For over seven years, I lived in a 1900 brick bungalow in Armory Park and became interested in the history and was active in neighborhood affairs. I've since moved but still live in downtown Tucson and my interest in the city's history broadened. Previous posts were mostly about Armory Park and have not had new ones added for some time. Now that I have given up my neighborhood activities, I can resume working on this blog and researching Tucson history more broadly. 

I am still devoting most efforts to locating source material and organizing it for easier access. It will be a work in progress even as I resume posting articles. If you are a history buff, you may find the sources helpful as you research your own interests in Tucson history. If you want to see the current version of the sources page, click here. 

Since this site has not been updated for some time and there are many links, there will be some links that are broken or no longer current. Please let me know if you encounter any problems. 

Community history is a niche interest, especially researching and writing about it, but if you are interested in either of these activities, please contact me at historictucson@gmail.com (preferred) or use the Contact Me form at the bottom of the left column. 

Review: Living in the Past

An Owner's Guide to Understanding & Repairing an Old Home

Many people coming to Armory Park are novices in the details of living in an historic home and neighborhood. Author Scott Sidler has provided answers to the questions us novices should have asked. 

Perhaps the best way to learn what this book has to offer is to review the subject matter extracted from the Table of Contents:

WHO NEEDS THIS BOOK?

INTRODUCTION

UNDERSTANDING YOUR OLD HOUSE

WHAT IS A HISTORIC HOUSE?

WHY SHOULD I BUY AN OLD HOUSE?

BEFORE YOU BUY AN OLD HOUSE

PRESERVATION OR REMODELING

DEALING WITH HISTORIC DISTRICTS

THE "GREEN" OLD HOME

MODERN LIFE IN AN OLD HOUSE

RENOVATING THE RIGHT WAY

THE DANGERS OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE

HISTORIC HOME MAINTENANCE 101

THE 5 WORST MISTAKES OF HISTORIC HOME OWNERS

OLD HOUSE HEALTH HAZARDS

REPAIRING YOUR OLD HOUSE

WORKING WITH FLOORS

WORKING WITH WINDOWS

WORKING WITH DOORS

WORKING WITH PLASTER

WORKING WITH EXTERIOR WOOD

WORKING WITH PAINT

WHY DOES ANY OF THIS MATTER

The best time to read the book is before purchasing an historic property. The challenges of maintaining or repairing an old house may be more than you want to take on. If you have exterior changes in mind, you may find that the historic review process will make those changes impossible or more difficult. The process will always take time and may incur more cost. There are permit fees involved.

If you decide to go forward or already own an Armory Park property, the second section can be helpful. The tips regarding some of the most common repair tasks may help with your repairs. 

I couldn't find the book in the Pima County Library system. The print version of the book is fairly expensive at $33 but you can buy the Kindle version for $10. Here is the link at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=living+in+the+past&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Whichever you choose, this book will be useful as you live the adventure of caring for an old house or decide that this adventure is not for you. 

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.

Research Team

History research can be a team sport. Finding historic details is like a detective story. Success is built on leads, tips and networking with others who may have a part of the picture. Put these things together and another bit of Armory Park history emerges. I would like to facilitate collaboration among the Armory Park residents who are interested in our history. 

There are two ways for you history buffs to stay engaged. The easiest is to become a follower which you can do by clicking on the blue button in the left column. This will notify you of each post to this blog. 

The second way is to become part of the Armory Park history discussion group. Just send me an email indicating your desire to join and I'll add you to the list. This will be a forum for sharing neighborhood history and research options. Since not all Armory Park listserv members are history buffs, it is considerate for us to limit the amount of discussion on that platform. Since only people interested in history will sign up to our discussion group, you can feel free to discuss whatever you want. 

I hope one or both of these options will help you to be a part of our Armory Park history research team. If you have trouble with either, please let me know at blog@kmtaylor.com. 

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/.