Phoenix Indian School, Gymnasium, Northeast Corner of Central Avenue & Indian School Road, Phoenix

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A fine example of twentieth-century vernacular building, built entirely of industrially produced materials, with all surfaces and finishes integral to the structure. PHOENIX INDIAN SCHOOL, GYMNASIUM HABS NO.: AZ-145-H (page 2) PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History. 1. Date of Erection: 2. Architect/Builder: Mayers, Murray & Phillip, New York, with Janssen and Whittlesey, Phoenix, Architects; McGinty Construction Company, Builders (Keel). 3. Original and Subsequent Owners: U.S. Department of the Interior. 4. Alterations and Additions: The central bay on the west face at ground level was closed in to form an office at an unknown date. A one story block was added to the south side in The windows were closed up with plywood sheets at an unknown date. B. Historical Context.

The Gymnasium was built as a basketball arena, at a time when the athletic facilities were located along the east edge of the site. It formed part of a group that included the swimming pool and the football field, before their relocation.The Gymnasium too fell into disuse when a new facility was constructed to the north. PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement. The Gymnasium is a simple rectangular structure with the long axis running north-south, approx. wide (north-south) x 80' deep (east-west), with a single large internal volume raised above a half-basement on the north, east and south sides that housed locker rooms, showers and toilets. 1. Architectural Character: Twentieth-century industrial vernacular. 2.

Condition of Fabric: Good, with some signs of abuse and neglect. B. Description. Exterior. On the west (principal) face, the facade is divided into 5 bays framed by piers, each pier 25" wide and projecting 13" from the wall face at its base; the 3 central bays are each approx. 24' the outer bays approx. c/c (dimensions to nearest 1" due to variations in sizes of materials). The facade is divided into lower and upper stories by a continuous cast concrete beam.

The lower story has a single 9 light steel-framed window with a cast concrete grill, also 9 light, in front of it, in each outer bay; the 3 intermediate bays are recessed at the lower story to provide entrance spaces for steel double entry PHOENIX INDIAN SCHOOL, GYMNASIUM HABS NO.: AZ-145-H (page 3) doors to the left (in the north intermediate bay) and right (in the south intermediate bay); the ceilings of the entry spaces at the intermediate bays are formed by the undersides of the concrete seating, revealed as four descending steps terminating above the recess in the rear wall in each case.

The upper story has a single opening, full height, with two 24 light steel-framed windows, side by side, with a 4 light, top-hung hopper in the lower half of each, in each outer bay; the 3 inner bays have each a single opening, full height, glazed with steel-framed windows as in the outer bays, 4 windows side by side in each case. The wall is terminated by a continuous cast concrete beam at its head. On the north face, the facade is divided into 3 bays, the piers of the central bay 26' apart on centers, the piers 31" wide, projecting 12 from the wall face at the lower story, the projection half as deep at the second story. The lower story has 3 windows in the central bay, a single window, next to the pier, in each outer bay.

The north and south faces have a segmental profile at the gable, following the shape of the roof structure. On the east face, the facade is divided as on the west into 5 bays and 2 stories. In the lower story, the 3 central bays have each 2 windows, 50" x 57" high with cast concrete sills; the outer bays have a single window to the outer edge, a door at the inner position, with the door sill approx. 22" below grade, reached by a descending ramp from the south at the south bay, from the north at the north bay, the ramp flanked by a low wall, 28" high, in each case. In the upper story, glazing all as on the west face. On the south face, all as on the north face, with the lower story concealed by the later addition.

The roof follows a segmental curve, formed by the trusses below, covered with sheet metal. There is a large sheet metal box gutter at the eaves east and west, making short returns at the ends on the north and south faces where there are metal downpipes. Interior- On the west (principal) side, at ground level, in the 3 central bays an open space (Loggia) giving access left and right through double entry doors to the ramps that in turn give access to the interior at the outer (northwest and southwest) corners of the building. On the north, east and south sides, there is a half basement, its floor 22" below grade, entered from the east, with a stepped ceiling formed by the underside of the seating above, housing locker rooms, etc.

Access from the half basement level to the arena space above is by stairs placed diagonally at the northeast and southeast corners of the building. At one half floor above ground, reached by the stairs in each corner as noted above, a single space, the entire volume of the building, for use as a basketball arena. On all four sides the basketball court is flanked by stepped seating. Illumination is from the ranks of windows in the second story, east and west. The roof is carried by 4 arched steel trusses, stabilized with diagonal steel tie rods below, all revealed. Construction. There is a frame of columns and beams, and all other structural elements below the roof of reinforced concrete, the form marks showing.

Infill walls are of concrete block, PHOENIX INDIAN SCHOOL, GYMNASIUM HABS NO.: AZ-145-H (page 4) presumably of local manufacture, the standard block 12" x 6" x 3 high, with irregular, pitted surfaces and some small variations in dimensions. Infill walls are laid in stretcher bond with a course of headers every fifth or sixth course, but not uniformly so. A continuous row of stretchers is laid vertically at the window head positions. Above the cast concrete beam that marks the position of the highest row of seating of the upper level, there is a row of alternating headers and stretchers, the headers projecting 1"; the next course again alternating headers and stretchers, the entire course projecting 1"; above again a string course of cast concrete projecting 2" from the wall face below.

All windows are steel-framed. The floor is entirely of timber, carried on a timber substructure independent of the rest of the building. The roof is carried on trusses as noted above, supporting purlins and rafters of steel, covered with a layer of insulating material topped with wood sheathing and finished externally with sheet metal. Discrepancies. As the preliminary designs (1935A, Drawings) make clear, the final design for the Gymnasium was not exactly the same as in the preliminaries, but the differences were not major. The Gymnasium as built was apparently identical to the final design. Additions and Alterations. The central bay of the west face was closed in with a concrete block wall to form a small office at ground level.

In the center is a single leaf side hung door flanked left and right by a single window with 2 side hung, 3 light, steel-framed casements. A single small square opening for a window was made in the north wall, at the east end; later closed up with a plywood sheet. A single story block containing locker room, showers and toilets was added to the south in when the Gymnasium was to be used for Girls' P.E. It was designed by Biggs and Kaufman, Architects, of Phoenix Drawings). It was almost the full width of the original Gymnasium, east-west (aligned with the west wall and about 3' short of the east wall), and about 30' north-south, of concrete block, with a flat roof.

More recently, the windows of the ground floor and some of the windows of the upper floor were covered with plywood sheets as the building became disused Sources. See Source List in Phoenix Indian School Report, HABS NO.: AZ-145. Drawings located: 1935A, (for the original building); (for the south addition). Project Information. This project was undertaken according to the terms of Subagreement No. 2 to Cooperative Agreement No. CA-8000-9-8005 between United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service and the Arizona Board of Regents for and on behalf of Arizona State University.

This project was carried out prior to transfer of the property from Federal ownership, and the property was documented as part of the Memorandum of Agreement among the Department of the Interior, Arizona SHPO, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. PHOENIX INDIAN SCHOOL, GYMNASIUM HABS NO.: AZ-145-H (page 5) Prepared by: Bernard M. Boyle. Title: Professor. Affiliation: School of Architecture, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. Date: 31 December PHOENIX INDIAN SCHOOL, GYMNASIUM HABS NO.: AZ-145-H(page6) GYMNASIUM, Sketch Floor Plan dO}-Otf