B. B. Moeur Activity Building

Last updated
B. B. Moeur Activity Building
B.B. Moeur Activity Building (Tempe, Arizona).jpg
USA Arizona location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location201 E. Orange Mall, Tempe, Arizona
Coordinates 33°25′4″N111°56′7″W / 33.41778°N 111.93528°W / 33.41778; -111.93528
Arealess than one acre
Built1936 (1936)
ArchitectLescher & Mahoney
Architectural styleModerne, Federal Moderne
MPS Tempe MRA
NRHP reference No. 85002171 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 11, 1985

The B. B. Moeur Activity Building is a structure on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Constructed from 1936 to 1939 by the Works Progress Administration, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in September 1985, ahead of the typical 50-year requirement for National Register sites, for "exceptional" architectural and historical merit. It is the largest WPA-built adobe building in the state. [2]

Contents

History

The Moeur Building was built in the late 1930s and is "the largest structure of its kind to be built in Arizona by the labor of the [WPA]". [2] The building is made of adobe in the Federal Moderne style, both unusual; it is one of the largest adobe buildings in the state, utilizing 50,000 adobe bricks and dating from an era when the WPA constructed many adobe structures (such as the Casa Grande Union High School gymnasium), while it is the only Federal Moderne building on the campus. The architect was the Arizona firm of Lescher & Mahoney. Many building materials were donated by Arizona firms. [3]

The building was named for former governor of Arizona Benjamin Baker Moeur, who died two years before the project was completed. [2] Governor Moeur spent two terms in office and was part of the state's Constitutional Convention, writing the sections of the Arizona Constitution that pertained to education. [4]

The building was constructed as a women's activity center, containing a 6,800 square feet (630 m2) auditorium/recreation room surrounded by a U-shaped corridor. The corridor features low relief panels on the walls and ceiling in geometric Moderne designs. Two wall murals have since been removed, one by Taliesin student Bruce Richards depicting modern dance and another by John Leeper depicting women in sports and art activities. [5]

The building housed administrative offices for the expanding university after the 1960s, and it currently houses the Mars Space Flight Facility, a center for research on Mars. [6]

Architecture

The Moeur Building features ornamental features typical of the Moderne style, with linear designs in low relief. Stylized brick pilasters with fluted capitals add a vertical element to the central bay facade. The building's footprint is H-shaped, with each wing extending further to the north than the south. [2]

Internally, concrete is used for the structure, with the walls infilled with adobe. No other structure in Arizona was built with this method. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arizona State University</span> Public university in Tempe, Arizona, US

Arizona State University is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is now one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded in the late 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed, but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century, then state universities in the late 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Baker Moeur</span> American politician (1869–1937)

Benjamin Baker Moeur was an American physician who served as the fourth governor of Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casa Grande Ruins National Monument</span> Ancient place in Coolidge, Arizona

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, in Coolidge, Arizona, located northeast of Casa Grande, Arizona, preserves a group of Hohokam structures dating to the Classic Period (1150–1450 CE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monterey State Historic Park</span> United States historic place

Monterey State Historic Park is a historic state park in Monterey, California. It includes part or all of the Monterey Old Town Historic District, a historic district that includes 17 contributing buildings and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The grounds include California's first theatre, and the Monterey Custom House, where the American flag was first raised over California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Maricopa County, Arizona</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Maricopa County, Arizona, excluding those in Phoenix, for which see this separate list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Main (Arizona State University)</span> United States historic place

Old Main, at 400 East Tyler Mall on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University, is the oldest building on the campus. It was built in 1898 and was designed by W. A. McGinnis in the Victorian Queen Anne style with Richardsonian Romanesque influences. Along with the Administration/Science Building and a third building no longer extant, Old Main defined the first quad on the campus of the Arizona Territorial Normal School; Arizona would not become a state for 14 years after Old Main was dedicated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deerwood Auditorium</span> Community center in Deerwood, Minnesota, United States

The Deerwood Auditorium is a community center in Deerwood, Minnesota, United States. It was built as a New Deal project from 1935 to 1937. In 1995 the auditorium was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its local significance in the themes of architecture, politics/government, and social history. It was nominated for being an exemplary multipurpose municipal building funded by the New Deal, as well as Minnesota's largest project by the State Emergency Relief Administration, and a longstanding venue for community events.

The Arizona State Fairgrounds is a permanent fairgrounds on McDowell Road, Encanto Village, within the city of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is currently used yearly to host the Arizona State Fair and the Maricopa County Fair, as well as for other events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Forest Service Building (Ogden, Utah)</span> Historic government building in Ogden, Utah, United States

The U.S. Forest Service Building is a historic building within the Ogden Central Bench Historic District in Ogden, Utah, United States, owned by the United States federal government. Located at 507 25th Street, it is listed as a Historic Federal Building, and was constructed during the years 1933–1934. Its primary task was to provide offices for the U.S. Forest Service Intermountain Region, the Experimental Station, and the Supply Depot. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Revival architecture</span> Architectural movement and style

The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California. It is sometimes termed California Mission Revival, particularly when used elsewhere, such as in New Mexico and Texas which have their own unique regional architectural styles. In Australia, the style is known as Spanish Mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Goodwin (architect)</span> Arizona architect, state representative (1939–2011)

Michael Kemper Goodwin was an architect and politician in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. He also served two terms in the Arizona House of Representatives in the 1970s.

ASU Campus Metabolism is a website managed by Arizona State University, demonstrating Energy monitoring and targeting through use of real-time and historic energy use data of buildings on the campus in Tempe, Arizona. The site displays data from an Energy Information System in order to support education, research, operations and outreach regarding sustainability of operations on the ASU Tempe campus. The site is part of a plan for the campus to be carbon-neutral by 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old St. Mary's Church (Tempe, Arizona)</span> Historic church in Arizona, United States

Old St. Mary's Church – formerly Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, and also known as "The Old Church: – at 230 East University Avenue in Tempe, Arizona, is a historic church at the built in 1903 and designed in the Romanesque Revival style by Father Severin Westhoff. It is the longest standing church in the Phoenix metropolitan area and served as a Catholic parish for the Tempe area until 1968, when it became home to the Arizona State University Newman Center. It currently serves as home to Mary College at ASU, a center for Catholic Studies formed in partnership between the University of Mary and Arizona State University, the Diocese of Phoenix, and the All Saints Catholic Newman Center. The Newman Center's offices and chapel stand adjacent to the historic church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthews Hall (Tempe, Arizona)</span> United States historic place

Matthews Hall is a building on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University. Built in 1918, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">President's House (Tempe, Arizona)</span> United States historic place

The President's House is a building on the Tempe campus of Arizona State University. It was built in 1907 to serve as the lodgings for the president of what was then known as the Tempe Normal School. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 and currently houses the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, known as the writer's house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louise Lincoln Kerr House and Studio</span> Historic site in Scottsdale, Arizona

The Louise Lincoln Kerr House and Studio is a facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, owned and operated by Arizona State University. It was originally the house of Louise Lincoln Kerr and was willed to the university upon her death in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrington–Birchett House</span> Historic house in Tempe, Arizona

The Harrington–Birchett House is a former residence in downtown Tempe, Arizona. Originally built in 1895, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Deco in the United States</span> Architectural style popular in the 1920s-1930s

The Art Deco style, which originated in France just before World War I, had an important impact on architecture and design in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. The most notable examples are the skyscrapers of New York City, including the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, and Rockefeller Center. It combined modern aesthetics, fine craftsmanship, and expensive materials, and became the symbol of luxury and modernity. While rarely used in residences, it was frequently used for office buildings, government buildings, train stations, movie theaters, diners and department stores. It also was frequently used in furniture, and in the design of automobiles, ocean liners, and everyday objects such as toasters and radio sets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Day O'Connor House</span> Historic house in Arizona, United States

The Sandra Day O'Connor House is the historic home of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice from Arizona, Sandra Day O'Connor. Originally built in Paradise Valley, Arizona, it was disassembled and moved to Tempe over two years beginning in 2007 to become the home of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 The NRHP nomination for the Moeur Building, from 1982, accessed 2014-01-29
  3. ASU Historical Preservation page on the Moeur Building, accessed 2014-01-29
  4. City of Tempe biography on Benjamin Moeur, accessed 2014-02-22
  5. More on the Moeur building from ASU, accessed 2014-01-29
  6. Mars Space Flight Facility website at ASU, accessed 2014-02-18