3a 412 AZ Historic Inventory Form 1918 (2).pdf

ARIZONA STATE HISTORIC PROPERTY INVENTORY 
HISTORIC PROPERTY NAME· 
COMMON PROPERTY NAME 
PROPERTY LOCATION-STREET & NO. 
412 West Roosevelt 
CITY,TOWN/VICINITY OF 
ASSESSOR'S PARCEL NO 
Phoenix 
111-32-22
OWNER OF PROPERTY 
PHONE
E. J. Linsenmeyer 
STREET & NO./P.O. BOX 
400 South 5th Street 
CITY,TOWN 
STATE 
Phoenix 
Arizona 
FORM PREPARE!) BY 
Gerald A. Do le & Associates 
STREET & NO. P.O. BOX 
4331 N. 12th Street 
CITY,TOWN 
STATE 
Phoenix 
Arizona 
PHOTO BY 
Robert Graha 
VIEW 
Toward NW 
HISTORIC USE 
Apartments 
PRESENT USE 
Unoccu ied a artments 
ARCHITECT/BUILDER 
CONSTRUCTION/MODIFICATION DATES 
Constructed ca. 1918 
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION 
PHONE 
264-3082
ZIP
85014
ACREAGE 
Less acre 
INVENTORY NO. 
C 
The two-story, flat-roofed apartment house at 412 West Roosevelt exhibits many 
elements common to Prairie School architecture of the Midwest. The various design 
elements of the building work together in emphasizing the horizontal line, the 
essence of the Prairie School. The front facade consists of a four-bay porch, 
with capped rails,repeated by another porch above; these porches are separated by 
a shelf roof at second-floor level. This shelf-roof plane is repeated at second­
story ceiling height. A trim board continues along the wall plane from where the 
porch fascia dies and meets a similar roof shelf that wraps around the rear of the 
building, providing an external delineation of the interior ceiling height. Above 
this plane, another band emphasizes the depth of the attic. 
The entire two-story 
mass of the building is crowned with still another planar roof with a narrow fascia. 
Rectangular double-hung windows pierce the plane surfaces of the side walls. The 
building is presently unoccupied and has suffered a fire in one upper room. Work 
has been stopped on its rehabilitation for many months. The apartment house appears 
to be in good condition and has the potential of being a successful rehabilitation 
project. 
ATTACHMENT B

STATEMENT OF S I GN I F I CANCE/H I STORY 
The apartment b u i l d i n g a t 412 West Roosevelt i s an outstanding example of P r a i r i e 
School a r c h i t e c t u r e and one o f t h e few extant apartment b u i l d i n g s constructed i n 
Phoenix immediately f o l l o w i n g World War I. 
The b u i l d i n g ' s massing, elongated porches, emphatic caps, s h e l f r o o f between 
s t o r i e s , and r o o f c o n f i g u r a t i o n combine t o create a s t r i k i n g horizontal appearance, 
the hallmark o f t h e P r a i r i e School. 
The P r a i r i e School, which had i t s o r i g i n s 
i n the A r t s and C r a f t s movement, was a r e b e l l i o n against the h i s t o r i c a l s t y l e s . 
One o f t h e few s t y l e s t o o r i g i n a t e i n the United States, t h i s Midwestern s t y l e 
emphasized s i m p l i c i t y and low proportions, i n i m i t a t i o n o f the p r a i r i e . 
The b u i l d i n g was constructed ca. 1918 i n response t o a growing need f o r apartments 
i n Phoenix a f t e r World War I. I n 1917, home b u i l d i n g was characterized as Phoenix' 
greatest need by l o c a l r e a l t o r s . 
One r e a l t o r stated t h a t "Many recent newcomers 
have commented on the s t a r t l i n g l a c k o f both apartment houses and houses, and i n 
f a c t hundreds o f people t h a t would have spent t h e w i n t e r i n Phoenix have been 
forced t o leave on account o f n o t being able t o get s a t i s f a c t o r y places t o l i v e 
i n . " l 
The f o u r apartments i n t h i s b u i l d i n g served n o t only w i n t e r v i s i t o r s , b u t 
a l s o prominent doctors and attorneys. 
One resident, Fred C. Jacobs, was a U. S. 
D i s t r i c t Court judge. 
None o f these prominent f i g u r e s l i v e d i n the b u i l d i n g f o r a 
s i g n i f i c a n t length of time, however. 
The b u i l d i n g contributes importantly t o the 
h i s t o r i c d i s t r i c t . 
SOURCES OF ABOVE INFORMATION/BIBLIOGRAPHY 
I ~ r i z o n a Republ ican. 
January 28, 1917, 12: 1-3. 
Brooks, H. Allen. 
The P r a i r i e School. 
New York: 
N. 
W. 
Norton & Company, 1976. 
Maricopa County Assessor's Records. 
Mari copa County Recorder ' s Records. 
Phoenix City Directories. 
Sanborn Insurance Maps. 
'GEOGRAPHICAL DATAjLEGAL DESCRlpTION/VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION 
BLOCK 2, LOT 3, KENILWORTH ADDITION. 
I 
7 
GENERAL COMMENTS/FUTURE 
PLANS FOR PROPERTY 
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