Pioneering Stock
In 1623, the sailing ship ANNE left England, bound for colonial
America. Among the passengers landing in New England was William
Heard, whose family settled in Massachusetts and played an active
role in forging the new American democracy.
Some three centuries and seven
generations later, the pioneering legacy of the Heard family
continued to exert itself, this time in the distant desert climes of
Arizona. On the eve of the 20th century, in the territorial capital
of Arizona, William's descendant, Dwight B. Heard, would become a
major force in the life of the new-born community. His
accomplishments form a chronicle of the early history of Phoenix,
the Valley, and the State of Arizona. One chapter of this record
reveals, in microcosm, the breadth of Heard's dramatic influence
upon the shape of this emerging region, as his efforts in politics,
business, and the arts converged. It lead to the creation of one of
the most distinctive collections of residential architecture in the
city of Phoenix - Alvarado.
An Ancient Source Of Life
The life of present-day Phoenix commenced in 1867, when Civil War
soldier, prospector, promoter, and speculator John William, known as
Jack Swilling, began to irrigate and cultivate land along the
northern bank of the Salt River. Inspired by the remnants of ancient
Hohokam canals, Swilling established a company to supply the U.S.
Army troops at Camp McDowell, twenty miles to the northeast. His
activities attracted additional settlers, and by 1870, the community
boasted a population of 235 with 1,500 acres of land under
cultivation. In that same year, the terrain was surveyed and laid
out in a square-mile grid pattern. With the reservation of a central
townsite, Phoenix was born.
Because the arid climate required
extensive irrigation to support crops and sustain the population,
Phoenix did not become an instant boomtown. Rather, the town
experienced steady growth as a supply center for military,
government, and mining operations. Weathering the economic
depression of the mid-1870s, Phoenix began to flourish at the end of
the decade as rising agricultural prices led to prosperity.
Patterns of development emerged with
the growth of thriving commercial and residential districts along
the major north-south thoroughfare, Center Street, now Central
Avenue. Roughly bounded by Central Avenue, Third Street, Oak
Street and Palm Lane, the future site of Alvarado was two miles
north of the city's center, and still just vacant desert. But rapid
growth soon would propel development northward. In 1879, the
Southern Pacific Rail line made Phoenix more accessible with the
extension of its line to within thirty miles south of town. With
incorporation of the city in 1881, the stage was set for a dramatic
new era.
In 1885, completion of the Arizona
Canal provided the Valley with 41 additional miles of irrigation,
opening up 100,000 acres of desert land to agricultural development.
The economic impact of the Canal and the promotional efforts of its
builder, W. J. Murphy, brought a period of rapid growth and "boosterism"
to Phoenix and the Sale River Valley. Phoenix was selected as the
Territorial Capital in 1889. A flurry of municipal activity
established water, sewer, gas, and electric utility franchises. The
city's population tripled between 1885 and 1890.
Visions In The Desert
Arriving in Phoenix in 1895, Dwight B. Heard quickly assessed the
Valley's great potential and grasped the limitations imposed by the
cycle of floods and drought which plagued the Valley. Motivated by
investments in land and agriculture, he became an active force in
efforts to promote federal projects that would harness the Valley's
water. With successful passage in 1902 of the National Reclamation
Act, Heard applied his efforts locally where he served as a county
water commissioner, helping to lay the groundwork that led to
construction of the Roosevelt Dam. Completed in 1911, the dam tamed
the waters of the Salt River, transforming the Valley by providing
both stable irrigation and protection from inundating floods.
In 1903, Heard and his wife Marie
constructed a 6,000-square-foot Spanish Colonial Revival mansion
they named "Casa Blanca." Located at the corner of Monte Vista and
Central, the home was the cornerstone of future Alvarado and was a
frequent stop for visitors and dignitaries from throughout the
nation. Sensing the promise this north central location held, Heard
purchased the entire quarter section of land on which his estate was
located. In 1909, he subdivided the 160 acres, which ranged from
Central Ave to Seventh Street and McDowell Road to Oak Street, in to
32 parcels of five acres each. Intended for upscale, estate size
homes, the project, named Los Olivos, was the most prestigious of
the early suburban
homesite subdivisions with the largest lots available. Preparing the
project for sale, Heard provided numerous plantings throughout the
subdivision, including hundreds of palm trees.
Information, maps and photographs
provided courtesy:
Historic Preservation Office of the City of Phoenix Neighborhood
Services Department
200 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
(602) 261-8600
Alvarado Historic
Phoenix District Homes of Distinctive Style!
Desert Showcase
