Tempe Historic Preservation Commission View from the Chair Bob Gasser

July 2008 

It has been an interesting year for Tempe Preservation and it looks as if the future will continue to be challenging.  Last year, the Tempe Historic Preservation Commission heard a contentious debate of proposed historic designation for the Maple-Ash Neighborhood.  The ambiguity of Arizona Proposition 207 (the Private Property Rights Protection Act) along with a lack of neighborhood consensus resulted in the historic designation request being withdrawn by the applicants in spite of broad-based community-wide support for designation. 

The Commission also heard a proposal to place a high rise building directly on top of Monti’s La Casa Vieja, the oldest adobe in the Salt River Valley.  La Casa Vieja was the home of Tempe Pioneer Charles Trumbull Hayden, and the birthplace of his son, Carl Hayden, a longtime U.S. Senator.  In the end, the owner and developer agreed to avoid direct impact to the historic portion of the building and to leave this jewel intact at this key downtown location.  The review process was not easy, but it was very satisfying to work with the property owners, developers, and their representatives who all cared about doing what was right for historic preservation.

Archaeological Consulting Services has completed the archaeology and historic preservation plan for the Hayden Flour Mill through the generous underwriting of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.  The developer will be required to preserve the 1918 mill building and the 1951-52 silos.  In addition, the developer has agreed to incorporate a stone arch and rock-lined wall that was part of the original Hayden Ditch as well as historic mill equipment into their new development.  In the end, the Commission reviewed, and approved, a proposal for new development at the property that was sensitive to historic preservation issues.

The Historic Preservation Commission reflects the progressive nature of Tempe and does not equate passage of Prop. 207 with the end of historic designation.  Homeowners in the Maple-Ash Neighborhood have submitted an application for individual designation and are about to start that process.  The Commission will encourage others in the neighborhood to follow suit.  The Commission has also spoken with representatives of the Date Palm Manor subdivision and will be working with them to get historic designation and listing in the Tempe Historic Property Register for their neighborhood.  This small subdivision of custom homes retains its setting of historic date palms left in place when the orchard was subdivided in 1953.

At the request of Mayor Hugh Hallman, and in cooperation with the Tempe Parks and Recreation Board, the Commission has started the process of historic designation and listing in the Tempe Historic Property Register for the city-owned portion of Tempe (Hayden) Butte.  The Butte contains over 500 prehistoric petroglyphs, and other prehistoric and historic cultural resources. 

Let’s all join together in supporting historic preservation in Tempe and in identifying, preserving, and designating, our significant cultural resources.  It takes a community-wide effort.