The Superintendent's Cottage, located at the historic building complex of the Tucson Plant Materials Center, is significant for its association with the initial construction and development of the first soil conservation nursery established in Arizona by the Soil Conservation Service. The Tucson Nursery represents one of the first group of 48 soil conservation nurseries built by the Soil Conservation Service from the beginning of through June, Completed by January, the Superintendent's Cottage was one of eight original buildings constructed at the complex. It functioned as the living quarters for the Tucson Nursery Superintendent. The Superintendent's Cottage is among the four remaining historic buildings at the site. Tucson Plant Materials Center, Superintendent's Cottage (Building No.
8) HABSNo.AZ-159-D (Page 2) Part I. Descriptive Information A. Physical Description The Superintendent's Cottage is a residential building originally used as the living quarters of the Superintendent of the Tucson Nursery. It is a detached dwelling located at the south edge of the complex of historic and contemporary buildings. The Superintendent's Cottage and the Garage (Building No. 9) are the only two original buildings in the complex located south of the entrance drive. The site surrounding the building is characterized by unmaintained open space which originally featured grass lawns. The Garage building is located 32 feet west of the S uperintendent's Cottage. For a physical description and historic context of the Tucson Plant Materials Center, see HABS No. AZ-159.
The Superintendent's Cottage is a one-story rectangular structure measuring 28 feet wide by 38 feet deep. The building is constructed of adobe walls, 12 inches thick, which are built on concrete foundations. The exterior of the walls are finished with pebble-dashed Portland cement plaster. The house is covered by a flat roof hidden behind low parapets. False wood vigas are located below all of the parapets. A small, eight foot by twelve foot concrete block addition, constructed after is located at the north end of the west wall. An original porch attached to the east wall, was infilled and extended with a shiplap-clad wood frame structure sometime between and The original porch design featured a parapeted flat roof supported by two adobe piers.
# The front elevation of the house faces north and contains a doorway offset to the east and two centrally located steel sash casement windows. Each window measures three feet wide by five feet high and has two, four light leaves and a two light fixed top light. That window type is used throughout the building. The entrance door is original and is a panel and sash, stile and rail door. The south, or rear wall of the house, features two symmetrically located steel sash casement windows. The east wall contains two evenly located steel sash casement windows separated by a smaller steel sash casement bathroom window. The concrete block addition, which functioned as a utility room, is built with aluminum sliding windows. A door on its west wall is a hollow core wood flush door.
The east wall of the house retains one exterior steel sash casement window, which is located at the south end of the wall. The infilled porch with its addition extends along the north two-thirds of the east wall. The east wall of the addition features a centrally located, 11 foot long window composed of three wood sash sliding units. The wall also contains a single hollow core wood flush door offset to the north. The interior of the house contains two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, kitchen, pantry and dining area, as well as the utility room addition, and the enclosed porch. All interior wood frame partitions are original and are finished with piaster on metal lath. The ceilings are also plaster over metal lath and the floors are concrete slabs.
All interior doors Tucson Plant Materials Center, Superintendent's Cottage (Building No. 8) HABS No.AZ-159-D (Page 3) are original and are five panel stile and rail. The living room, which is accessed from the outside by the north entry door, measures 14 feet wide by 19 feet deep. A door on its south wall leads to a short hall providing access to the two 12 foot by 13 foot bedrooms, and the bathroom. A centrally located door on the east wall of the living room is the entrance to the kitchen, pantry, and dining area. An original exterior door, located on the west wall of the living room, provides access the enclosed porch. That space contains a single room measuring 14 feet deep by 22 feet long, with a small storage closet located in its southeast corner.
The room is finished in tongue-in-groove knotty pine panelling. The built-in cabinetry and counters in the house are notable features. A linen cabinet with panelled doors and drawers is located in the bedroom hallway. A small Butler's Pantry is located on the north wall of the dining area with glass front cabinets symmetrically located on either side of a window. The "L" shaped kitchen counter features a tile counter top and splash and an enameled cast iron sink. Original panelled wall cabinets are located above the counter. Name / Title: Jim Woodward, Architect Affiliation: Woodward Architectural Group Date: December Tucson Plant Materials Center, Superintendent's Cottage and Garage (Building No. 8 & 9) HABS No. AZ-159-D (Page 4) << SCALE NOHTH ^ 01 ?
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