mainly in the back yards and have little effect on the streetscape of the historic district. Thus the historic design, materials, and workmanship of the homes within the neighborhood have been retained. Within the district, the predominantly upscale suburban residential character and continuity of streets enhances its overall unity and the neighborhood continues to possess the feeling and association of an upscale mid-century suburban Phoenix neighborhood.

Source: https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/f189c1e8-dd16-4550-9edb-15b6158b37c6