From the Storks Nest to Armory Park 2021

Most people likely think of our historic buildings when we consider our historic Armory Park neighborhood. That's especially true for us more recent arrivals who have not observed the community over many years. The stories of our people bring the neighborhood to life by adding context and color to the physical structures. Small stories like Julieta's below are always welcome.  -Ken

I have lived no more than two miles from Stone and Congress all my life. I was born at the Stork’s Nest 86 years ago. The Stork’s Nest was a small maternity hospital on North Court Avenue that closed in the early 40s. The building is still there.

 Where I lived for 12 years the house still stands next to the Temple of Music and Art on Scott Avenue. Living there I saw a busy, happy downtown.
 
Then it died. When it started to come alive. I was so happy.

We went home for lunch every day while in elementary. Took sandwiches for my junior high lunch hour, until a family with the last name of *Orozco, constructed a food stand in front of their house on 12th Street across from Armory Park. We would buy our hot dogs or hamburgers, then go to the park and enjoy our lunch.
 
My playmates and fellow school classmates lived here in Armory Park. This was my playground after being in school all day. I attended the Safford elementary and junior high schools from first grade through the ninth grade.
 
The train whistles don’t bother me in the least bit. Now I live one block away from the railroad tracks by Barrio Brewery. I’m sorry and feel for those who are bothered by the blaring sounds from the trains. It must be difficult to be hearing them when trying to get a good night's sleep. The sounds help me go to sleep.
 
Regarding this past weekend’s festival at the Jácomes Plaza. It was wonderful that it was moved away from Armory Park. In 2003 we moved from Menlo Park to East 16th Street. I expected my new neighborhood to be somewhat noisy being that we would be in the downtown area.
 
That’s all for now. Happy good night,
 
Julieta Bustamante Portillo
 Bright yellow house named “Casita Sol”

*Señor Jacinto Orozco, owner of the food stand, was Tucson’s first Spanish broadcaster. He had one, two hours (I really don’t remember the hours.) every weekday on KVOA, I think. It was an afternoon program. He would announce who in the Mexican community had died. I mainly remember that he played beautiful Mexican music. When I was three and four years I would dance to the music in our small living room. More happy memories.
 

This story was published on the Armory Park listserv on November 15th, 2021. Thanks Julieta

Margo Caylor - Neighborhood Historian and Innkeeper

Margo Caylor and her husband Rob, own the Blenman Inn. This adobe Victorian mansion is located just west of the Children's Museum. Besides being beautifully restored and furnished, it is distinguished by its rare style among Tucson houses. It must also be one of the largest adobe homes in the city. 

In addition to operating the inn, Margo is an accomplished amateur historian. She was not satisficed with owning an historic property, she also researched and wrote a compact history of the house and its prominent residents. You can see the page on the inn's website with this link: https://www.theblenmaninn.com/about-us

Here are a couple of excerpts: 
As the Civil War came to an end, the Indian Wars raged in Southern Arizona well into the 1870s when Charles Rivers Drake, a former US Army officer, broke ground on this home.

​Drake was commissioned to provide contract labor and supplies to the recently-organized Southern Pacific Railroad Company in the laying of track between Los Angeles, California and El Paso, Texas. He chose this particular homesite because of its near equidistance along that 1,000 mile segment of track; the perennial fresh water supply offered by the nearby Santa Cruz River which flowed northbound out of Mexico, and because of the safety and protection offered by Fort Lowell—an adjacent Army fort erected during the Civil War that continued in operation, charged with sheltering Tucson residents from Indian attacks.
Drake’s additional responsibilities included helping out at neighboring Fort Lowell and the tent city of soldiers which occupied what is now Armory Park. With a basic knowledge of medicine, he assisted in primitive surgeries and prescribing of medicine to personnel injured during the Arizona Indian Wars of the turbulent 1870s.

. . . .

Drake sold the home in 1891 to Charles Blenman, an English attorney who had sailed around Cape Horn en route to San Francisco. Blenman practiced law in Tucson for more than 45 years and was affectionately known as “Judge” or “Barrister” throughout his career. The flagpole in the front yard of the Blenman Inn is the original one that Blenman erected. He was known for his patriotism, raising and lowering the flag on a daily basis. The “judge” entertained frequently at his home, being a brilliant storyteller and was known for his hospitality and for having a wide circle of friends. His two sons, Charles Jr. and William grew up in the house and both received appointments to the U.S. Naval Academy, both eventually retiring to Tucson, both earning the rank of Admiral.

Both of these men were prominent in their days in early Tucson. Both are also our historic neighbors. 

Historic Blenman Inn

This excellent piece by KGUN9 tells a good story about the Blenman Inn today and how it came to be. Margo and Rob Caylor are the owners of the inn and have preserved its historic character while offering comfortable accommodations to the traveling public. Margo is an accomplished amateur historian and has filled in many details of the house's history and its most significant residents. I've had the pleasure of touring the inn and it is even more appealing in person. 

You can view the video by clicking below: 

The AZ Republic Likes Armory Park

The reputation of Armory Park as a historic gem even extends to Phoenix. This article appeared on the azcentral.com website on 10/15/21. 

Armory Park 

Armory Park, just south of the city center, is the first residential district in Tucson to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Blenman-Elm Neighborhood Association.

ARIZONA STATE HISTORIC PROPERTY INVENTORY

For those seeking more background on a historic home, here is another source. The Arizona State Historic Property Inventory is the survey report which was written in 1974 as part of the application for National Historic Residential status. The entry for each property includes a description of the house, information regarding the owner at that time drawings of the house footprint and pictures. Like any history resource, not all information may be accurate. For example, my house is listed as constructed in 1905. The Sanborn insurance map shows the house in 1901. The 1901 Tucson directory lists two men living at the address. Nevertheless, The description and period photos give me an idea of what changes have been made to the house since 1974. Additional work was done in 1993 so some information is from that year.

If you are doing a project requiring historic review, The information will tell you how the property was at the time the historic district was formed. The board will want to retain the details of the house during the period of significance (1860s to 1945). The 1974 survey is the earliest reliable information available.

History Feedback - Wow!

I'm greatly impressed by all the feedback and historic vignettes about people and places in our neighborhood history. Two preserve all of this as a basis for future articles, I'm posting the essence of the emails responding to the request I made for feedback and historic tips. I am seeking collaborators and history leads to discover more of our history. If anyone is good at recording oral histories (I'm not), that would be especially useful. 

Historic Gem For Sale

 

One of Armory Park's historic gems has been on the market for a while now. The McGinty-Laos house at the corner of 4th Avenue and 17th Street was featured in the Armory Park 74ff study which led to creation of our Historic Preservation Zone. It is a late 1800s bungalow with a large family room addition at the rear. It is set on one of the few full-depth lots spanning from 4th Avenue to Railroad Avenue. The main house has two bedrooms and there is another in a structure at the rear of the lot. You can see marketing details on Zillow at https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/647-S-4th-Ave-Tucson-AZ-85701/8484203_zpid/.

Constant Weinzapfel - Armory Park's Locomotive Engineer

The Southern Pacific Railroad and railroad people built early Armory Park. I've been searching for history of the company and people who gave our neighborhood its start. 

The following paragraphs were extracted from a 2001 article in the Tucson Weekly. The subjects were Connie Weinzapfel and engine #1673, now located at the downtown train depot. If you want to read the entire article, click here: The Engine and the Engineer.

Connie Weinzapfel was born into a railroad family. His father, Michael Charles, or M.C., worked for the Illinois Central railroad company for seven years before moving west in 1911 for his wife's health. Over the next 39 years he would be both a fireman and engineer for Southern Pacific.