Campus Vista Historic District

Campus Vista Historic District printable brochure

Generally bounded by Thomas and Osborn roads, Seventh and 15th Avenues.

Period of Significance: 1939-1956 

Campus Vista Historic District is a suburban neighborhood located approximately two miles northwest of downtown Phoenix. Situated to the north and east of Phoenix College, Campus Vista is a roughly L-shaped neighborhood with an irregular boundary. The district contains all, or most of, seven small subdivisions platted between 1939 and 1948: College Addition, Campus Vista, Mocking Bird Manor, Mulberry Place, East Mulberry Place, Campus Manor, and Aztec Place. The district is approximately 70 acres in size and contains 202 resources, including 190 single-family houses, eight duplexes, two church properties and one temple complex currently used by Phoenix College. Of the resources, 165 (82%) are considered contributing, and 37 (18%) are noncontributing. Most of the resources in the district were built between 1941 and 1956, and the majority of the houses and duplexes are Ranch or Transitional Ranch in style. The boundaries of the National Register district correspond to the boundaries of a Phoenix local historic district of the same name.

Campus Vista Historic District is situated between 7th and 15th Avenues, and between Thomas Road and Osborn Road. It is a roughly L-shaped district that wraps around the north and east sides of the rectangular Phoenix College campus. The rest of the district’s boundary edges meander to encompass the historic resources in the neighborhood. South of Campus Vista, across Thomas Road, is the Encanto Manor Historic District. To the east of Campus Vista is 7th Avenue, a six-lane north-south thoroughfare lined primarily with commercial properties, apartment buildings, and a medical center. To the north of Campus Vista, across Osborn Road, is a postwar residential neighborhood and a school. West of Campus Vista, across 15th Avenue, is the North Encanto Historic District, another postwar residential neighborhood.

The streets in Campus Vista have an irregular arrangement, wherein only two of the streets—Flower Street and 11th Avenue—traverse the entire neighborhood from one side to the other. The remaining residential streets are only one to two blocks in length. This is due in part to the piecemeal nature of the neighborhood, which is comprised of seven small subdivisions, and in part to the presence of the large Phoenix College campus, which does not contain through streets. Flower Street travels in an east-west line across the north side of Phoenix College and through the neighborhood from 15th Avenue to 7th Avenue. 11th Avenue is a north/south street that runs along the college’s eastern edge and through the district. These streets provide the main axes of Campus Vista from which the shorter residential streets branch. Most of the streets in the district are straight, but a few curve slightly. One street, Campus Drive, has a pronounced curve as it turns a 90- degree bend. There are alleys between most of the streets in the district.

The streetscapes in Campus Vista are uniform, despite the multiple subdivisions that make up the district. Setbacks, massing, and landscaping are consistent district-wide and contribute to the coherent appearance. The streets are flat, and wide enough to permit on-street parking. They are paved in asphalt and most have rolled concrete curbs, although Campus Drive and a section of Flower Street have traditional square-cut curbing. The average lot size in the district is 70 feet wide by 125 feet deep. Some minor variation in lot size and shape is found, such as at corner lots or at curves in the street. The houses in Campus Vista are all onestory in height and are similarly sized, with low horizontal massing. Buildings are set back a fairly uniform 25 to 30 feet from the street. Distances between houses vary, with side yard setbacks ranging from seven to ten feet in most places. There are very few fences or walls in the front yards, which creates a feeling of openness. A large majority of lots in the district have broad front lawns, with neatly manicured hedges, low flower beds, and mature palm, Palo Verde, or pine trees. Along Campus Drive, a number of orange trees are located in the grassy space between the street and sidewalk. A few lots are xeriscaped, with low water use native plants and crushed gravel. Most lots have straight concrete driveways which lead either to attached garages or freestanding garages in the rear. Some original ribbon driveways remain, although the majority of driveways have been infilled or replaced with new concrete. A small number of driveways have been widened. Streetlights are regularly spaced along the major arteries, and are found in small numbers on the other interior streets of the neighborhood. No other street furniture exists. The three non-residential resources are located at or near the perimeter of the district—College Park Baptist Church at the corner of Osborn Road and 15th Street; Good Shepherd Evangelical Church complex at the corner of Earll Drive and 7th Avenue, and the Temple Beth Israel complex along Flower Street between 11th and 10th Avenues.

The residential resources in the district display various styles and plans; however, 97 percent were built during a fifteen -year span between 1941 and 1956 and possess an architectural unity that contributes to the coherence of the streetscape. Only five houses were built after 1956. All of the houses and duplexes are one story in height, except the house at 895 W. Verde Lane, which has a partial-width second story addition. Of the historic age residential resources, almost 90 percent are Ranch or Transitional Ranch in style.i The majority of these houses have a footprint consisting of a main house volume oriented broadside to street, with a projecting ell or smaller volume. Two-thirds of the Ranch and Transitional Ranch houses have hipped roofs, either single hips, intersecting hips, or hips with gabled or hipped ells. One-third of the houses have gabled roofs, predominately side-gabled or gabled with gabled or hipped ells. One house, 907 W. Catalina Drive, has a flat roof, and another, 1319 W. Mulberry Drive, has a very low-pitched hipped roof that reads as flat. There are three houses with gable-on-hip roofs, such as 943 W. Campus Drive. The Transitional Ranch houses tend to be smaller, with centrally-massed hipped volumes and a short hipped ell, or with a short side-gabled volume and a short gabled ell. The Ranch houses in the district are slightly larger and have more elongated footprints and linear floor plans. Some of the Ranch houses have attached garages or carports that further elongate their façades, but many of the district’s houses have detached garages in the rear near the alley. In general, detached garages match the house, with similar roof forms and construction materials.

Construction materials are consistent throughout the neighborhood, as well. Approximately 90 percent of historic period houses have masonry construction, with brick, painted brick, or painted block exterior walls. Approximately ten percent of houses were likely originally brick or block but now have replacement siding such as stucco, vinyl, or faux stone veneer. There are at least two or three houses that appear to have had stucco siding originally. The most common roofing material is asphalt shingle, and many of the houses feature tiled ridgelines. Clay tile and concrete tile roofs are also found. The overwhelming majority of windows in the district are steel casement. A few houses have replacement aluminum or vinyl sash, and others have replacement glass in their original casement sash. Most of the houses have large window openings, including fixed and operable sash picture windows in various configurations. In general, the Transitional Ranch houses have slightly smaller window openings and simpler window types. The Ranch houses often feature a decorative window type such as corner window, bulls-eye, bay, or sidelight.

Porches are found on most of the houses, but vary in size and configuration. Many of the porches long and shallow, located under cornice overhangs along the front façade, and are found both with and without porch supports. Others are flat- or shed-roofed corner porches located at the junction of ells. Some porches are simply shed-roofed hoods extending from the roof edge. In a few instances there are more substantial inset or attached porches. Several houses have inset or attached carports. Porch and carport supports are most commonly iron or 4x4 wood posts, although brick piers are found. Rear patios are found district-wide. The majority of houses in the district are simple in design, with typical Ranch house or Transitional Ranch details but no revival style ornamentation. Commonly found ornamental details include exposed rafter ends, brick sills, window shutters, and tile ridgelines. Also common is contrasting wainscoting wherein the wainscot brick has a different brick size or bond than the walls. Low brick or block planters are found at some houses, usually constructed in the same material as the house. Prominent chimneys are architectural features on many houses, as are small porches, carports, or pergolas. Also found in the district are corner, bulls-eye, or glass block windows, and low patio walls. The eight duplexes in the district are modeled after houses and are Ranch in style, with minimal ornamentation. A small number of the ranch houses in the district can be said to have a specific architectural style; these include six French Provincial Ranches, five Modern Ranches, four Colonial Revival Ranches, and one Spanish Colonial Revival Ranch. There are only three historic-period houses that are not Ranch in style, two of which are Cape Cod Revivals and one of which is a Colonial Revival. Of the four nonhistoric houses, three are Ranch houses and one has a contemporary suburban design. The three non-residential resources in the district are all religious buildings or complexes. Of these, all have architectural styles best described as Modern/Revival hybrids. A closer look at these, as well as typical and anomalous examples of residential resources, follows.

As stated, 190 of the 202 resources in Campus Vista are single-family houses. The great majority of these are Transitional Ranch or Ranch houses that lack specific revival detail or other overt ornamentation. The Transitional Ranch style is, as the name implies, a transitional form that contains elements of the bungalow house type and the Ranch house. Transitional Ranches are smaller than ranch houses, with more centralized plans and simpler fenestration. They are often, but not always, earlier than Ranch houses. Ranch houses tend to have longer, more linear plans and a more horizontal emphasis. Both gabled and hipped versions of these house types are found in Campus Vista.

A typical gabled Transitional Ranch can be found at 2925 N. 8th Avenue. It is a brick side-gabled house with a front-gabled ell. It has a shallow porch supported with square wood posts, casement windows, and decorative shutters. A typical example of a hipped Transitional Ranch is 2926 N. 8th Avenue, which has a centrallymassed hipped volume with a short hipped ell, casement windows, a small stoop roof, and exposed rafters. An example of a gabled Ranch house can be found at 912 W. Campus Drive. It is a side-gabled brick house with a long shed-roofed porch with scrolled metal posts, casement windows, and an inset carport. Another example is 944 W. Campus Drive, which is also side-gabled but has a small wall dormer, a shed-roofed stoop roof, and decorative shutters. A typical example of a hipped Ranch is 1321 W. Mulberry Drive, a brick house with a large main hip and a hipped front ell. It has casement windows, decorative shutters, and no porch. Another hipped Ranch is 1308 W. Mulberry Drive, which has several intersecting hipped volumes including a hipped porte-cochere, a shallow inset entry, and tile ridgelines.

There are a small number of houses in Campus Vista with a specific Ranch style, although in most cases the ornamental detail is limited and the styles are not overt. The six French Provincial Ranch houses in particular have only subtle references to the French Provincial style. The house at 917 W. Catalina Drive is an example of a French Provincial Ranch, in that it is a brick house intersecting hipped forms and a corner casement window. Additional minor details such as brick wainscoting and a slightly recessed entry contribute to the style. An example of a Colonial Revival Ranch can be found at 1007 W. Flower Street. It is a brick sidegabled house with a symmetrical arrangement featuring a projecting gabled entry flanked by two shuttered casement windows. One Spanish Colonial Revival house is found in the district, 901 W. Catalina Drive, a stuccoed house with a Spanish tile roof and exposed rafter ends. The five Modern Ranch houses in the district vary from one another, but all possess a strong horizontal emphasis, clean lines, and modern stylistic details such as wide roof overhangs, or unusual fenestration such as large picture windows, glass block windows, or clerestory windows. The house at 911 W. Avalon Drive is a good example of a Modern Ranch house. It is a brick house with a wide roof overhang, clerestory ribbon windows, and a low, textured patio wall at the entry.

Campus Vista contains only three houses that are not Ranch or Transitional Ranch in style. One of them is a Colonial Revival house at 922 W. Avalon Drive, a side-gabled brick house with a flush façade and a very high roof pitch. Details include brick dentils at cornice level, a slightly recessed entry flanked by pilasters, and a corbelled brick chimney. There are two Cape Cod Revival houses in the district. At 2933 N. 9th Avenue is a side-gabled house with two smaller flanking wings, two small dormer vents, and a large brick chimney. It has been altered by the addition of vinyl siding. The house at 929 W. Catalina Drive is virtually identical, but retains its brick siding. It also has flanking wings and small vent dormers, and also has molding at the cornice level and a projecting bay window.

There are eight duplexes in the Campus Vista Historic District. All of them are brick and are Ranch in style, although two main types are found. The first type has a rectangular footprint, with an entrance at each corner. An example of this type can be found at 3306-3308 N. 11th Avenue, which is a brick side-gabled building with a small inset porch at either side of the front façade. The porches have metal scrolled porch posts, and at each porch is a casement window and entry door. Two smaller windows are located in the center of the façade between the porches. The other duplex type is found on the 1300 block of W. Osborn Road, where four almost identical, duplexes were built together. They are more centrally massed buildings, with a broad hip roof over the main building volume and a hipped wing extending from the rear of the side elevation. An example of this type is 1309-1311 W. Osborn Road, which is a brick hipped building with a shed-roofed stoop roof near the center of the front façade. To one side of this is a wide square projecting bay window with casements. To the other side of the entry is a large corner casement, and further back along that side elevation a hipped wing extends. The second entry is located under a small stoop roof in the side wing. Three of the duplexes on Osborn Road match this one in design, although 1313-1315 W. Osborn is a mirror image of its arrangement. The duplex at 1301-1303 W. Osborn is similar in layout but has smaller windows.

Out of the 198 residential resources in the district, only five were built after 1956. All five are considered noncontributing due to their non-historic construction dates. Four of the five, however, are Ranch in style and do not detract from the neighborhood’s streetscapes. The house at 714 W. Avalon Drive was built in 1970. It is a cross-gabled Ranch with a low roof pitch. The long side-gabled wing contains an inset carport and the front-gabled wing has two windows and stone wainscoting. The house at 820 W. Avalon Drive was built in 1989 but designed to look like many of the hip-roofed Ranch houses in the district. It is a painted concrete block building with a main hipped volume containing a recessed entry and a broad hipped front wing. The windows are wood divided light but wide, with dimensions similar to the casement windows found in the district. A house built in 1963 at 1340 W. Flower Street is California Ranch in style. It has both brick and board and batten siding, casement windows, rounded exposed rafter ends, and a recessed entry. It has a hipped front wing, a shorter gabled front wing, and gable ends with projecting peaks. At 935 W. Avalon Drive is a 1961 Ranch house that has been altered but still retains its Ranch form. The house at 822 W. Earll Drive was built in 1992 and is too new to determine what style it is; it has multiple front-gabled sections, stuccoed exterior, a tile roof, and an integral two-car garage on its front façade. Its design is unsympathetic with the district’s streetscapes.

There are 37 total resources in Campus Vista that are considered noncontributing. As noted, five of them are non-historic residential resources. The district also contains two non-historic religious resources. The remainder are noncontributing due to alterations, additions, and/or infill. The type of alterations seen in the district vary. An example of an addition can be found at 895 W. Verde Lane, the only house in the neighborhood with a partial second story. It was originally a small brick Transitional Ranch house but has a frame upper story added to the top of what was likely once a side garage. Another garage alteration can be found at 1344 W. Flower Street. The house originally contained a small integral garage on its front façade, but the garage has been infilled with wood siding and a casement window. Significant alterations at 819 Earll Drive include a stuccoed exterior, window replacements, and new porch piers. The house at 902 W. Campus Drive has been altered by the addition of porch security bars that fully enclose the inset porch in a cage-like structure. Another example of a noncontributing house is 2901 N. 8th Avenue, which has had vinyl siding applied and vinyl windows installed.

The non-residential resources in Campus Vista are all religious properties located at or near the perimeter of the district. The Good Shepherd Evangelical Lutheran Church complex is located at 3040 N. 7th Avenue, at Earll Drive. The site, which is a noncontributing resource due to age, contains three buildings enclosed by a block wall. The main church building, built in 1960, is a front-gabled Modern/Spanish Colonial Revival hybrid with rectangular windows with colored panes of glass, a clay tile roof, and an open bell tower. A smaller chapel building built in 1971 has a similar design and also faces N. 7th Avenue. Behind these buildings is the parish hall/classroom building, built from 1947-1950. College Park Baptist Church, a contributing resource, was built in 1949 and is located at 1333 W. Osborn Road. It is a front-gabled Modern building with alternating courses of wide and narrow concrete blocks, three narrow vertical windows and a section of brick veneer on the front façade, a flat awning over the off-center entry, and red slump block planters in front. The Temple Beth Israel complex at 3310 N. 10th Avenue is a noncontributing resource due to alterations and age. The complex is currently used by Phoenix College. It consists of five buildings, two of which are within the district boundary, and a central courtyard. The Modern main temple building, built in 1949, is a blocky two-story volume with a flat roof and a central copper-clad dome. The remaining buildings on the site date from 1949, 1978, 1981, and 1998. There is also a church property at 843 W. Osborn Road—a contributing Ranch style building that was originally a music studio that was altered to become church offices.

Campus Vista Historic District is a well-preserved postwar residential neighborhood in central Phoenix. Of the 202 resources in the district, 198 are residential in nature, and of those, 98 percent were built between 1941 and 1957. This development pattern resulted in coherent streetscapes and a strong sense of history. Campus Vista possesses outstanding architectural unity, containing primarily Ranch and Transitional Ranch style residential resources. Eighty-two percent of the resources are considered contributing because they are of historic age and possess good integrity. The boundaries of the National Register district correspond to the boundaries of a Phoenix local historic district with the same name.