Tempe Directory of Historic Buildings 

Tempe has more than 200 historic buildings. Enjoy this searchable directory of information and photos.  For more information on any of these properties or to learn how your property can be listed, please contact Tempe Historic Preservation Officer Zachary Lechner at Zachary_Lechner@tempe.gov.

Many of the properties on the Tempe Historic Register, the National Register of Historic Places, or the list of Historic Eligible properties are privately owned and not open to the public. Please respect the privacy of those who may be living in these houses. 

Historic Eligible is a formal classification of parcels which contain buildings, structures, or sites which meet the criteria for designation as a Tempe Historic Property, but which have not been formally designated as "Historic." 

How to Use This Directory

You may search this directory by the categories of Tempe Historic Register, National Historic Register and Historic Eligible Properties. Simply click the down arrow on the All Categories box below and select the one you would like to see. All the properties in that category will appear.  

YEAR BUILT: 1945

HISTORY
Built in 1947, the Burket House was a part of Tempe’s Section 16, a subdivision that sat north of University Drive.

Until 1919, the land north of University Drive between Priest Drive and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks was a part of the land set aside by the State of Arizona for “school lands.” In 1919 State Land Commissioner William A. Moeur authorized the subdivision of the residential and farm use. The area dubbed Section 16 was subdivided into an irregular grid of land that measured between 4 and 10 acres. The largest tracts became small farms, while the smaller ones were further subdivided into smaller tracts for homes.

The Burket House sits on two lots of land acquired by Jesse and Lucille Burket in November 1943, but the house wouldn’t be built until 1947. The Burkets sold the house to Richard Ficher in 1968.

ARCHITECTURE
The Burket House was built in 1935 in the Southwest architectural style. The house was built with a wood frame on a concrete foundation. The walls have been covered in stucco and painted. The roof is flat with parapets and is covered with rolled asphalt. The house’s original windows have been replaced with sliding, aluminum-frame windows.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Janus Associates. “Inventory Number 279.” In Tempe Historic Property Survey. 1983.

Ryden Architects. “Survey Site No T-279.” In City of Tempe Multiple Resource Area Update: Final Report, Volume Two: Inventory Forms. 1997.

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