Ramon Bustamante House, 505 South Meyer Avenue, Tucson

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This Late Transitional adobe house is associated with the Bustamantes, a large family that lived on the corner of S. Meyer Ave. and K. Kennedy St. The building, one of the most recent on the block, reveals its Anglo influence through its setback, hipped roof, dormers, and front porch. The house is one of two detached dwellings on this block of S. Meyer Ave., which consists mainly of row houses. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date of erection: 2. Architect: none known. 3. Original and subsequent owners; See chain of title below. Part of Lot 2, Block Parcel 12. Deed, February 19, recorded in Volume 77, page 539 Tomas and Micalia Sozo Gonzalez to R. E. Bustamante. Part of Lot 2, Block Parcel 13. Deed, March 31, recorded in Volume 49, page J. B. and M. E.

Anderson to Ramon E. Bustamente. Deed, December 6, recorded in Volume 73, page Eloisa Bustamante to Ramon E. Bustamente. RAMON BUSTAMANTE EGUSE 505 SOUTH MEYER AVENUE RABS No. AZ-73-6 (Page 2) Part of L 2, Block Parcels 12 and 13. Deed, July 31, recorded in Volume 89, page 17, Ramon E. and Luisa M. Bustamante to Manuel Felix et al. Deed, April 18, recorded in Volume page Pedro V. Arce, et al, to Manuel and Esther Felix. "* Deed, February 28, recorded in Volume page Manuel and Esther Felix to F. K, Rollings, Trustee. 4. Builder: Manuel "Maestro" Flores. 5. Alterations and additions; There appear to have been no altera- tions or additions made to this house. Two frame outbuildings which were standing between and have since been demolished, B.

Historical Events and Persons Connected with the Structure: Ramon Bustamante, a clerk with J. R* Grijalva Company, a dry goods store, contracted Manuel "Maestro" Flores, a well-known Tucson car- penter, to build this house at 505 S. Meyer Ave. The Bustamantes were a large family that lived in the house and ran a grocery on the corner of W. Kennedy and S. Meyer Csee AZ and A2-73--L4) , and # also owned a ranch south, of San Xavier Mission. Ramon Bustamante lived in the house until the when he sold the property to Manuel Felix. Around E* Perez Unda, proprietor of the "La Mexicans " Bakery at the corner of S. Meyer and W. Kennedy, lived in the dwelling.

From the to the the house was rented by three different families: Eduardo Guerrero, a Southern Pacific Railroad employee , Manuel and Erminia Munguia , and A. M. and Francisca Beltran, also a:'.Southern Pacific Railroad employee . For background information see Barrio Libre (Barrio Kistcrico) (HABS No- AS-73) . Prepared by: Ann Huston Project Historian Maureen L. Gerhold Assistant Project Historian Historic American Buildings Survey September t RAMON BUSTAMANTE HOUSE 505 SOUTH MEYER AVENUE HABS No. A2-73-6 (Page 3) PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1.

Architectural character: A typical example of Late Transitional architecture in Tucson r this adobe building is set back from its property lines and has architectural elements revealing Anglo influence porch, hipped roof, dormers, 2. Condition: Good. B. Description of Exterior: 1. Over-all dimensions: The building measures' north-to- south and east-to-west, plus a front porch, .and screened porch to the rear. The deep front porch extends across the entire facade. The 7' 0n screened porch extends across the entire rear,/and contains a framed bathroom at the north end. 2. Foundations: Inaccessible. 3. Wall construction, finish, color; The building has thick mud adobe walls covered with stucco which, is painted white. 4.

Structural system, framing: The adobe bearing walls support ceiling and roof framing systems. 5. Chimneys: There is a brick chimney on the rear slope of the roof, about 3 feet from the rear wall and about 14 feet north of the south wall- Xt measures x and has a 5V x 9V flue. A second chimney (brick) is located on the south slope of the roof. rt is situated about 1 foot from the south wall and 12' from the east wall. It is 1'-IV x in size. 6. Porches: A deep porch extends across the west front. The slope of the hipped roof is extended to cover the porch. There are four turned posts supporting the roof structure. The ceiling is of match bead boards attached to the underside of the sloping roof. The floor is of concrete slab construction.

The screened porch on the rear of the building is also incorpor- ated into the building mass under the hipped-roof extension. Th porch is deep. Posts 2' x 4" support the roof. The floor is of concrete slab construction. There is a framed bathroom enclosure at the north end of this porch. 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The main entrance doorway is at the cen- ter of the west facade. The door is wide with side lights and transom. The door itself has one large square RAMON BUSTAMflNTE HOUSE 505 SOUTH MEYER AVENUE HABS No. AZ-73-6 (Page 4) glass panel over two horizontal panels. The rear door (to the south side of the east elevation) has a square panel (formerly glazed} over three horizontal panels. The door from the bathroom to the screened porch is paneled. b.

Windows: Windows are one-over-one weighted double-hung^wood sash. They are positioned at about the center of the wall in the opening- 8. Roof: a. Shape, covering: The house has a hipped roof, the east and west slopes of which, extend to cover^the porches. The surface is gray rolled asphalt roofing. b. Cornice, eaves: The eaves of the building are boxed in with the soffit following the rafter slope. There is a fascia with a crown molding. c. Dormers: The north and south slopes have wide trian- gular dormers for ventilation. The west slope has a hipped roof ventilator dormer. C. Description of Interior: 1. Floor plan: The building appears to have been laid out with a modified zaguan (vestibule) plan.

The central hall does not extend through the entire building however, as it terminates at the living room. The axis of the living room is perpendicu- lar, to that of the hall/ and its south wall aligns with the south wall of the hall. The only indication of a separation between the hall and the living room is in the section of wall, above the opening, which serves to define both rooms. To the north and south of the hall are almost square rooms measuring about twelve feet on a side. North of the living room is a closet/ passage to the bathroom which is located at the north end of the screened porch. The kitchen is situated in the southeast corner of the building, directly south of the living room. 2. Flooring: The house has 3^ fir board floors.

The kitchen floor is covered with vinyl tiles - 3. Walls and ceiling finishes: The walls are of plaster over adobe; the ceilings are of plaster over wood lath. Ceiling heights are The bathroom has exposed 2" x 4"s on the interior, cov- ered with 1" sheathing on the exterior (exposed within). t 4. Openings: a. Doorways and doors; Interior doorways have board jambs, the full width of the wall. There is 5" flat board trim. Doors have five horizontal nanels. RAMON BUSTAMANTE HOUSE 505 SOUTH MEYER AVENUE HAES No. AZ-73-6 (Page 5) 5. Decorative features- and trim: There is a picture molding above the floor. There is- a 7" flat board baseboard. 6. Hardware: Standard. 7. Mechanical equipment: v a. Heating: There is a brick fireplace on the south wall of the living room.

It projects from the wall to provide a mantel surface. The fireplace is unarticulated. b. Lighting: Electric lighting is used. c. Standard plumbing fixtures are found"in the kitchen and bathroom. D. Site: 1. General setting and orientation; The house is situated on the east side of South Meyer Avenue, set back from the front property line approximately seven feet to the porch. There is a wood picket fence along the front property line. A concrete walk connects the building to the public way. The rear least) yard is enclosed by a corrugated metal fence. There is a corrugated metal shed in the center along the east property line. The area to the north is not developed; there is an open lot to the south.

There are two mesquite trees (Prosopis glandulosal in the rear yard and some multiple trunked Chinaberry trees (Melia Azedarach) along the front property line. PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION Sanborn Fire Insurance Company maps, Tract Books, Pioneer National Title Insurance Company. Tucson City Directories, Building slip, Pima County Assessor's Office. Arizona Historical Society Clipbooks CFlores, Bustamante) El Mosquito (Tucson newspaper), November 15, page 5 (advertisement for "La Mexicana" bakery).. Oral Interviews: Eliazar Herreras, E. Waverly, Tucson, Arizona. RAMON BUSTAMANTE HOUSE 505 SOUTE MEYER.AVENUE HABS No. AZ-73-6 "(Page 6) PART IV.

PROJECT INFORMATION This project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) of the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service's National Architectural and \Engineering Record (NAER) in cooperation with- the Tucson Barrio Association, Inc. Funds for the project were provided by the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office and the Arizona State Office of "Economic Planning and Developments Under the direction of Robert J. Kapsch, Chief of NAER, John Poppeliers, Chief of HABS, and Kenneth L. Anderson, Principal Architect, the project was completed during the summer of at the HABS field office in Tucson, Arizona, by Robert C.

Giebner, Project Supervisor (Professor of Architecture, University of Arizona); William Joseph Graham, Project Foreman (.University of Maryland) ; Ann E. Huston, Project Historian (California State University, Sacramento); Maureen X,. Gerhold, Assistant Historian GPennsylvania State University); Student Architects Scott Marshall Dolph (University of Arizona) ; Carol Jean Lemon (.Washington State Uni- versity) ; and Harrison Adam Sutphin (Virginia Tech) ; and Comprehensive Employ- ment and Training Act (CETA) Summer Youth Employment Program Interns: Maria Arriola (Tucson High School); Ernest Cota; Lupita Lopez (Tucson High School); and Anna Trinidad. Photographic records were made for HABS by David J. Kaminsky, Photographer, Roswell, New Mexico.

Editing and final preparation of the docu- mentation was carried out in in the HABS Washington Office by William Joseph Graham, Architect, and Lucy Pope Wheeler, Writer-Editor, of the HABS professional staff. # t