Oakland Historic District

Generally bounded by Grand Avenue, 19th Avenue, Van Buren Street and the alley north of Fillmore Street.

Period of Significance: 1887-1951

The Oakland Historic District is a residential area composed predominantly of Bungalow Style single-family houses of modest size. The district is within an area bounded by Van Buren Street to the south, Pierce Street to the north, Grand Avenue to the east, and Nineteenth Avenue to the west. Located immediately to the northwest of the original Phoenix townsite, the district maintains the setting and character of its period of historic significance. University Park with its recreational facilities and the Arizona Museum are major architectural elements of the district and are of city-wide historic significance.

The street layout is rational and rectilinear, following the precedent set by earlier subdivisions and additions to Phoenix. Within the district, Polk, Taylor, and Fillmore Streets run east-west. Between Seventeenth Avenue and Grand Avenue, north of Polk, the blocks are oriented east-west, while in the remainder of the district they are oriented north-south. Throughout the district, lot sizes are typical "suburban" residential lots typical of other early Phoenix neighborhoods, being 50 to 75 feet wide and 120 to 160 feet deep. Most blocks are provided with rear-yard alleys. Building setbacks are relatively uniform, and sidewalks are separated from the streets by tree lawns, which lend cohesiveness to the streetscape. The cohesiveness of the district is strengthened by repetition and proximity of small, predominately bungalow style houses. There is , however, diversity within this framework. There is quite a range of stylistic variation among the bungalows. Toward the east end of the district the bungalows mix with early folk houses and a regular mixture of Spanish Colonial Revival styles. Toward the west end of the district Spanish Colonial Revival houses become more frequent, with curvilinear parapets becoming a noticeable stylistic detail.

University Park is found in the southeast corner of the district, fronting on Van Buren Street. The park includes a pool and a Pueblo Revival style pool house and Art Moderne Style pumphouse(GM-137.1) in its center, as well as the Arizona Museum, another Pueblo Revival building, on the Van Buren Street frontage. With baseball fields comprising most of the park, open grassy fields with palm trees at the perimeter typify most of the park.

At the center of the northern edge of the district is found the Judge Tweed House(GM-403), a landmark residence in the neighborhood. The structure is one of the oldest remaining homes in Phoenix, and a rare Arizona example of a Second Empire style influenced farmhouse.

Along the east edge of the district, fronting on Grand Avenue, are several historic red brick commercial buildings interspersed with intrusive but nondescript modern structures, reflecting the historic commercial development pattern along Grand Avenue.

Of the 333 properties in the district, 88 are considered noncontributors, producing a ratio of about 1 to 3. Noncontributors are mainly historic homes which have been altered. Modern intrusions also occur within the district but are not numerous. Noncontributing properties are scattered evenly throughout the district and do not affect its visual integrity.

The district is well-defined by industrial areas and low-integrity residential areas to the north, commercial development, modern residential development, and major streets on the south and east, and commercial/industrial development abutting the district on the west, within the district a recognizable and cohesive character is maintained.

Source: https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/84e5cdc2-609d-486a-8b32-48321df9154a