2011 Mesa Historic Home Tour

So this year I finally attended the Historic Home Tour in Mesa. Included this year were some more funky Mid century properties from the Post War "Fraser Fields" neighborhood. As usual, I took the opportunity to focus on the forgotten period architectural details as those seem to be what's disappearing the fastest.

Here's a Photo set on flickr!

What Happens in Vegas....is destined to happen here, too.

This article in the Las Vegas Sun Times explains how "....developers filled the valley and made piles of money with suburban tract homes that carry little appeal for the next generation of housing consumers, according to an emerging body of survey data of the so-called Millennials or Generation Y."

With nearly identical demographics, population growth patterns, and real estate markets- are Las Vegas and the Phoenix/Mesa area so dissimilar? I don't think so.
Read more:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/jan/25/millennials-want-what-not-there/

West Mesa: Where do we fit in?

Even more information that illustrates why West Mesa is poised for revitalization.
....and indicators that once again point to the increasing importance of centrally located housing, close to universities and public transportation infrastructure.

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

West Mesa- what's it good for?

Walkable. Urban. Transit oriented.
What exactly does this mean?

The "coming of age" of America's two largest generation's will dramatically change how and where people live. Before World War II, most Americans lived in neighborhoods close to city centers and shopped downtown.

Just as the Baby Boomer nuclear family redefined the American lifestyle as they moved massively away from urban neighborhoods to suburban communities after WWII, a similar shift is predicted to occur once again- but in reverse and on a much larger scale.

American housing appetites are destined to transform on a scale never seen before within the next ten years. Walkable, Urban, and Transit oriented describe the future of communities in this country. A defining change is the fact that “by 2020, the combination of younger people driving less and boomers retiring will cut mileage driven in the U.S. by half.“

In 1946, the returning war veterans and their spouses comprised 20% of the population. In 2010, the oldest Baby Boomers reached formal retirement age of 65, and the youngest of Echo Boomer's began graduating from college. Together, these two groups fully make up one half of the current US population. The implications are huge.


What's significant isn't just the precise age bracketing of these two demographics- but their values and living/buying choices. While newly aged seniors will inevitably want to downsize their suburban homes for more manageable residences, they may choose suburban condominiums. Some will even choose more urban locations for convenience to transit hubs, essential shopping, and medical providers during retirement. Aging in place will become more common.





But their children are different.
According to market studies, 77% of generation Y plan to live in urban cores. [1]. That means that a majority of Generation Y will want to live close to things like Metro Light Rail, and cultural districts like Downtown Phoenix, Arcadia, Tempe's Mill Avenue, and potentially even Downtown Mesa.

Generation Y is increasingly less car friendly, and dramatically less hungry for the suburban lifestyle than previous generations. Some of this based upon pragmatic factors- like the present economy, but overwhelmingly is value based- something that is likely to solidify over time when bolstered by the inevitability of increasing fuel prices, a protracted economic recovery, and permanent change within the domestic employment landscape.

Even without these massive demographic shifts, "Demand for standard-issue suburban housing is going down, not up, a trend that was apparent even before the crash."[2]

Downtown Mesa, you ask incredulously? Yes, Mesa.
Stay tuned and keep an open mind.


[1].http://www.cooltownstudios.com/2010/06/14/emerging-generations-who-needs-a-car

[2].http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2010/1011.doherty-leinberger.html


"The baby boom generation, defined as those born between 1946 and 1964, remains the largest demographic bloc in the United States. At approximately 77 million Americans, they are fully one-quarter of the population."[1]

Local Recognition

Mesa's Evergreen Historic district was recently recognized in Phoenix magazine, as one of the Phoenix metropolitan area's "Top 21 Neighborhoods".



It's no surprise to people in the Duke Manor neighborhood, as we have been enjoying the wide streets, magnificent trees, and great period architecture of this adjacent neighborhood for walking, jogging, or a just nice way to enter our neighborhood from University Dr.






This photo below was taken about two blocks away from Duke Manor in the 700 block of N Robson.











The article reads:
"The name says it all. In a valley filled with neighborhoods whose chracter is stagnant and hard to define, Mesa'a evergreen district remains fresh and lively...
Today, this family-friendly neighborhood boasts expanded bungalow-style homes on large lots with huge setbacks fronted by huge trees. It begs for a walkabout- driving feels like a crime here."

It's a great acknowledgment for a gem of a neighborhood, blessed with distinct Phoenix rareties- historical charm and lush landscaping. It's also located close the Valley Metro Light Rail path that will continue through Downtown Mesa in the next few years.
Keep your eye on this area!!

Our Neighborhood

Homes in the Duke Manor neighborhood are of the “Simple Ranch” construction, with an honest character and solid materials. Although all the homes here share a similar design, there are several distinct floorplans and a range of original sizes from around 1100 sq ft at the smallest, and close to 1,700 sq ft at the largest. A variety of different roof styles exist within the neighborhood to differentiate the individual homes, including that of “French Provincial Ranch”, and “Prairie Ranch”.



Duke Manor is the city's first post-war Housing tract.






As Phoenix, and the Southwest generally, continues to be a place of growth and expansion away from our cities’ centers, neighborhoods like Duke Manor inevitably become more valuable. While the outlying desert communities infill with homes of questionable construction, cramped lots, busy roads lined with big-box retail, and congested beltways, our streets will continue to mature with charm and dignity.

The simply styled homes are set along a wide circuited roadway, with deep lots, traditional grass lawns and mature trees. Examples of traditional regional plantings like flowering rose and hibiscus, fruit-bearing citrus trees, date, pecan, Aleppo pine, and palms are part of the neighborhood landscape.

Loft Style reaches Downtown Mesa

Downtown Mesa and the surrounding area has an abundance of architectural charm that, by majority, has gone almost completely unnoticed. With news that the Metro Light Rail will in fact travel through downtown's core on Main st, enthusiasm has started to materialize.

"Lofts at the Drew" conducted their first open house this past Sunday, April 4th. A circa- 1920's brick structure at 39 W Main St houses a clothing boutique at street level, and possesses brick construction from a bygone era rarely seen in Arizona's low desert. On the second floor are nine tastefully renovated spaces, now available as lofts. Interior walls of exposed brick, storied hardwood floors and large windows characterize the custom decorated spaces. Five of the units have soaring views of the Mesa Contemporary Arts center, and offer a unique glimpse of the dramatic architectural lighting the structure shows nightly.

Visit "Lofts at the Drew"
http://www.drewlofts.com/Site/Home.html