Tucson Plant Materials Center, Superintendent's Garage, 3241 North Romero Road, Tucson

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS ARIZ,10-TUCSO,32E-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Superintendent's Garage, 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, Built between and the Superintendent's Garage was one of eight original buildings constructed at the complex. It functioned as an automobile garage for the Tucson Nursery Superintendent. The Superintendent's Garage is among the four remaining historic buildings at the site. Tucson Plant Materials Center, Superintendent's Garage {Building No.

9) HABS No. AZ-159-E (Page 2) Part I. Descriptive Information A. Physical Description The Superintendent's Garage is a utilitarian building originally used as an automobile garage for the Superintendent of the Tucson Nursery. It is a detached structure located at the south edge of the complex of historic and contemporary buildings. It is situated 32 feet west of the Superintendent's Cottage (Building No. 8). The Garage and Superintendent's Cottage 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. For a physical description and historic context of the Tucson Plant Materials Center, see HABS No. AZ-159.

The Superintendent's Garage is a one-story rectangular building measuring 16 feet wide by 22 feet deep. It faces north toward the entrance drive and is accessed from the drive by an unpaved road. The building is constructed of adobe brick walls, 12 inches thick, which are built on concrete foundations. The exterior of the walls are finished with Portland cement plaster. The garage is covered with a flat roof hidden behind low parapets. False wood vigas are located below the parapets. Automobile access to the garage is on the north wall through a eight foot eight inch wide offset doorway featuring a four panel wood batten sliding door. A second entrance to the building is located on the east wall. It is a single leaf wood panel stile and rail door situated at the north end of the wall.

A concrete sidewalk connects this door to the door to the utility room addition of the Superintendent's Cottage. The only other fenestration in the building is a wood sash, fixed light window located on the east wall. It is four feet wide and is offset toward the south end of the wall. A brick masonry incinerator, built after is located on the west wall of the garage. Measuring four feet deep by three feet wide. It has an earthen hearth, a steel plate top, and a brick chimney extending to the garage parapet. The interior of the garage features an earthen floor, plastered adobe walls, and exposed wood roof framing. The building is in poor condition, with base wall erosion of the adobe walls due to rising damp. The exterior plaster finish has fallen away in several locations.

For a reference plan of the Superintendent's Garage, see Superintendent's Cottage, HABS No. AZ- Name / Title: Jim Woodward, Architect Affiliation: Woodward Architectural Group Date: December