Arizona Copper Company, Office, Coronado Boulevard, Clifton

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ARIZ,6-CLIFT,9C-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Associated with the Arizona Copper Company and with the development of Clifton. The building is also an outstanding example of commercial architecture in Clifton, influenced by the Renaissance Revival style. Description: This two-story commercial building is sited at the base of a cliff within the canyon of the San Francisco River. Coronado Boulevard (Arizona Highway Clifton's main thoroughfare, borders the east property line. The building's plan originally was that of an elongated rectangle with one front projection on each end. In a wing was added, of identical construction to the original, terminating in another front projection, which gave the building its present appearance with three symmetrically placed projections.

The exterior materials include brick walls with sandstone quoins, window heads and sills, and belt courses; and asphalt shingle roofing. The roof is a low-pitched hip with gabtet dormers. The eaves are supported with decorative knee-braced brackets. All of the original windows have been replaced with fixed glazing. Severalof the windows have been boarded up or infilled. The original wood entry doors have been replaced with aluminum storefront units. A modern addition was made to the north side of the building. History: The northern portion of this building was constructed in by the Arizona Copper Company for its general offices. The southern portion of the building was added in to house the offices of the Arizona and New Mexico Railway, an A.C. Co. subsidiary. The A.C. Co.

announced in February of that it would construct a new office building, stating that it would be "a two-story ornament for the town." The Company broke ground during the first week of April in and soon began the work of laying the foundation. A.C. Co. construction superintendent Emil Schumann designed the building and directed the construction effort. On Monday, June the Company held an elaborate cornerstone ceremony for the building. A.C. President and General Manager James Colquhoun wielded the trowel and laid the stone. Officials placed copies of newspapers and a short history of the A.C. Co. behind the stone.1 In contrast to the ceremony for the north half of the building, the A.C. Co.

added the south wing with little fanfare in Construction started in January with most of the brick work being completed by February. The south wing was constructed to match the north half of the building exactly. The new space was occupied by the Arizona and New Mexico Railway as its offices. A contemporary observer noted that the building represented a work of "modern architecture." ARIZONA COPPER COMPANYjOFFICE (Greenlee County Alternative School) HABS No. AZ-17*J-C (Page 2) Windows in the building had been arranged to let ample natural light into the offices.2 In after Phelps Dodge purchased the holdings of the A.C. Co., it sold the railroad division to the El Paso and Southwestern system. After January the Arizona and New Mexico Railway became the El Paso and Southwestern.

This left little need for offices in Clifton. In February, the Gila Valley Bank and Trust Co. announced that it would move its banking operations into the offices formerly occupied by the A&NM. After April 1, the south half of the building housed the bank, while Phelps Dodge continued to use offices in the north half. In June of the Gila Valley Bank and Trust Co. merged with Valley Bank of Phoenix and thereafter was known as Valley Bank. Valley Bank operated in the building continuously until December of when it closed the branch after a landslide dumped debris onto the building. In recent years the building has housed the offices of the Copper Era newspaper and the Greenlee County Alternative School.3 Sources (endnotes): 1.

Copper Era February April April June In his memoir, Colquhoun called Schumann an "incomparable millwright," James Colquhoun The History of the Clifton-Morenci Mining District (London: John Murray, p. 57. 2. Copper Era February (I, 3: 1); March {1, 3: 2); April 7, (I, 3: 4). 3. Copper Era December 30, 6); February (I, 4: 1); June 23, 1); Arizona Republic (Phoenix) December