Tempe Historic Property Survey

The house at 850 S. Ash Avenue is well known as the permanent home of William A. Moeur, a prominent Tempe citizen. Moeur was a brother of B. B. Moeur, well-known Tempe physician who served as governor of Arizona in the 1930s. His son, Sidney B. Moeur, was a prominent Tempe businessman and attorney. Moeur moved to Arizona in 1893; lived as a businessman in Tempe between 1899 and 1901; then lived in Phoenix until 1905, when he bought a ranch near Tempe. In 1910, he built the house at 850 Ash, and lived there until his death in 1929. During his residency in Tempe, Moeur assisted in organizing the Tempe schools and was a member of the first Tempe school board. He was chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (1912-1915), and State Land Commissioner (1915-1921). He also served as Justice of the Peace in Tempe for several years. Although the interior of the house has been modified, the exterior remains a good example of styling transitional between Victorian and classic box. Executed in brick, the house retains most of its original detailing and stylistic features.

Although the interior of the W. A. Moeur House has been modified, the exterior remains a good example of styling transitional between Victorian and classic box. The two-story house is of brick construction, and is square in plan with a projecting wing at the north end of the front facade. The most outstanding features of the house are the concrete brick quoins outlining all corners and edges of the house, and the bellcast copper roof. The house design is a variant of the Western Colonial style that employs a roof form reminiscent of the Victorian style. Major Western Colonial characteristics include the square plan, columned porch, central hipped roof and dormers. The pedimented front gable, gabled roof intersecting the central hipped roof, gable dormer, gable vents, and bellcast roof exemplify Victorian qualities. The slightly bellcast copper-clad roof features an irregular plan and a gable at the front. The gable end over the front wing is pedimented with a short roof overhang and a round ventilator. A sun room at the south of the house has been enclosed and has a hipped roof. All eaves are boxed. The front porch is also covered by a bellcast roof, which is supported by square brick pillars springing from a low brick wall framing the porch. The porch is reached by a short flight of steps. All windows in the house have been replaced but the original segmentally arched openings were utilized. Concrete brick quoins demarcate all corners and outline the windows and the front slope chimney. A band of decorative concrete brick surrounds the house at the height of the window arches. The exterior is little changed except for enclosure of the porches. The interior has been modified somewhat to accommodate the restaurant currently occupying the house. The house’s most outstanding feature, the copper bellcast roof, and all exterior brickwork have been preserved and are in excellent condition.

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