Bisbee Historic District | |
![]() Bisbee, ca. 1895 | |
Location | off US 80, Bisbee, Arizona, U.S. |
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Coordinates | 31°26′34″N109°54′50″W / 31.44278°N 109.91389°W |
Area | 250 acres (1.0 km2) |
Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Mission/Spanish Revival, Victorian Italianate |
NRHP reference No. | 80004487 [1] |
Added to NRHP | July 3, 1980 |
The Bisbee Historic District is a historic district located in Bisbee, Arizona, and has all the essential features of a prosperous, early twentieth century mining town. [2] It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. [2] The district has 80 contributing buildings, with various architectural styles including Colonial Revival, Mission Revival/Spanish Revival, and Italianate architecture. [2]
The Historic District's history is tied with that of the Phelps Dodge Company, one of the great industrial corporations of the 20th century. Once the company began operations in the Bisbee area, it dominated the town's economy, as well as the town's physical and social development. The District mirrors this fact, being an example of an early twentieth-century mining company town. Prior to the arrival of Phelps Dodge, the area was a hub for mining activity. Rich veins of ore were discovered by the U. S. Army in the nearby Mule Mountains in 1877, with the Copper Queen Mine being founded that year. The following year the town saw its first smelter, and financial capitalists from both the east and west coast began to invest heavily in the area. The mining camp developed into a town by 1880, and was named Bisbee, after Judge DeWitt Bisbee, who was a heavy investor in the area. While the town was still small, the mining activity in it and nearby Tombstone, Arizona, focused most of the territory's population into these remote areas. The formation of Cochise County soon followed in 1881, with Tombstone as the county seat. In 1881, James Douglas of the Phelps Dodge Company convinced his company to purchase the claims adjoining the Copper Queen Mine. They began operations, with Douglas in charge of the site. It was the beginning of a highly successful mining operation, which resulted in over $2 billion worth of ore being produced in the area around Bisbee, the majority of it in properties owned by Phelps Dodge. [3]
One of the largest issues with the location was transportation. Supplies had to be brought in by wagon, and ore and to be sent the same way to the nearest railhead in Benson. Production increased, and in 1886, new, larger smelters were built, and eventually rose to over 100 tons of freight per day. The Southern Pacific railway refused to build a line from Bisbee to Benson, so in 1894 Phelps Dodge built its own rail line to Benson. By 1900 the new smelters could no longer keep up with production, but lack of water prevented larger ones from being built in Bisbee, so a new smelter town sprang up near the Mexico-United States Border, Douglas, named so after James Douglas. [4]
As the copper industry went, so went Bisbee. In 1881, the town had a population of 300, most of whom lived in tents. By 1884 the population had risen to 500, and the first wood and adobe structures began to be constructed, replacing the tents. In the next six years the town began to expand rapidly, and had a population of 1500 in 1890. Brick buildings began to appear on Main Street. Frame cottages began to be constructed on the hillsides around the city. More affluent areas developed around Quality Hill and Higgins Hill. Brewery Gulch became congested as the center of activity for the miners. The street had businesses packed side by side along the street, including saloons, shops, and lodging houses. Further along Brewery Gulch was the red light district. 1902 saw the incorporation of the town, and the three main streets Main, Howell, and Brewery, were paved with bricks. The population had exploded to 10,000 by 1904, and electric lights and gas were added to the town the same year. Streetcars came to the town in 1908, and ran until 1929, when they were replaced by buses. As the town prospered, it gained in prominence, and in 1929 the Cochise County seat was moved from Tombstone to Bisbee. The courthouse, of art deco design, was completed in 1931.
The town's geography and location caused the town to be prone to fires and floods. The Historic District experienced severe flooding in 1886, 1890, and 1908. The 1890 flood saw a 20-foot wall of water sweep through the town one night. The 1908 flood deposited several feet of mud and debris in the post office, and that same year a fire devastated the commercial area of Main Street, causing $500,000 worth of damage. Following these disasters, the town paid for flood abatement systems to be put in place, as well as a public water system to provide for fire-fighting. [5]
The mining industry supported the town for approximately the first 75 years of the twentieth century, although large scale development of the town ended by the end of World War I, with lower mining production. The industry was suppressed by large wartime stockpiles, without the military market of a wartime economy. That was exacerbated by large copper deposits being discovered in South America. The 1920s saw the town gradually reviving, until the Great Depression set in. As the grade of ore decreased, new methods were employed. The Sacramento Hill was an open pit mine from 1917 through 1929, and the Lavender Pit, one of the largest open-pit copper mines in the world, was in operation from 1951 to 1974. In 1975 the Copper Queen Mine ceased operations, and by this time the mining around Bisbee had become a small part of the operations of Phelps Dodge. The mine closures were severe blows to the town's economy. [6]
The area is a dense combination of commercial buildings, residential houses, and institutional structures sitting side by side along several narrow streets, the two main ones being Main Street and Brewery Gulch. These include lodging houses, governmental, educational and religious buildings. Most of the structures were built being 1890 and 1915. The district is an irregular wedge-shaped area, with its apex at the intersection of Main Street and Clawson Avenue. This portion of the district contains the County Courthouse, St. Patrick's Church, and the Loretto Academy. At the other end of the wedge, formed by O.K. Street and Brewery Gulch, sits an historic City Park and the Phelps Dodge General Office Building. In between these perimeter streets are several major and minor streets. There is a plaza, which fronts another Phelps Dodge building, the Mercantile. To the west of the Plaza are the entrances to Subway Alley and Main Street. Subway Alley is home to the Copper Queen Hospital, the Fair Building and its annex. [7]
Main street includes the Bank of Bisbee, the Copper Queen Library, the Post Office, the Anguis Building, the First Baptist Church, and the Castle Rock Hotel. After the hotel, Main Street turns into a more residential street, with one- and two-story houses. At its other end is the courthouse. Clawson also has numerous residential buildings, but also includes the Bisbee High School. Howell Avenue, running between Clawson and Brewery Gulch, contains St. John's Episcopal Church, the YWCA Building, and the Copper Queen Hotel. Mansfield is a short street, connecting with Clawson. Opera Drive winds around the district, and contains the YMCA, the Central School, and passes to the east of the City Park. On the western side of the Park, Brewery Gulch and O.K. Street run downhill toward Queen Avenue and Naco Road, and has a dense concentration of buildings. One of the highlights of this section is the Pythian Castle with its clock tower. Near the Castle are several of the lodging houses, which were built for the miners who worked in the nearby mines. [8]
The district contains buildings over a wide swath of uses: hotels, lodging houses, social lodges, churches, schools, residences, and government buildings. They are normally of frame, adobe, or block construction. The larger buildings are usually constructed with brick, steel, or concrete. Some of the architectural styles in the district include Victorian Italianate, Second Renaissance Revival, Sullivanesque, Art Deco, Streamline Modern, Neo-Classical Revival, Gothic Revival, Mission Revival, and Colonial Revival. [9]
The architecture of the Historic District runs parallel to the Bisbee's economic history. There is a scarcity of buildings built post-World War I, which reflects the town's lack of growth subsequent to 1920. Most of the buildings date from 1895 to 1915, the heyday of the mining industry in Bisbee. In other towns which continued to grow, many of these buildings would have been razed and replaced with newer, larger buildings. [10]
Remaining historic buildings can be broken into five main categories: public and semi-public facilities; commercial structures; religious, social and education facilities; lodging houses; and residential homes. The public/semi-public buildings were erected with full or partial support of the Phelps Dodge company and include, the Copper Queen Hospital, Copper Queen Hotel, YMCA, and the Copper Queen Library and Post Office. Commercial structures include the Citizens Bank and Trust, the Letson Block, the Medigovich Building II, the Muheim Block, and the Johnson Building. The religious/social/education structures include the Covenant Presbyterian Church, BPOE Building, and the Central School. Many of the buildings in these first three categories were designed by architects, the two most prominent being Henry Trost and Frederick C. Hurst. Lodging houses and residential properties include the Castle Rock Hotel, the Billy Brophy House, and the Spencer Clawson Residence. [10]
Below is a table of the structures which contribute to the significance of the district. They are rated either: C (contributing); S (significant); NR (has a separate individual listing on the NRHP). [11]
Number | Name | Rating | Address | Description | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
37 | Commercial building | S | 18 Main Street | Built 1905 along with 14 Main Street; one-story volume with three arches | |
38 | Phelps Dodge General Office Building | NR | 5 Queen Avenue | Built 1894. listed separately in the National Register | |
39 | Nurses Home | C | 20 Howell Avenue | Built 1904; one-story masonry structure | Originally used to house nurses employed at the Copper Queen Hospital |
40 | Copper Queen Hospital | C | 23 Queen Avenue | Built c. 1914; Neo-Colonial influence; two-story masonry structure; small classical detailing; elaborate brickwork in facade | |
109 | Cunningham House | S | 123 Clawson Avenue | Built pre-1906; single-story frame building, projecting bays, porch with turned posts | Built by Michael J. Cunningham, the founder of the Bank of Bisbee |
112 | Billy Brophy House | S | 115 Clawson Avenue | Built pre-1901; 1+1⁄2-story frame structure with major addition, Queen Anne influences, hipped and gabled roof, with deep overhangs, octagonal porch with columns | H. Brophy, member of the Irish immigrant family which become one of Arizona's most influential families |
113 | Residence | C | 113 Clawson Avenue | Built approx. 1910; single-story, rectangular plan with porches in front and rear | |
114 | Residence | C | 111 Shearer Avenue | Built pre-1901; single-story frame house, gabled roof, porches with columns | |
115 | Residence | C | 103 Shearer Avenue | Built pre-1931; slump block building with flat roof | |
116 | Residence | C | 101 Shearer Avenue | Built pre-1901; one-story bungaloid structure, gabled roof, exposed rafters at overhangs, front porch | |
117 | Bisbee High School | S | 104 Clawson | Built 1914; rebuilt 1920; four stories, flat-roof. decorative cornice, corner entry, rounded corners on two sides L-shaped plan | |
118 | Residence | C | 6 Mansfield Avenue | Built 1910; single-story concrete structure, square plan with porches at front and rear | |
119 | Residence | C | 12A Mansfield Avenue | Built 1903; single-story concrete block; rectangular plan; front and rear porches | |
120 | Residence | C | 14 Mansfield Avenue | Built 1910; single-story; concrete block structure | |
121 | Residence | C | 57B Anguis Avenue | Built pre-1931, Concrete block | |
122 | Residence | C | Anguis Avenue | Built pre-1931; single-story; rectangular plan | |
123 | Residence | C | 57C Anguis Avenue | Built 1904, single-story, concrete block structure, irregular plan | |
124 | Anguis House | C | 55A Anguis Avenue | Built 1908; gabled roof, front facade with articulated stickwork | Built by State Senator Anguis |
125 | Residence | C | 53B Tack Avenue | Single-story concrete building; porch at front entry Built 1906 | |
126 | Oliver Boarding House | C | 76 Tack Avenue | Built 1910; two-story brick, hipped roof, east side veranda, central hallway | |
127 | Residence | C | 23 Sowles Avenue | Built pre-1901; single-story adobe, front porch | |
128 | Residence | C | 48 Howell (Shearer) Avenue | Built 1900; two-story frame, veranda | |
129 | St. John's Episcopal Church | S | 19 Sowle Avenue | Built 1904; single-story frame church, cruciform plan, roof forms include gabled, hipped and pyramidal; eleven stained glass windows dedicated 1941. | Church built as a memorial to Phelps Dodge Chief Surgeon, Dr. F.A. Sweet. |
130 | Residence | C | 45 Howell Avenue (Shearer Avenue) | Built c. 1892, porch extends across three sides | |
130A | Garage | C | 43-45 Howell Avenue | Single-story structure with corrugated metal garage doors and roofing. | |
131 | Residence | C | 43 Howell Avenue (Shearer Avenue) | Built 1905; single-story frame, gable roof with porch. | |
132 | Residence | C | 19 Clawson Avenue | Built 1900; single-story; porch at rear | |
133 | Residence | C | 39A Howell Avenue (Shearer Ave.) | Original one-story adobe structure built 1911, major addition 1914 | |
134 | Residence | C | 39 Howell Avenue (Shearer Ave.) | Built pre-1908; single-story, frame, gable roof with porch | |
135 | Residence | C | 16 Clawson Avenue | Built 1906; single-story with veranda | |
136 | Church of Christ | C | 38A Opera Drive | Built 1905, single-story adobe, square plan | |
137 | Residence | C | 33-37 Howell Avenue (Shearer Ave.) | Built pre-1931, single-story, gypsum block, rectangular plan | |
138 | Residence | C | 12 Clawson Avenue | Built 1900; one-story building, front porch | |
139 | Residence | C | 48 Opera Drive | Built 1900; single-story, porch on three sides | |
140 | Residence | C | 31 Howell Avenue | Built 1890; two-story, adobe, veranda across three sides, frame additions, turned columns, hipped roof, originally a rooming house | |
141 | Residence | C | 44 Opera Drive | Built 1900, single-story frame building, veranda encircling structure, hipped and gabled roof | Built by Henry M. Woods, carpenter for the Copper Queen |
142 | Residence | C | 52 Opera Drive | Built 1889–1892; single-story, frame, gabled roof, veranda | |
143 | Residence | C | 54 Opera Drive | Built 1914, single-story frame, gable roof | |
144 | Residence | C | 56 Opera Drive | Built c. 1901; single-story frame structure, gable roof | |
145 | Social Center | C | 58 Opera Drive | Built prior to 1906; two-story building of reinforced concrete, rectangular plan | |
146 | Residence | C | 60 Opera Drive | Built 1900; two-story, concrete, square plan | |
147 | Taylor Residence | C | 64 Opera Drive | Built 1900, square plan; second-story veranda, hipped roof of corrugated metal | Built by John S. Taylor, an early mayor; one of the earliest buildings constructed of cement block, |
148 | Residence | C | 67 Opera Drive | Built pre-1908; two-story, with veranda on two sides | |
149 | Residence | C | 65 Opera Drive | Built 1900; two-story, with porch | |
150 | Residence | C | 63 Opera Drive | Built pre-1908; two stories, side porch | |
151 | Residence | C | 61 Taylor Drive | Built 1925; one-story, side porch, rectangular plan | |
152 | Residence | C | 57 Taylor Avenue | Built 1905; single-story adobe front and side porch | |
153 | Residence | C | 28C Broadway | Built pre-1901, single-story adobe | |
154 | Residence | C | 26C Broadway | Built 1901, two-story house, T plan, side porch | |
155 | Residence | C | 22B Broadway | Built c. 1901; single-story, side porches | |
156 | Central School | S | 47 Opera Drive | Built 1905, two stories, gypsum block, hipped roof, belfry, symmetrical plan with Italianate influence | First school constructed with bond issue money, built by local architect F.C. Hurst |
157 | YMCA Building | S | 39 Opera Drive | Built 1905; three stories, brick, hipped roof, bracketed cornice, arched window openings arranged in pairs | Originally constructed by Phelps Dodge as an employee gymnasium |
158 | Residence | C | 19A Howell Avenue | Built c. 1905, single-story, rectangular plan | |
159 | Residence | C | Howell Avenue | Built c. 1931, single-story, concrete block | |
160 | Covenant Presbyterian Church | S | 19 Howell Avenue | Built 1903–04; single-story brick, stained glass windows, steeple, steeply pitched slate roof, dormer windows; North European Gothic Revival influence | architects Parrish and Schroeder designed building following study of Dutch Reformed Churches in Holland |
161 | Copper Queen Hotel | S | 7-13 Howell Avenue | Built 1898, Italianate influence, originally arranged around a central courtyard; extensively remodeled in 1905; four-story, brick and stucco, symmetrical plan with 44 rooms, pyramidal roofs with red tiles cover two towers, third tower was a later addition, original glass and woodwork remain | Built by the Copper Queen Company |
162 | Postal Telegraph Building | S | 5 Howell Avenue | Built 1906; two-story, brick and stucco structure, hipped roof with red tiles, style is similar to adjacent Copper Queen Hotel | |
163 | Medigovich Building II | S | 2-6 Brewery Gulch | Built 1902; two-story brick corner building, extended cornice, second-story windows have elliptical concrete lintels | |
164 | Medigovich Building I | S | 8-10 Brewery Gulch | Built 1902; two-story brick commercial building; similar in style to adjacent Medigovich Building II | |
165 | Heating Plant Annex | C | 5A Howell Avenue | Built pre-1908; single-story, concrete block structure | houses mechanical system for Copper Queen Hotel (161) |
166 | Brewery Gulch Hotel | C | 14-16 Brewery Gulch | Built 1904; three-story brick building, arched side windows with shutters, front windows have stone heads and lugsills | |
167 | Bisbee Cleaners | C | 18 Brewery Gulch | Built 1939; single-story, gypsum block; irregular shape wedged into lot | |
168 | Commercial Building | C | 24 Brewery Gulch | Built 1900; two-story commercial building | |
169 | Commercial Building | C | 26-28 Brewery Gulch | Built 1904; two-story commercial building | |
170 | Commercial Building | C | 30-34 Brewery Gulch | Built 1906; two-story commercial building | |
171 | Commercial Building | C | 36-38 Brewery Gulch | Built 1905; two-story commercial building | |
172 | Commercial Building | C | 42-46 Brewery Gulch | Built pre-1931; single-story commercial building; rectangular plan | |
173 | Miners Hotel | C | 48-50 Brewery Gulch | Built c. 1905; three-story commercial brick building | |
174 | City Park | C | 66-72 Brewery Gulch | Built 1916; irregularly shaped paved and raised area, enclosed by ornamental iron fence with decorative street lamps | originally the Bisbee Cemetery |
175 | Residence | C | 101 A Brewery Gulch | Built 1900; single-story adobe, with front porch | |
176 | Residence | C | 103 B Brewery Gulch | Built 1900; single-story with porch area | |
177 | Residence | C | 101B Brewery Gulch | Built pre-1901; single-story with porch | |
178 | Residence | C | 71A Brewery Gulch | Built 1900; single-story with additions | |
179 | Commercial Building | C | 65 Brewery Gulch | Built pre-1908; two-story concrete, first-story porches | |
180 | Lodging House | C | 61-63 Brewery Gulch | Built 1898; two-story frame structure with gabled roof, veranda | |
181 | Residence | C | 57 Brewery Gulch | Built pre-1908; two-story, front and rear porches | |
182 | Silver King Hotel | C | 45-47 Brewery Gulch | Built c. 1907; three-story brick arched entryway | |
182A | Bottling Works | C | 41 Brewery Gulch | Built 1908; two-story concrete block building; ground floor windows with 20-lights | |
183 | Commercial Building | C | 37 Brewery Gulch | Built pre-1908; two-story brick building | |
184 | Commercial Building | C | 47A Brewery Gulch | Built pre 1931; one-story concrete building | |
185 | Commercial Building | C | 67B Brewery Gulch | Built 1899; single-story frame building with porch | |
186 | Residence | C | 83B OK Street | Built 1890; two-story T-shaped building, first story of stone, adobe second story | |
187 | Residence | C | 81-83 OK Street | Built 1910; two-story concrete building | |
188 | Residence | C | 79 OK Street | Built 1910; single-story adobe | |
189 | Residence | C | 77 0K Street | Built pre-1901; single-story adobe, front porch | |
190 | Residence | C | 75A 0K Street | Built c. 1901; single-story adobe with later concrete additions | |
191 | Residence | C | 75C OK Street | Built 1906; single-story; rectangular plan, porches | |
192 | Residence | C | 69F OK Street | Built 1916; single-story with veranda | |
193 | Residence | C | 69E OK Street | Built 1912; single-story; rectangular plan | |
194 | Residence | C | 69B OK Street | Built pre-1908; single-story, L-shaped plan, porch | |
195 | Residence | C | 63C OK Street | Built 1919; single-story, porches | |
196 | Residence | C | 63B OK Street | Built 1915; concrete block with porches | |
197 | Residence | C | 65B OK Street | Built 1918; single-story; building with porch | |
198 | Residence | C | 69 OK Street | Built 1910; two-story; square plan | |
199 | Residence | C | 65 OK Street | Built 1906; single-story, front porch | |
200 | Residence | C | 68 OK Street | Built 1906, single-story with porch | |
201 | Brooks Apartments | S | 55 OK Street | Built 1914; three-story reinforced concrete buildings, triple veranda, arcades at first story | example of early apartments built to house miners and their families |
202 | Commercial | C | 55 A OK Street | Built pre-1908; single-story; irregular plan, front porch | |
203 | Residence | C | 53C OK Street | Built pre-1908; two-story concrete block building, veranda | |
204 | Residence | C | 51B OK Street | Built 1912; single-story concrete building, front and rear porch | |
205 | Residence | C | 51C OK Street | Built 1912; single-story concrete building, porch | |
206 | Residence | C | 47B OK Street | Built 1916; two-story concrete building; square plan, front porch | |
207 | Residence | C | 43B OK Street | Built 1910; two-story concrete building with porch | |
208 | Residence | C | 39B OK Street | Built 1905; two-story concrete building with veranda | |
209 | Residence | C | 41A OK street | Built 1908; two-story concrete structure with porch | |
210 | Residence | C | 41B 0K Street | Built 1908; two-story concrete structure with porch | |
211 | Residence | C | 47A OK Street | Built 1908; two-story concrete structure with porch | |
212 | Hotel Building | C | 45 OK Street | Built 1905; two-story brick building; paired windows; recessed entryway | |
213 | Commercial Building | C | 39-41 OK Street | Built 1919; single-story | |
214 | Commercial Building | C | 37 OK Street | Built 1905; two-story building with front and side porches | |
215 | Pythian Castle | S | 29-33 OK Street | Built 1904; two-story brick building; arched windows, extended cornice, octagonal clock tower with spire and finial | designed by local architect Fred Hurst; used as Knights of Pythias Lodge until 1914 |
216 | Philadelphia Hotel | C | 21 OK Street | Built 1906; two-story concrete block faced with brick, extended cornice | |
217 | Residence | C | 21A OK Street | Built pre-1901; 1-story adobe and frame structure; low pitched gabled roof | |
218 | Caretto Residence | S | 11B OK Street | Built 1905; 1+1⁄2-story block and frame house; three dormers in front pitch of broad gable roof; arched colonnade on two sides | Built by Baptisto Caretto, successful saloon keeper and contractor |
219 | Residence | C | 7E, 7F and 7G OK Street | Ruins of three concrete residences, built 1920's | |
220 | Jail | S | 9 OK Street | Built 1904; two-story brick structure faced with stone on first floor; stepped parapet with corbelled brickwork; barred windows; stone lugsills | |
221 | Commercial Building | C | 9A OK Street | Built pre-1901; two-story brick structure; rectangular massing | |
222 | Brophy Building/OK Street | C | 3-7 OK Street | Built 1905; two-story brick structure, divided into two store bays; three pairs of windows in upper portion of facade, central pediment in parapet | Designed by Fred Hurs |
223 | Bisbee Improvement Company | C | 100-180 Naco Road | Built pre-1906; two-story structure of concrete block and cut stone; rectangular facade penetrations; irregular plan; short projecting cornice | Designed by Fred Hurst |
225 | City Hall | S | 110-112 Naco Road | Built 1905; two-story stone and concrete building; Italianate influence | Designed by F.C. Hurst; originally housed city offices and fire department |
226 | Sheriff's Office and Justice Court | C | 116 Naco Road | Built 1918; two-story building; Classical Revival facade featuring 4 Ionic columns, dentiled cornice and elliptical arches over second-story windows. | |
227 | Residence | C | 7B OK Street | Built pre-1905; one-story house | |
228 | Residence | C | 9B OK Street | Built pre-1901; small adobe structure, gable roof | |
229 | Residence | C | 7H OK Street | Built pre-1901; small rock structure, rubble course, gable roof | |
230 | Residence | C | 7A OK Street | Built about 1910, portions may be 19th century; 1-story frame structure | |
231 | Residence | C | 108H Naco Road | Built about 1910; small frame structure | |
232 | Residence | C | 112 A Naco Road | Built before 1901, additions about 1905; small frame structure | |
233 | Commercial Building | C | 118 Naco Road | Built pre-1901, second story added after 1908; frame construction; commercial space below, lodging above; narrow rectangular plan. | |
234 | Jovanovich Building | S | 120-122 Naco Road | Built c. 1903; two-story brick structure; hipped roof with attic gables; two-story porch structure in front facade. | |
235 | Commercial Building | C | 124 Naco Road | Built before 1930; 1^ stories; stepped end gable | |
236 | Commercial Building | C | 14-18 Naco Road | Built about 1910; two-story brick structure; glass and steel commercial front on ground floor; 4 pairs of double hung windows above; cast cornice | |
237 | Commercial Building | C | 18-20 OK Street | Built about 1910; two-story brick structure | |
238 | Lyric Theater | C | 6-10 Naco Road | Built 1912–1914; two-story brick' balcony and stage intact | Built by Nick and John Diamos, a Greek emigrant who with his relative developed a chain of Arizona Theaters |
1 | St. Patrick's School Classroom Building | C | 225 Oak Avenue | Two-story masonry structure; rectangular plan; built about 1930 | |
2 | Loretto Academy (St. Patricks School) | S | 225 Oak Avenue | Built 1907; two-story structure, rectangular plan, hip roof; Mission Style | designed by Henry Trost; originally a boarding and day school operated by the Sisters of Loretto |
3 | St. Patrick's Catholic Church | S | 217 Oak Avenue | Late Gothic Revival; brick structure built 1916; cruciform plan; has original stained glass; | designed by architect Albert Martin of Los Angeles |
4 | Courthouse Annex | C | Quality Hill Road at Oak Avenue | Built during the 1930s; two-story masonry structure; rectangular plan; Art Deco detailing | |
5 | Cochise County Courthouse (2nd) | S | Quality Hill Road at Oak Avenue | Built 1931; four-story with basement; Art Deco; decorative motif based on stylized native cacti; symmetrical rectangular plan, concrete structure; elaborate entry with copper doors | Designed by Tucson architect Roy Place |
6 | Restaurant | C | 202 Upper Main Street | Built about 1930 as a Lodging house; one-story, rectangular plan | |
7 | Gas Station Building | C | 200 Upper Main Street | Built in 1921; frame structure; "Lu - shaped plan consists of rectangular garage and office with projecting canopy over pumps; has been modified. | |
8 | Residence | C | 146 Upper Main Street | Built pre-1905; one-story frame cottage with medium pitch gable roof | |
9 | Residence | C | 142 Upper Main Street | Built pre-1898; one-story board and batten cottage, hip roof with attic gable; interior core of adobe | |
10 | Residence | C | 140 Upper Main Street | Built c. 1905; one-story frame cottage, rectangular plan, medium itch gable roof parallel to road; continuous front porch | |
11 | Residence | C | 136 Upper Main Street | Built c. 1900; one-story frame cottage, L-shaped plan; intersecting gable roofs; porch with small ornamental detailing, triangular dormer | |
12 | Residence | C | 134 Upper Main Street | Built pre-1905; one-story frame cottage; gable roofs | |
13 | Residence | C | 130 Upper Main Street | Built c. 1905; one-story frame cottage; medium pitch gable roof parallel to road; continuous front porch with balustrade | |
14 | Residence | C | 126 Upper Main Street | Built c. 1905; one-story frame cottage with adobe core | |
15 | Residence | C | 118 Upper Main Street | Built pre-1905; one-story frame cottage; medium pitch gable roof; continuous front porch; basic plan is rectangular | |
16 | Residence | C | 114 Upper Main Street | Built c. 1906; one-story frame cottage, gable roofs; irregular plan | |
17 | Castle Rock Hotel | S | 112 Upper Main Street | Built c. 1895; two-story frame structure; longitudinal center hall; hipped roof; three-sided veranda; wood detailing derived from Victorian Italianate | |
18 | Lodging House | C | 108 Upper Main Street | Built 1910's; two-story frame lodging house | |
19 | Residence | C | 102 Upper Main Street | Built before 1930; one-story frame cottage | |
20 | Baptist Church | C | 94 Main Street | Built c. 1918; Mission Style; rectangular plan with flanking towers; major addition to west side in 1948 | |
21 | Commercial Building | C | 92-83 Main Street | Built pre-1930; one-story brick structure, modified facade | |
22 | Commercial Building | C | 86-84 Main Street | Built pre-1930; one-story structure, modified facade | |
23 | Commercial Building | C | 82-80 Main Street | Built pre-1930; two-story brick structure; modified facade | |
24 | Commercial Building | C | 78-72 Main Street | Built pre-1930; one-story brick structure; modified facade | |
25 | KLM Building (Golden Hotel) | C | 54-40 Main Street | Built c. 1910; concrete structure with brick facade; pedimented parapet | First floor for commercial uses, second for lodging |
26 | Anguis Building (J.C. Penney, Co.) | C | 38-36 Main Street | Built c. 1909; two stories, brick structure; glass facade; applied plaster consoles and cartouches show Neo-Classical Revival influence; stepped parapet | |
27 | Commercial Building | C | 32 Main Street | Built 1904; narrow one-story brick structure; very similar in design and ornamentation to the Anguis Building (#26) | |
28 | Commercial Building | C | 30 Main Street | Built 1904; two-story brick structure; rectangular plan, symmetrical facade with pair of second-story windows, glass block panels, display windows with recessed entry, bracketed cornice | |
29 | Moose Hall | C | 28 Main Street | Built 1904; two-story brick structure; symmetrical facade with band of three windows in upper story, cornice with pairs of oversize consoles; inset panel of glass bricks, display windows with recessed entry, original copper moulding, windows, thick beveled brass rail interior staircase | |
30 | Letson Block | S | 20 Main Street | Built 1902; oriel windows, projecting cornice with brackets; articulated brickwork in facade; cast iron columns; original street front intact | Best example of late Victorian commercial block in Bisbee |
31 | Commercial Building | C | 22-20 Main Street | Built 1904; pair of oriel windows, corbelled stringcourse in brick facade; flat parapet line | |
32 | Office Bar, Orient Realty and Trading Co. | S | 14 Main Street | Built 1905; white oak carved mouldings, asymmetrical facade of rough cut stone in broken courses; south side: two-story volume with rectangular openings | Originally a men's club known as "The Office" |
33 | Bisbee Review Building | S | 12 Main Street | Built 1905; two-story brick structure; symmetrical facade; cornice with heavy brackets, and cressets of contrasting material | Originally used as clinic and pharmacy by Copper Queen doctors |
34 | Copper Queen Library and Post Office | S | 8-6 Main Street | Built 1906; designed by architect Fred Hurst; three-story structure of concrete and gypsum block; exterior arcade on two sides behind arched facade; small classical details | |
35 | Phelps Dodge Mercantile | C | Queen Avenue | Built 1939; two-story concrete structure; Streamline Moderne style; rounded corners; banded windows | Erected by Del Webb who later developed Sun City |
41 | YWCA Building | S | 28 Howell Avenue | Built 1915; four stories with basement; brick; concrete structure; bracketed cornice and hoods on front elevation; Neo-Colonial influence | Endowed by Grace Dodge |
42 | Allen Building | C | 27 Subway Alley | Built c. 1908; two-story block structure; recessed sidewalk arcade along Shearer Avenue; corner entry at Subway and Shearer; with shop window | |
43 | Commercial Building | C | 29-31 Subway Alley | Built 1910; one-story structure, two store fronts | |
44 | I.O.O.F. Building | S | 33-35 Subway Alley | Built 1918; front - three-story; back - one-story; recessed shop entry on south and lodge entry on north; central pediment and cornice with paired brackets; stories marked by belt courses | |
45 | Apartment Building | C | 37-41 Subway Alley | Built 1910; two-story masonry structure | |
46 | Storage Building | C | 43 Subway Alley | Built c. 1905; one-story | |
47 | Commercial Building | C | 45 Subway Alley | Built pre-1906; one-story | |
48 | Bank of Bisbee | S | 1 Main Street | Built 1904–1906; Second Renaissance Revival style; two-story brick and concrete structure | Founded by W.H. Brophy, J.S. Douglas, and M.J. Cunningham |
49 | Antlers Building | C | 3-5 Main Street | Built c. 1906; designed by Fred Hurst; two-story brick building; bracketed cornice; decorative brickwork; 2 recessed store fronts at street level | |
50 | Miners and Merchants Bank | S | 7-11 Main Street | Built 1904, major addition and remodeling, pre-1930; good example of Neo-Classical Revival | Bank founded by Lem Shattuck and Joseph Muheim |
51 | Commercial Building | C | 13 Main Street | One-story masonry structure; plaster; glass facade with recessed entry; devoid of ornament; dentist office | |
52 | Commercial Building | C | 15 Main Street | Built c. 1906; one-story wood-frame structure; plaster and glass facade with recessed entry; devoid of ornamentation | No wood-frame buildings built since 1910 due to ban by city ordinance |
53 | Citizens Bank and Trust | S | 21 Main Street | Built 1910; one-story concrete block building; facade features large arch over a recessed entry and plate glass window; central cartouche; Sullivanesque influence | Designed by Henry Trost |
54 | Brophy Main Street Building | C | 23-25 Main Street | Built 1910; one-story brick structure, with recessed entryways and flat roof with low parapet | |
55 | Royal Theater | C | 27 Main Street | Built 1910; one-story brick building with recessed entry and marquee | |
56 | Costello Building I | S | 31-33 Main Street | Built 1907; three-story brick building with a pediment and extended cornice; similar in style to the adjacent Henniger-Johnson Building | Designed by Henry Trost |
57 | Henninger-Johnson Building | S | 35 Main Street | Built 1907; three-story brick building with basement; extended cornice and central pediment; front facade consists of threebays; arched central bay features decorative window spandrels | Designed by Henry Trost |
58 | Fair Store | S | 37 Main Street | Built 1907–1909. Three-story brick building; Front facade consists of three bays; second-story windows are paired and surmounted by concave semicircular shell motifs', Third floor window is arched and decorated w/metal railing | |
59 | Commercial Building | C | 41 Main St. and Subway Alley | Built c. 1906. Two-story brick building with recessed entry; paired second-story windows capped with arched radiating voussoirs | |
60 | Fair Store Annex | C | 57 Subway Alley | Built 1915. Two-story brick building on a polygonal plan to fit irregular lot} Street facade features cornice with brackets joined by garlands | |
61 | Warner Hotel | C | 57H Subway Alley | Built c. 1908; two-story structure constructed of gypsum block and stone | |
62 | Jack Building | C | 45-51 Main Street and 65 Subway Alley | Built c. 1931; one-story brick structure; corner entry consists of recessed double arches | |
63 | Costello Building II | C | 53-55 Upper Main Street | Built 1909; two-story brick building, bracketed cornice, windows on front facade arranged in triplets | |
64 | Johnson Building | C | 57-65 Main Street | Built 1909; two-story concrete building faced with brick, five-bay facade, central bay is recessed and pedimented | Designed by local architect F.C. Hurst |
65 | B.P.O.E. Building | S | 61 Main Street | Built 1910; two-story brick building; classical revival influence; bracketed cornice, arched second-story windows with French doors; metal balconies | Designed by F.C. Hurst |
66 | Bisbee Exchange | C | 69-77 Main Street | Built c. 1910; three-story brick building; three bays, central bay has arched windows; recessed entry | |
67 | Building - Parking Garage | C | 85 Main Street | Built c. 1901; this multi-storied concrete structure is screened from Main Street by the earlier commercial blocks | |
68 | Masonic Temple | C | 87-91 Main Street | Built 1910; three-story concrete building; front facade finished with brick and plaster facing, cartouches, ornamental entry gate | Designed by local architect F.C. Hurst |
69 | Building-Commercial | C | 93 Main Street | Built c. 1931; single-story concrete structure | |
70 | Building-Commercial | C | 93 1/2 Main Street | One-story frame structure, gabled roof | |
71 | Building-Commercial | C | 95 Main Street | Single-story structure with parapet; entry with double doors | |
72 | Residence | C | 103-105 Main Street | Built c. 1931; single-story building, gypsum block construction | |
73 | Double Residence | C | 105A-105B Upper Main Street | Two-story frame structure three sided veranda with railing and turned wooden posts; gabled roof; built before 1930 | |
74 | Residence | C | 93A Main Street | Built pre-1930; one-story, rectangular plan | |
75 | Residence | C | 79A Main Street | Built c. 1916; one-story structure of gypsum block; rectangular plan; porch on 2 sides | |
76 | Residence | C | 79B-1-2 Main Street | Built c. 1916; one-story concrete block structure; rectangular plan; porch on 2 sides | |
77 | Residence | C | 79C Main Street | Built c. 1908; one-story concrete block structure; irregular plan; corner porch with entry | |
78 | Residence | C | 81B Main Street | Built 1908; one-story concrete block structure; irregular plan; corner porch with entry | |
79 | Residence | C | 81C-1-2 Main Street | Built c. 1908; one-story concrete block structure; rectangular plan includes veranda on 3 sides | |
80 | Residence | C | A-20-B Mansfield | Built c. 1915; one-story structure; rectangular plan includes porch on NE corner | |
81 | Residence | C | 17 Mansfield Avenue | Built pre-1930; one-story structure of gypsum block; rectangular plan with front and rear porches | |
82 | Residence | C | 15 Mansfield Avenue | Built pre-1930; one-story structure with basement; concrete block; irregular plan; front porch on south | |
83 | Residence | C | 20 Mansfield Avenue | Built pre-1930; two-story frame structure; hipped roof with cross center gable, first-story porch with railings | |
84 | Residence | C | 18A Mansfield Avenue | Built pre-1930; 1+1⁄2-story structure; may be adobe; rectangular plan; front porch | |
85 | Residence | C | 16 Mansfield Avenue | Built c. 1910; rectangular plan with corner porch, additions to rear; one-story structure of concrete block | |
86 | Residence | C | 13 Mansfield Avenue | Built c. 1908; one-story structure of concrete block; irregular plan | |
87 | Residence | C | 134 Mansfield Avenue | Built c. 1916; one-story concrete block structure with verandas on 3 sides | |
88 | Residence | C | 138 Mansfield Avenue | Built before 1907; small one-story structure | |
89 | Residence | C | Clawson Hill behind 116 Clawson Avenue | Built before 1907; small one-story structure | |
90 | Residence | C | 11 Mansfield Avenue | Built about 1915; concrete block structure, one-story irregular plan; Neo-Classical Revival porch | |
91 | Residence | C | 5 Mansfield Avenue | Built 1901; one-story frame structure; irregular plan; corner porch on east | |
92 | Residence | C | 114 Clawson Avenue | Built about 1920; rectangular plan, three stories on one side, and two stories on other side | |
93 | Spencer Clawson Residence | S | 116 Clawson Avenue | Built c. 1895–6; originally a one-story frame structure with three sided porch; gabled second story added in 1920's; many interior features intact | Built for Copper Queen Mine Manager Spencer W. Clawson |
94 | Residence | C | 103 Upper Main Street | Built c. 1906; single-story frame house; hipped roof | |
95 | Residence | C | 123 Upper Main Street | Built c. 1905; single-story frame house, gabled roof, exterior of board and batten | |
96 | Residence | C | 127 Upper Main Street | Built pre-1906; single-story; porch along two sides | |
97 | Residence | C | 127 A Upper Main Street | Built pre-1931; single-story, rectangular plan | |
98 | Residence | C | 131 A Upper Main Street | Built pre-1906; two-story, frame, hipped roof, two-story veranda | |
99 | Residence | C | 129 Upper Main Street | Built pre-1906; single-story frame structure, gabled roof, broad porch, multiple doors, elongated plan, one-room deep | |
100 | Residence | C | 133 Upper Main Street | Built pre-1906; single-story frame, L-shaped plan | |
101 | Residence | C | 135 Upper Main Street | Built pre-1906; single-story frame, front porch | |
102 | Residence | C | 139 Upper Main Street | Built pre-1906; single-story, frame, square plan, with additions | |
103 | Residence | C | 143 Upper Main Street | Built pre-1931; single-story, rectangular plan, siting is flush with street | |
104 | Residence | C | 139 Clawson Avenue | Built pre-1906; single-story, T-shape plan | |
105 | Residence | C | 139A Clawson Avenue | Built pre-1906; single-story with additions, constructed on sloping site | |
106 | Residence | C | 131 Clawson Avenue | Built pre-1906; single-story frame structure, gabled roof | |
107 | Residence | C | 129A Clawson Avenue | Built pre-1910; single-story structure, gabled roof, front porch over entryway | |
108 | Tippetts House | C | 127 Clawson Avenue | Built pre-1906; single-story frame building, roof both hipped and gabled, porch area on two sides, basic square plan with projecting bay. | |
239 | Miners Store | C | 2-4 Naco Road | Built about 1901; two-story brick structure, irregular plan; front facade covered with metal siding | |
240 | Dixie Garage | C | 7 Brewery Gulch | Built about 1907, two-story volume; irregular plan. | Built as the Orpheum Theater, converted to a garage by 1930 |
241 | Muheim Block | S | 13-17 Brewery Gulch | Built 1905; Victorian Italianate influence in commercial brick structure, exterior substantially intact | Built to house the Bisbee Stock Exchange; a major local landmark. |
Bisbee is a city in and the county seat of Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, United States. It is 92 miles (148 km) southeast of Tucson and 11 miles (18 km) north of the Mexican border. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 4,923, down from 5,575 in the 2010 census.
The Mule Mountains are a north/south running mountain range located in the south-central area of Cochise County, Arizona. The highest peak, Mount Ballard, rises to 7,500 ft (2,300 m). Prior to mining operations commencing there, the mountains were heavily forested with large Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir and other conifers, but these were all cut down for housing needs and to feed the ore smelting furnaces in Douglas, Arizona, approximately 20 miles due east. Now, the primary vegetation of the Mules consists of manzanita brush, juniper, lowland oaks and pines, and various grasses. To the east of the mountain range lies Sulphur Springs Valley, and the San Pedro River and Valley to the west.
The Lavender Pit is a former open pit copper mine near Bisbee in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. It is located near the famous Copper Queen Mine. The Lavender Pit was named in honor of Harrison M. Lavender (1890–1952), who as Vice-President and General Manager of Phelps Dodge Corporation, conceived and carried out this plan for making the previously unprofitable low-grade copper bearing rock of the area into commercial copper ore.
Phelps Dodge Corporation was an American mining company founded in 1834 as an import-export firm by Anson Greene Phelps and his two sons-in-law William Earle Dodge, Sr. and Daniel James. The latter two ran Phelps, James & Co., the part of the organization based in Liverpool, England. The import-export firm at first exported United States cotton from the Deep South to England and imported various metals to the US needed for industrialization. With the expansion of the Western frontier in North America, the corporation acquired mines and mining companies, including the Copper Queen Mine in Cochise County, Arizona and the Dawson, New Mexico coal mines. It operated its own mines and acquired railroads to carry its products. By the late 19th century, it was known as a mining company.
James Walter Douglas was a British North America born mining engineer and businessman who introduced a number of metallurgical innovations in copper mining and amassed a fortune through the copper mining industry of Bisbee, Arizona Territory and Sonora before and after the turn of the 20th century.
The Bisbee Deportation was the illegal kidnapping and deportation of about 1,300 striking mine workers, their supporters, and citizen bystanders by 2,000 members of a deputized posse, who arrested them beginning on July 12, 1917, in Bisbee, Arizona. The action was orchestrated by Phelps Dodge, the major mining company in the area, which provided lists of workers and others who were to be arrested to the Cochise County sheriff, Harry C. Wheeler. Those arrested were taken to a local baseball park before being loaded onto cattle cars and deported 200 miles (320 km) to Tres Hermanas in New Mexico. The 16-hour journey was through desert without food and with little water. Once unloaded, the deportees, most without money or transportation, were warned against returning to Bisbee. The US government soon brought in members of the US Army to assist with relocating the deportees to Columbus, New Mexico.
Daniel Willis James was the son of an American merchant who with his cousin, William Earl Dodge Jr., transformed Phelps, Dodge & Co. from a predominantly mercantile business into one of the largest copper producers in the world.
In Arizona, copper mining has been a major industry since the 19th century. In 2007, Arizona was the leading copper-producing state in the country, producing 750 thousand metric tons of copper, valued at $5.54 billion. Arizona's copper production was 60% of the total for the United States. Copper mining also produces gold and silver as byproducts. Byproduct molybdenum from copper mining makes Arizona the nation's second-largest producer of that metal. Although copper mineralization was found by the earliest Spanish explorers of Arizona, the territory was remote, and copper could seldom be profitably mined and shipped. Early Spanish, Mexican, and American prospectors searched for gold and silver, and ignored copper. It was not until the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1876 that copper became broadly economic to mine and ship to market.
The Jerome Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District encompassing the former mining community of Jerome, Arizona. The town was founded as a mining camp associated with copper deposits that were mined from the late 19th century until 1953. The district was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1966 and was included into the then-new National Register of Historic Places.
The Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum is a local history museum at 5 Copper Queen Plaza in Bisbee, Arizona. It is located in the Phelps Dodge General Office Building, a National Historic Landmark for the importance of the Phelps Dodge Corporation's role in the growth and development of the American Southwest. The museum is dedicated primarily to local history, particularly the town's founding and growth as a mining center.
The Copper Queen Mine was a copper mine in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Its development led to the growth of the surrounding town of Bisbee in the 1880s. Its orebody ran 23% copper, an extraordinarily high grade. It was acquired by Phelps Dodge in 1885.
The El Paso and Southwestern Railroad began in 1888 as the Arizona and South Eastern Railroad, a short line serving copper mines in southern Arizona. Over the next few decades, it grew into a 1200-mile system that stretched from Tucumcari, New Mexico, southward to El Paso, Texas, and westward to Tucson, Arizona, with several branch lines, including one to Nacozari, Mexico. The railroad was bought by the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1924 and fully merged into its parent company in 1955. The EP&SW was a major link in the transcontinental route of the Golden State Limited.
The Detroit Copper Mining Company was an American copper mining and smelting operation based in Morenci, Arizona. Incorporated in July 1872, it existed as an independent company until 1897, when a controlling interest in the company was purchased by the predecessor of the Phelps Dodge Corporation. It continued to exist as a subsidiary of Phelps Dodge & Co until 1917, when all Phelps Dodge operations in the area were consolidated into the new Phelps Dodge Corporation, Morenci Branch.
The Calumet Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District that encompasses most of the village of Calumet, Michigan. The district was designated in 1989 for the community's importance in the history of the region's copper mining industry.
The Bisbee Residential Historic District is distinct from the Bisbee Historic District, and is located north and west of that district. It developed in the late 1880s and early 1900s, to support the booming mining industry. While it has some multi-family dwellings, commercial buildings, and a school, it is primarily composed of single family houses. It also has an extensive system of pedestrian walkways and stairways. Bisbee does not follow a grid pattern, rather its streets wind following the contour of the canyon and gulches. Developed prior to automobiles, it has narrow roads which are steep, and still remains a pedestrian-oriented town. It consists of over 500 contributing buildings and structures.
The Douglas Sonoran Historic District, called the Sonoran District, is an historic district located in Douglas, Arizona. It is southwest of the business district, its rough boundaries are H Avenue on the west, from 6th to 9th Street, consisting of contiguous flush-fronted, single story, Sonoran tradition row buildings built between 1901 and 1935. The majority of the buildings were constructed using local gypsum-cast stone. This is the largest number of cast-stone buildings in the state. The District includes twenty-one buildings, of which seventeen are contributing structures.
The Calumet and Arizona Mining Company was a major mining company in Arizona during the late 1800s and early 1900s. In addition to mining, they developed the Warren townsite, based on the "City Beautiful" concept. The company existed until 1931, when it merged with the Phelps-Dodge Company.