Valencia House, 432-436 South Convent Avenue, Tucson

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ARIZ,10-TUCSO,30/48-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The significance of this structure lies in its conversion from a standard adobe construction to a substantial "brick edifice. The L-shaped plan of the adohe "building was uni- fied in a rectangular mass with high hip roof, and as such, represents an updating of traditional Barrio architecture to meet early twentieth-century design standards. The remodeling was designed by Henry 0. Jaastad, Tucson archi- tect, between 1906-19O8. Contextually, this building domin- ates the streetscape but is reinforced "by its brick neighbor to the south, also designed by Jaastad. Together they reinforce the planar qualities of street facades along So-uth Convent Avenue. PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1.- Date of erection: ca. remodeled 2. Architect: Henry 0. Jaastad (remodeling).

Jaastad was a Norwegian architect who came to Arizona in Responsible for over 50 schools in Arizona and New Mexico, he opened his architect's office in Tucson in He also served ik years as mayor of the city. 3. Original and subsequent owners: See chain of title "below. Part of Lot 1, Block parcels 15 and l6. Deed, August 11, recorded in Volume 10, page Corporate Authorities of the Village of Tucson to Merced and Lenore Federico. VALENCIA HOUSE U32-U36 SOUTH CONVENT AVENUE HABS Ho. AZ-T3-U8 (Page 2) Deed, September 6, 188U, recorded in Volume 12, page i(-63. Merced and Lenore Federico to Juan and Maria Bojorques. I896 Deed, May 2, recorded in Volume 25, page Juan and Maria Bo^orquez to M. Altamirano and Prudence Sanchez. Deed, April 7, recorded in Volume 32, page Manuel and Jesus B.

Altamirano to Diego Valencia. Deed, September 23, recorded in Volume page Diego S. Valencia to Ramon L. and Josefa E. Camacho. Deed, April 20, recorded "in Volume page Ramon L. and Josefa B. Camacho to Bernabe Robles. Deed, December 27, recorded in Volume ^0, page U89. Estate of Bernabe Eobles to Joaquina S. Robles. Deed, July 28, recorded in Volume 99, page 27. Joaquina S. Robles to Bernabe S. Robles, et al. Deed, June 2, 9 recorded in Volume page Bernabe Robles, et al to Joaquina R. Kengla. Deed, June 1, recorded in Volume page Joaquina R. Kengla to H. K. Rollings. h. Builder/Contractor: Manuel "Maestro" Flores.

Flores was a veil- known Tucson carpenter responsible for the construction of many Tucson dwellings between 5- Original plans and construction: This structure was originally a single-family dwelling built as an L-shaped adobe. It was encased in brick and enlarged into a rectangular plan in Originally a Sonoran building, the style of the remodeling is Anglo-Territorial. 6. Alterations and additions: Two garages and a shelter were con- structed along the west property line at approximately the same time the house was built. One garage and the shelter were torn down in the ; remains of the second garage are still standing. The house was divided into three apartments in B. Historical Events and Persons Connected with the Structure: This house and the four apartments (HUo-^6 S.

Convent Ave.) next to it (See A2-T3-11), vere constructed for Diego Valencia. Valencia t drove horse-drawn hearses for the Tucson Mortuary Company on Stone Avenue, and kept the hearses in the garages to the rear of the house. VALENCIA HOUSE SOUTH COWENT AVENIE HABS No. AZ-73-^8 (Page 3) He used a white hearse for children and a "black one for adults. He also owned wagons and hacks which he contracted to drive, and later he "began a taxi service. Valencia died at the house ? and Valen- cia was forced to sell when he could no longer pay the high interest rates on a loan he had obtained from Bernabe Robles.

When Joseph Camacho purchased the property in , he used the house as the Economy Grocery store until he went out of "business a year later-, and the property was transferred to the Rohles family. Francisco and Rrta Hernandez occupied the house following the Camachos, and Hernan- dez still resides in one of the apartments. Prepared by: Ann E. Huston Project Historian, Maureen L. Gerhold Assistant Project Historian Historic American Buildings Survey September PART II, ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural character: A rather substantial "brick-faced struc- ture amid.the typical stuccoed adobe structures of the Barrio, this prominent building dominates the intersection of Convent and Kennedy.

An earlier adobe construction, the building was sheathed in brick and topped with a hip roof. It maintains traditional Barrio siting practice of building placement at property lines. 2. Condition of fabric: The building is in generally good condition although there is some structural problem resulting from deterior- ation at the lower vails. The building is in need of minor main- tenance . B. Description of Exterior: 1. Over-all dimensions: The building measures north-to- south along its principal facade (Convent Ave.) and along Kennedy Street. The rectangular plan is somewhat askew, the cor- ners not being at right angles. 2. Foundations: Foundations are inaccessible. The exterior walls have stone facings at the base.

3* Wall construction, finish, color: The exterior wall surface is brick (running bond) veneer over adobe. The entire north and east walls are thick (adobe and brick), as is the eastern t Ik feet of the south wall. The remainder of the south wall and the entire west wall of the main building are 10" thick and are of brick construction. VALENCIA HOUSE U32-U36 SOUTH CONVENT AVENUE HABS No. AZ-13-hB (Page k) k. Structural system, framing: Adobe and brick "bearing walls support floor and ceiling joists and roof rafters. 5. Porches, stoops: There is an overhanging wood porch at the front door (center of east facade). It has a hipped roof and large supporting "brackets. The entrance is three steps above sidewaUc. 6.

Chimneys: There is a brick chimney located at the south exterior vail near the southwest corner of the building. 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: The front entrance door Is located at the center of the east facade. On the west rear facade there are three doorways, one for each of the apartment .units within. The doors have one glass panel over three horizontal wood panels. b. Windows: Window openings in the brick facades have brick jack- arched heads. The windows are double hung with-wood sash, with two-over-two lights. Windows in the frame addition are double casements/'opening inward with screens on the exterior. # 8. Roof: a. Shape, covering: The building has a hipped roof with a ridge running north to south. The surface is green rolled asphalt. b.

Cornice, eaves: There is a boxed cornice, the soffits of which are of match bead boards. c. Dormers: Each slope of the roof has a triangular ventilator dormer. C. Description of Interior: 1. Floor plan: The building is essentially rectangular, the longer dimensions being the east (front) side. The building is divided into three apartments which run the depth of the building (east- to-vest). There is a common entrance vestibule. The north apartment is three rooms deep; the living room is in the northeast corner of the brick portion; the bedroom Is in the north- vest corner. The kitchen is located at the rear in the frame addi- tion. The bathroom is situated adjacend to the kitchen, and is actually placed behind the central apartment- VALENCIA HOUSE SOUTH. CONVENT AVEJUE HABS No.

AZ-73-^8 (Page 5) The center apartment is also three rooms deep a single large room has been divided by a P'-^'-high partition {room ceiling height is The kitchen and "bathroom are in the frame addition. The south apartment is the largest of the three. A living room is located at the east front vith a narrow bathroom situated in the southeast corner of the building. Parallel rooms (kitchen on the south, bedroom on the north) fill the brick portion of the building to the vest of the living room and bath. The frame addition contains a bedroom. 2, Flooring: Pine hoards, 3%" wide, are employed throughout the main portion of the building. The vood floor of the south apart- ment is covered with sheet vinyl floor covering. The floor of the frame addition is of concrete slab formation. 3.

Wall and ceiling finish: Walls are of plaster over adobe. There are some frame (plastered) partitions within. The frame addition has a plaster surface within. k> Doors and doorways: Original doorways have a transom over the door. There is a molded frame vith cornice molding at the top. The entrance door to the central unit has a glass panel over a wood panel. There is a denticulated band between the glass and solid panel. New doorways have plain hoard moldings. There are no transoms. Most interior openings are doorless. 5. Decorative features and trim: There is a picture rail about above the floor. In the south apartment's living room there is an oak mantel on the west wall.

It has two Corinthian columns supporting the mantel shelf and a mirrored mantelpiece flanked by another pair of Corin- thian columns. The fire opening is covered with a cast iron plate A gas heater is placed in front of the fireplace. In the north apartment there is a recessed opening on the north wall. It matches the adjacent window opening but is backed up by the exterior hrick wall. It is trimmed with the molded frames common on the original openings. 6. Equipment: a. Electricity: All units have been wired for electricity. b. Plumbing: Plumbing is located in the frame additions at the rear of the building (north and center apartments ) and in the southeast corner of the south apartment. There is a hot-water heater for each unit. VALENCIA HOUSE SOUTH CONVENT AVENUE HABS No.

AZ-T3A8 (Page 6) c. Heating: The south apartment has a gas heater in the living room. There is no heating device for the north or the central apartment. D. Site: 1. General setting and orientation: The building is located on the northwest corner of the intersection of South Convent Avenue with "West Kennedy Street. The front and side -walls of the structure are placed at the property line with the sidewalk up to the base of the wall. .The principal facade faces east. 2. Enclosures: The vest rear of the property is enclosed -with an adobe vail on the north side. The other sides are defined by fences of vood and corrugated sheet metal. The yard is further subdivided by fences to correspond to the apartments. Prepared by: Prof. Robert C.

Giebner Project Supervisor Professor of Architecture University of Arizona July PART III. SOURCES OF INFORMATION Building slip, Pima County Assessor's Office. Sanborn Fire Insurance Company maps, Tract Books, Pioneer National Title Insurance Company (Microfilm, Recorder's records). Tucson City Directories: Oral Interviews: Frank Rivera, Convent Avenue, Tucson, Arizona. Eliasar Herreras, E. Waverly, Tucson, Arizona. Maria Luisa Trejo, 62U N. 7th Avenue, Tucson, Arizona. Arnold Montes, 7U W. Kennedy Street, Tucson, Arizona Josephine Barnhart, 78 W. Kennedy Street, Tucson, Arizona. Adelina Flores , 56 W. Kennedy Street, Tucson, Arizona. VALENCIA HOUSE U32-U36 SOUTH CONVENT AVETUE . HABS Ho. AZ-T3-H8 (Page T) 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 Development."' Under the direction of Robert 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 L. Gerhold, Assistant Historian (Pennsylvania 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, Fnotog- rapher, Roswell, New Mexico.

Editing and final preparation of the documentation was carried out in and in the HABS Washington Office by William Joseph Graham, Architect, and Lucy Pope Wheeler, Writer/Editor, of the HABS professional staff.