Tempe Historic Property Survey

The E. A. Murphy House was significant as one of the best-preserved wood frame dwellings constructed during Tempe's initial development period. The Murphy House displayed the refined level of design and craftsmanship of a building style and method of construction once common during the settlement period of the Salt River Valley. Wide shiplap siding, original doors and French windows, simple moulding at door heads, cornices, and eaves, and modest jig-cut ventilators were some of the noteworthy elements. The property's lengthy history also encompassed associations with some important Tempe pioneers and early businessmen. Edward A. Murphy, who came to Tempe before 1887, was a blacksmith and liveryman who operated the Tempe Livery Stable up until 1900. He purchased a large agricultural lot (115 ft. x 236 ft.) from H. B. Farmer on the southwest corner of 8^th Street and Farmer Avenue in December of 1887 and had the house built the following spring. Its fine design, agricultural setting, and prime location along the section line road gave the house a visual prominence through the first two decades of its existence, and made it one of the more desirable residential properties in Tempe. After 1891, several local persons owned the property, including William H. Thomas, who built the rear addition to the house to accommodate his family of seven children. In 1904, prominent Tempe businessman Andrew Nielsen purchased the house and used it as his residence until 1907. George F. Kemper occupied the house for a period after 1907. Kemper had come to the Salt River Valley in 1874, and had worked as superintendent on several canal construction projects. He also served as Maricopa County Treasurer from 1882 to 1885. He owned the property until his death in 1923.

The E. A. Murphy House was composed of two parts: a 30-foot square wood frame structure with shiplap siding, supporting a truncated hipped roof; and a clapboard addition, built c. 1891, with a double-pitched roof extending 25 feet from the rear of the house. The design of the Murphy House was a modest but well-detailed interpretation of the Neo-Colonial style, popular in the Western states during the later part of the 19^th century. Characteristic features included symmetrical plan and elevations, a hipped roof broken by centrally-located flush wall dormers, central entry, and classically-derived cornice with enclosed eave and returns at the dormers. Original details included tall French windows, transoms, hardware, decorative jig-cut attic ventilators, and wood shingle roof. The clapboard finished addition had a plastered gable wall at the rear and also included original doors, windows, and detailing. The addition was compatible, historically and architecturally, with the 1888 portion of the house.

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