In part 1 of our History of Phoenix series, we covered, albeit briefly, life in Phoenix from the prehistoric Hohokam up to 1901 when Phoenix became the final home for the Arizona Capitol.
This week Mayor’s Office Official Historian, Steve Schumacher and historical architect Don Ryden pick up the story with Rosie.
“All Hell Needs is Water”
Jack Swilling and other pioneers.
By the early 1900’s, it was clear that agriculture would become the economic driver for the growth of Phoenix. Jack Swilling and other pioneers realized the value of reused and extended Hohokam canals to reestablish agriculture in the Valley.
However, one problem they had was that the flow of the Salt River flow was irregular. The desert rainfall is inconsistent. The unpredictable volume of the river needed to be remedied if irrigated agriculture were to flourish.
Steve Schumacher explains how the Salt River Project (SRP) solved the problem. The Salt River Users Association was formed in 1903 by a group of ranchers and farmers who put up their properties as collateral to get the federal funds necessary to construct the Theodore Roosevelt Dam and Lake.
This historical moment was a sharp turning point in Phoenix’s development. With the completion of the Roosevelt Dam in 1911, the Salt River and Tonto Creek filled the reservoir. The project assured a consistent water supply, flood control, and hydroelectric power. For a while, Roosevelt Dam was the largest stone masonry dam and reservoir in the world.
With stability for the agriculture industry came the potential for investment and town development.
Note: To Learn how the dam was built and see some of the original artifacts such as huge pumps and quarried stone, visit the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe. The scenic Apache Trail to Roosevelt Dam was washed out during the flood of 2019.
Boom, Bust, Boom
The most successful crops in the Phoenix area were citrus and cotton. Steve tells us the cotton was used by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber company in making tires needed during World War I. The boom lasted until the war’s end in 1917. A bust followed the boom. For a few years the agricultural market suffered a disastrous drop. In 1941 cotton was again in demand during World War II.
As the markets recovered, Phoenix was seen as a stable economy. With this came investors that swept up Phoenix into the frenzy of the 1920’s.
Don tells us high-rise buildings were first built in downtown Phoenix during the roaring 20’s. He points to the 1919 Heard Building at 112 N. Central as the first Chicago-style skyscraper to be built. At 7 stories, it was the tallest building in Arizona for a few years. The 1920’s saw several other tall buildings, of several popular styles constructed into what was a thriving central business district. Among them were the Professional Building of 1932 and the Luhrs Tower of 1929. Both buildings are of the Art Deco Style.
The Effect of the Great Depression and WWII
Another major turning point in Phoenix’s history came with World War II. Two major Army Air Corps bases, Williams Field (1941) and Luke Field (1945) were developed in the Valley.
The United States Defense Department built an aircraft plant on the land of Goodyear Tire and Rubber. Contractor Del Webb built workers tract houses on 40 acres of former cotton fields. This approach set a pattern for suburban development in and around Phoenix.
The consistently clear desert skies qualified Phoenix as a great place to train pilots. Steve tells us that once the war was over, many of the military personnel that were stationed at these bases either stayed or came back. Don mentioned that the Phoenix climate seemed quite attractive to the soldier who went back to Michigan where he shoveled mountainous snow in the dead of winter.
As a by-product of the air bases locating here, related industries were attracted to the area. The aeronautical industry located their research and manufacturing in the Valley. Motorola and AiResearch developed vital systems for war. The post-war job market here enticed those military folk to move back. A ready labor force, in turn, attracted more businesses
The post WWII turning point was that manufacturing and tourism began to overtake agriculture as the top economic engines.
And that changed everything.
Midcentury Mall and Sprawl
Don relates that exponential growth happened so quickly during these two decades, there was no real vision for how the city should grow. The demand for housing resulted in cheap agricultural land being sold and turned into single-family housing developments that were sweeping the country. The suburban sprawl we see today started then.
Don points to architect and planner, Victor Gruen, who had a clear vision of how cities could be expanded by establishing high density housing around a pedestrian-oriented shopping center. The vision was to have a neighborhood commercial center that would be accessible by foot or public transit from the surrounding apartment blocks and houses. Cars would be minimized. Gruen’s pedestrian shopping concept was corrupted by the commercial developers who built malls and parking lots only. The result is what we see as the sprawling tract-house developments across the country. Soon the growth of the construction industry became a circular economic engine of growth.
Some architectural historians claim that Victor Gruen, known as “Father of the Shopping Mall “, is the most influential architect in America. The “Gruen Effect” may have had a more practical impact on our cities and suburbs than the “Organic Architecture’” philosophy of Frank Lloyd Wright.
Don explains that Frank Lloyd Wright first came to Arizona in 1928 as a construction methods consultant to Albert Chase McArthur who was designing the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. Enamored by the beauty and warmth of the Sonoran Desert, Wright returned from Wisconsin in 1936 to start building Taliesen West, his “winter camp” in Scottsdale. Here Wright and his architecture students created the planning concept and scale model of “Broadacre City”- an alternate approach to suburban development for America.
Bring It All Home
From the canals and agriculture of the Hohokam through the early years still rooted in agriculture, Phoenix is now home to over 1.6 million people and ranks as the 5th largest in the United States. This is 15 times the population of 1950. From its humble beginnings to the anchor of the Valley of the Sun and hub of the Southwest, Phoenix has truly earned its mythological name as it continues to rise.
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GUEST CONTRIBUTORS
Steve Schumacher-
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego appointment Steve Schumacher as the Mayor’s Office Official Historian.
“Stevewill work with us to document and share the history of Phoenix, from its earliest days to the present,” said Mayor Kate Gallego. “I have always believed the future of Phoenix builds on the strong foundation of its past, beginning with the ancient indigenous peoples who first lived here. By understanding our unique cultural history and traditions, we can celebrate in a way that helps residents learn, understand, and respect our past.”
Don Ryden-
Historical Architect and Preservation Planner, Don is the founding principal of Ryden Architects, Inc
The ripple effect of Don Ryden’s Architect Calling to Preservation Causes continues to influence modern development throughout the desert Southwest. His five-decade body of work in preservation is built upon planning, architecture, and outreach. His essential reasons for preservation practice are to save the planet, advance social justice, support affordable housing, spark local economic development, promote cultural conservation, and preserve history for future generations. Don Ryden has been honored with the 2012 AIA AZ Architects Medal and the 1994 Arizona Governor’s Heritage Award. Ryden Architects, Inc. was named the AIA AZ Firm of the Year 2008. Don was born in Phoenix, was educated in Tempe, and blissfully practices architecture throughout the Southwest.
PODCAST
Continuing the history of Phoenix as it begins to grow in population. Phoenix Mayor’s Office Historian Steve Schumacher and Historical Architect Don Ryden discuss the events that led to establishing Phoenix. The Roosevelt Dam, cotton farming, military training bases, the railroad, reinforced concrete high rise building design, air conditioning, suburban housing design and shopping centers all play essential roles in modern day Phoenix.
Broadcast Archive Page With Expanded Content
PHOTO CREDIT
- Original drawings by Don Ryden
