List of historic properties in Mesa, Arizona | |
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Cities, towns and CDPs in Arizona with lists and images of historic properties, forts, cemeteries or historic districts |
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This is a list, which includes a photographic gallery, of some of the remaining historic structures and monuments in Mesa, Arizona. Mesa is a city in Maricopa County located east of Phoenix. Mesa is the third largest city in Arizona, after Phoenix and Tucson.
The early Mormon pioneers founded a settlement which they named Utahville. They soon renamed their settlement Lehi. They rebuilt the ancient canals that the Hohokam tribe had built, and the area became successful as an agricultural haven. On March 5, 1877, the pioneers built a fort using adobe bricks which they named "Fort Utah" to protect their families and fields from the Apaches who attacked them. In 1886, the town Post Office name was changed to Zenos. In 1889, the Post Office Department finally allowed the name Mesa City. There was a flood in Lehi in 1891, which destroyed Fort Utah and carried away acres of valuable farmland in low-lying areas. [1]
There are numerous historical properties in Mesa which have either been listed in the National Register of Historic Places or on the list of the Mesa Historic Properties. The city's Mesa Historic Preservation Program facilitates public knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the city's historic past. [2] [3] [4]
The city of Mesa cannot ultimately prevent private owners of the properties from demolishing them. Before a structure in a historic district or landmark can be demolished it must receive approval from the Historic Preservation Officer. A permit of demolition will be provided if the property represents an immediate hazard. Other requests will be held for a period of six months, during which the Historic Preservation Officer will look for possible reasons to save the structure. The structure may be demolished if by the end of the six months no plan to save the structure has been established [5] [6]
Included in this list are the historic properties located in what once was Williams Air Force Base. The base was formerly a training base for the United States Army Air Forces, which later became the United States Air Force. The base closed in 1993. Part of the base was annexed by Mesa and part by the city of Phoenix. The area in which the base was located has been converted into a civilian airport called the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and an educational campus anchored by the Arizona State University and Chandler-Gilbert Community College. [7] On May 19, 2016, the "Falcon Field World War II Aviation Hangars" were listed in the National Register of Historic Places, [8]
Images of some of these properties with a short description follow:
The following buildings and houses of religious worship which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and/or the Mesa Historic Properties are pictured in this section with a brief description of the same. [5] The Arizona Museum of Natural History was actually built where the city hall, jail and courthouse were once located. The museum kept the 1884 Territorial jail cells and has them on display. [10] Also, pictured is the 1926 Town Center Clock located at the NE corner of W. Main and Macdonald. This clock was originally across the street at 61 West Main but, was moved to this corner in 1932. The clock mechanism has been updated.
The following is a brief description of the houses pictured in this section.
The Southern Pacific (SP) 2355 was built in 1912 by Baldwin Locomotive Works. The heavy 4-6-0 "Ten Wheel" steam locomotive was retired from service in 1957. It is now on display at Mesa's Pioneer Park. [14]
Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) base, located in the city of Mesa. It was active as a training base for both the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the USAF from 1941 until its closure in 1993. Williams was the leading pilot training facility of the USAF, supplying 25% of all pilots. [15]
The following are the images of the remaining structures of the historic base with a brief description of the same. [5]
The Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum , a.k.a. Airbase Arizona Aircraft Museum, was established in 1978, in Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. It is the 10th unit of the Commemorative Air Force and the home of one of the largest Commemorative Air Force units in the world. On exhibit are World War II artifacts, helicopters and classic American and foreign combat planes, many of which are the last remaining warbirds of their kinds. The propeller in frint of the building is one of four which was installed on a B-29 Super Fortress. [16]
Among the historic aircraft's and artifacts pictured are the following:
The Mesa Grande Cultural Park contains the excavated remnants of a large Hohokam public and ceremonial mound that was occupied from approximately 1100 to 1450. It is located at 1000 N. Date St. The Mesa Grande Cultural Park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1978, reference number 78000549. [34] The following is a brief description of the images posted.
The City of Mesa Cemetery is a historic cemetery which was established in 1891 and is located at 1212 N. Center Street. Among the many notable citizens of that city which are interred there are the four founding fathers of Mesa: [35]
Mesa is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is the third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix and Tucson, the 36th-most populous city in the U.S., and the most populous city that is not a county seat. The city is home to 504,258 people as of 2020. It is the most populous city in the East Valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area. It is bordered by Tempe on the west, the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community on the north, Chandler and Gilbert on the south along with Queen Creek, and Apache Junction on the east.
Hohokam was a culture in the North American Southwest in what is now part of south-central Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. It existed between 300 and 1500 CE, with cultural precursors possibly as early as 300 BCE. Archaeologists disagree about whether communities that practiced the culture were related or politically united. According to local oral tradition, Hohokam societies may be the ancestors of the historic Akimel and Tohono Oʼodham in Southern 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).
The Hohokam Pima National Monument is an ancient Hohokam village within the Gila River Indian Community, near present-day Sacaton, Arizona. The monument features the archaeological site Snaketown 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Phoenix, Arizona, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. The area was further protected by declaring it a national monument in 1972, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport, formerly Williams Gateway Airport (1994–2008) and Williams Air Force Base (1948–1993), is an international airport in the southeastern area of Mesa, Arizona, 20 miles southeast of Phoenix, in Maricopa County. The airport, owned and operated by the Phoenix–Mesa Gateway Airport Authority, is a reliever airport for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. It is a base for Allegiant Air.
Pueblo Grande Ruin and Irrigation Sites are pre-Columbian archaeological sites and ruins, located in Phoenix, Arizona. They include a prehistoric platform mound and irrigation canals. The City of Phoenix manages these resources as the S’edav Va’aki Museum.
Sce:dagĭ Mu:val Va’aki, in Mesa, Arizona, preserves a group of Hohokam structures constructed during the Classic Period. The ruins were occupied between AD 1100 and 1400 and were a product of the Hohokam civilization that inhabited the Salt River Valley. There the Hohokam constructed an extensive system of water canals. It is one of only two Hohokam mounds remaining in the metro Phoenix area, with the other being the Pueblo Grande Museum Archaeological Park. The site's central feature is a massive ruin of adobe walls and platforms.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Mesa, Arizona, United States.
The 6th Avenue Hotel - Windsor Hotel, now known as the New Windsor Hotel, is the only 19th century hotel which is still in use in the Phoenix, Arizona, original town-site. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Pioneer and Military Memorial Park is the official name given to seven historic cemeteries in Phoenix, Arizona. The cemeteries were founded in 1884 in what was known as "Block 32". On February 1, 2007, "Block 32" was renamed Pioneer and Military Memorial Park. The Pioneer and Military Memorial Park is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The historic Smurthwaite House, which is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is located on the grounds of the Pioneer and Military Memorial Park and is used as the cemetery's main office. Pioneer and Military Memorial Park is the final resting place of various notable pioneers of Arizona.
The Sears-Kay Ruin are the remains of what once was a fortification of the Hohokam culture. The ruins are located in the area of the Tonto National Forest just outside of the town of Carefree, Arizona. On November 24, 1995, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The City of Mesa Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at 1212 N. Center Street in the city of Mesa, Arizona. It is the final resting place of various notable early citizens of Mesa. Among those who are interred in the cemetery are early pioneers, mayors, businessman, criminals and veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
The Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum, a.k.a. Airbase Arizona Aircraft Museum, was established in 1978, in Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. It is the 10th unit of the Commemorative Air Force and the home of one of the largest Commemorative Air Force units. On exhibit are World War II artifacts, helicopters and classic American and foreign combat planes.