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: 1929

HISTORY
The Elliot (Garbinski) House was built in 1929 during the Park Tract Subdivision’s construction peak from 1928 to 1930. Park Tract, unlike many of the other subdivisions in Tempe, had been a part of the city since its incorporation in 1894. However, the tract wasn’t subdivided until much later. By the time the Elliot (Garbinski) House was built, Tempe had been suffering from a years long housing shortage. The house’s Bungalow style became popular because its design was economical and the house could be built quickly.

It is believed that the Elliot (Garbinski) House is one of six surviving Tempe properties to have been built in 1929. Additionally, it is considered one of the best remaining examples of a frame bungalow house in Tempe.

ARCHITECTURE
The Elliot (Garbinski) House was built in the Bungalow style, a style characterized by its simplicity compared to the more ornate Victorian styles that were popular at the time.

The house’s roofs are one of its most prominent features. It has shingled, medium-pitched central and porch roofs with gables fronting the house and an intersecting perpendicular medium-pitched roof. The open gables eaves are bracketed and feature lattice vents in the peaks.

The front porch is supported by two short, tapering pillars set on top of tall, square concrete piers. The single-leaf entry is protected by the front porch and reached via two steps that lead on to the concrete stoop. The front door is framed by a pair of ten-pane sidelights. All other windows are double-hung and discretely placed.

An addition has been built onto the rear of the house. It is sympathetic in design and features a low-pitched roof with open eaves and clapboard siding. A clapboard garage that was built alongside the house sits at the rear of the property.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Elliott (Garbinski) House: Research Report. Tempe Historic Preservation Office. February 2009.

Ryden Architects. “Survey Site No T-163.” In City of Tempe Multiple Resource Area Update: Final Report, Volume Two: Inventory Forms. 1997.

Staff Summary Report 2009.2742.0031. Tempe Historic Preservation Office. February 2009.

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