Glenwood/Wilbur Historic District
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June 24,
1999
The Wilbur Street Historic District is found within the original
Mesa town site limits and is composed of three residential
subdivisions platted between 1919 and 1922. These subdivisions were
created from existing blocks within the original town site plat. The
district encompasses four north-south streets---Pasadena Street,
Hibbert Street, Wilbur Street, and Pomeroy Street, and is bounded on
the north and south by Second Street and First Street. The district
is composed of residential buildings of various styles reflecting
the different periods of growth in Mesa. Although the original
neighborhood has suffered from some modern intrusions, it retains
its original "residential" character. The land surrounding this
district is either vacant or has undergone large-scale modern
development. West of this district stands the Mesa Conference
Center, a large hotel, arts, and convention center for the City of
Mesa.
The
architectural styles within the district reflect the different
period of development characteristics of the City of Mesa. The
Bungalow is the most dominant architectural style in the
neighborhood, which reflects the date of the subdivision plats
between 1919-1922 in the height of this style of architecture. A few
Revival style houses, Tudor and Pueblo, appear within the district
as well. The last style of architecture represented in this district
is the Ranch style. The Ranch style houses responded to the need for
more housing following World War II.
The Wilbur Street Historic District in Mesa illustrates the early
to mid-twentieth century growth in the northeast portion of the Mesa
town site. This area developed into a cohesive neighborhood of
middle class and working class families. The Wilbur Street Historic
District is significant under National Register Criteria A in the
area of Community Planning and development for its relationship to
broad patterns of community development in Mesa. The Wilbur Historic
District illustrates important examples of architectural style
common in Arizona during the first half of the twentieth century.
The Wilbur Street Historic District is considered significant under
National Register Criteria C for the architectural styles and
periods that it represents. The period of significance for the
district starts in 1892 with the construction of the first home in
the area and continues until 1948, the end of the 50-year period of
significance for the National Register. The district is considered
significant at the local level.
The
Wilbur Street Historic District provides a good example of the
subdivision process that changed Mesa from large garden lots
associated with the original Mormon community to smaller lots
required for more intense development. By 1922, a total of
twenty-seven subdivisions of the original lots and blocks had been
platted. Many of these were small, as evidenced by Stewart's
subdivision of Lot 8, Block 33. While many subdivisions were
platted, the three remaining in the Wilbur Street Historic District
are the best examples of the early twentieth century r development
of the original town site from large lots to subdivisions with
smaller lots. This change was an important part of the community of
Mesa, as residents required more housing than the original plan
could provide. The Wilbur Historic District is an excellent example
of the process of community development which changed Mesa from a
pastoral, agricultural community to more closely match the growing
urban populations of Phoenix, Glendale, and Tempe.
Historic
Preservation home
Planning home
Office Hours:
7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., M - TH
Closed Fridays & Holidays
Phone:
(480) 644-4273
Location:
55 N. Center St.
Mesa, AZ 85201
Mailing Address:
PO Box 1466
Mesa, AZ 85211