List of historic properties in Flagstaff, Arizona


This is a list, which includes a photographic gallery, of some of the remaining historic buildings, houses, bridges, structures and monuments in Flagstaff, Arizona, some of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Also included is a photographic gallery of the Two Spot Logging Train which is listed in the NRHP and the Flagstaff Station.

Brief history

The first person, who was not a Native-American, to settle the area was Thomas F. McMillan. His cabin at the base of Mars Hill is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Santa Fe Railroad built a town nearby which they named Flagstaff and during the 1880s, the town opened its first post office. The origins of the town name of Flagstaff came about when on July 4, 1855, a surveyor for the Santa Fe Railroad by the name of Samuel Clark Hudson, accompanied by his team, climbed a tall pine tree and tied a flag.
Flagstaff's early economy was based on the lumber, railroad, and ranching industries. The Riordan family were a pioneering family who played an instrumental role in the development of the lumber and timber industry in the town. They founded and established the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company in 1900. The company office as well as the logging train used and the family estate are all listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The house of Henry F. Ashurst, built in 1892, is among the houses listed in the National Register of Historic Places. On March 27, 1912, Ashurst became one of the first two Senators from new state of Arizona to be elected to the United States Senate. Among the other historic houses listed in the NRHP of Flagstaff's early pioneers are that of Hugh E. Campbell. Campbell began his career as a sheepherder in 1885. He was one of the owners of the firm named Campbell-Francis and Co., the largest sheep ranchers in Arizona. Also listed is the home of J.C. Milligan, a former Justice of the Peace and owner of a local brickyard, is also listed.
Mexicans and people of Mexican ancestry were also instrumental in the development of the new city. One of the businesses which catered to the Hispanic community of the area was the "La Cuidad de Mexico Grocery". "La Iglesia Metodista El Divino Redentor", established in 1892 and the "Iglesia Nuestra Seňora de la Guadalupe" are both churches founded by the Mexican community. Segregation in schools was common in the United States at the time. Such was the case of the South Beaver Elementary School, built in 1936, which served as a segregated school for Hispanic students and later for African-American students until the 1950s.
The now historic Route 66, which runs through Flagstaff, was completed in 1926. Flagstaff was incorporated as a city in 1928. The establishment of Route 66 was one of the factors which contributed to the growth of the city. People who emigrated to the western part of the United States and tourists from different parts of the country often stopped and visited the city. As a consequence many hotels were built, among them was the Monte Vista Hotel, which was built in 1926 and is located at 100 N. San Francisco Street. The hotel was host to notable figures such as Jane Russell, Gary Cooper, Spencer Tracy, John Wayne, Bing Crosby and President Harry S. Truman.
The Lowell Observatory, an astronomical observatory founded in 1894, by astronomer Percival Lowell is also located in Flagstaff. It is among the oldest observatories in the United States. In 1965, the observatory was designated a National Historic Landmark. The dwarf planet Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh the Lowell Observatory.
Flagstaff has a historical preservation agency called the Heritage Preservation Commission. The mission of this commission is to identify and preserve historical structures. The commission is also in charge of nominating those structures which are considered historical to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Heritage Preservation Commission of Flagstaff meets in the Council Chambers located in City Hall. However, the fact that a property is listed in the NRHP does not mean that the property is safe from being demolished by its owner as was the case of the I.B. Koch House which was built in 1900 and was located in 7 Riordan Road. The I.B. Koch House was demolished and the area in which it was once located was converted into an automobile parking lot for a local law firm. According to Jim McPherson, Arizona Preservation Foundation Board President:
The city has various archeological sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places which are not pictured. This is due in part to the fact that the addresses of these sites are restricted. The archeological are:
1. The Anderson Mesa Incline. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1995, Ref. #95000154.
2. The Archeological Site No. AR-03-04-03-810. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1995, Ref. #95000149.
3. The Archeological Site No. AR-03-04-03-811. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1995, Ref. #95000150.
4. The Archeological Site No. AR-03-04-03-812. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1995, Ref. #95000151.
5. The Archeological Site No. AR-03-04-05-414. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1995, Ref. #95000152.
6. The Picture Canyon Archaeological Site. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on January 10, 2008, Ref. #07001349.
7. The Ridge Ruin Archeological District. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 20, 1992, Ref. #92000339.
8. The Saginaw & Manistee Camp 2. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 1995, Ref. #95000148.
Other historical structures in this article which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and are not pictured are the following:
1. The Fern Mountain Ranch. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 29, 1978, Ref. #78000542. Located in North of Flagstaff.
2. The D.M. Francis House. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1986, Ref. #86000902. Located in 1456 Meade Lane.
3. The House at 720 Grand Canyon Avenue. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1986, Ref. #86000909. Located in 720 Grand Canyon Ave.
4. The I.B. Koch House. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1986, Ref. #86000901. It was located in 7 Riordan Road.
5. The Coyote Range. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1984, Ref. #84000641. Located in North of Flagstaff on U.S. Route 180.
6. The Prochnow House. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1986, Ref. #86000898. Located in 304 S. Elden Street.
Historical districts not pictured include the following:
1. The Fort Tuthill Historic District. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 6, 2004, Ref. #04000257. Located in State Route 89A and Interstate 17.
2. The North End Historic Residential District. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 30, 1986, Ref. #86000899. Roughly bounded by Hunt, San Francisco and Verde, Elm and Cherry, and Beaver and Humphreys Streets.
3. The United States Forest Service Fort Valley Experimental Forest Station Historic District. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 25, 2001, Ref. #01000002. Located in 1⁄3 mile west of the junction of U.S. Route 180 and Bader Road.

Historic structures pictured

The following is a brief description of the images of Flagstaff's historic buildings.

Buildings

The Flagstaff Station was built in 1890. The newer and larger station was built in 1926. It is located at 1 East Route 66. The station now houses the Flagstaff Visitor Center. The station is located within the boundaries Railroad Addition Historic District which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on January 18, 1983, Ref. #83002989.
The Two Spot Logging Train was built in 1911 and is now on exhibition by the Junction of San Francisco Street and BNSF Railroad. The train was purchased by the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company in 1917. It was retired from service in 1966. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places September 14, 1999, Ref. #99001066.

Historic houses of worship

Historic Districts

Lowell Observatory

Flagstaff Citizen Cemetery

The historic Flagstaff Citizen Cemetery was established in 1891 and is located at 1300 South San Francisco St. This cemetery includes the 1956 TWA Disaster Memorial and mass grave. The victims of the same crash, in United Airlines 718, were buried in Grand Canyon Cemetery.
Buried in Tract J; Block A; Lot 13; Space 2 in the cemetery is the notable former Coconino County Sheriff Commodore Perry Owens. Owens confronted and killed three men in what became known as the Owens-Blevins Shootout during the Pleasant Valley War.
Also buried but, whose grave is not pictured, is Astronomar Vesto Melvin Slipher, He was director of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, from 1916 to 1952. He made spectrographs of the atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. He also photographed Mars and was part of the team that discovered the ninth planet, Pluto, in March 1930.

Flagstaff's Pioneer Museum

Flagstaff's Pioneer Museum, operated by the Arizona Historical Society, was established in 1963 and is located at 2340 North Fort Valley Road. The following are images of some of the outside exhibits of the museum. The building which houses the museum was built in 1908 with rocks from Mount Elden. The hospital, the "Coconino County Hospital" served the indigent until 1938.