Welcome to Prescott’s Historic Preservation Page. Prescott has a rich history and still maintains much of its historic character, which is one of its unique qualities. The purpose of Prescott’s Preservation Program is to:
Prescott Preservation Commission meets once a month (every second Friday) to hear project(s) proposed in Local Preservation Districts.
Prescott was founded in 1864 as the Territorial Capital of Arizona. Though three of the names originally proposed for Prescott were “Audubon”, “Goodwin City” and “Aztlan”. The name “Prescott” was chosen in honor of William Hickling Prescott, author of The History of the Conquest of Mexico. The Arizona Miner reported that the name was accepted because Prescott was “a good citizen, a true patriot, with industry, perseverance under difficulty, amiability of character and love of country.”
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At the same time Prescott was established as the Territorial Capital, it was also designated as the County Seat of Yavapai County, one of four original territorial counties. Although the Capital moved to Tucson from 1867 to 1877, the Capital returned to Prescott at the end of 1877 and remained until it was moved permanently to Phoenix in 1889. During these years as Territorial Capital, Prescott was the dominant political center of the Territory and was protected and influenced by the presence of nearby Fort Whipple.
The decade of the 1880s saw fluctuations in the economic condition of Prescott due to slumps in mining activity, especially a severe slump in 1885 which resulted in the closing of several Prescott businesses. The community was strong enough to recover economically based on the rapid growth of the cattle industry in the area. On December 31, 1886, the Arizona Central Railway was opened connecting Prescott with the Atlantic and Pacific. In 1893 it was replaced by a branch of the Santa Fe. By 1895 the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railroad(also known as the “Peavine”) connected Prescott’s mining area with the Southern Pacific line. The access to the railroad bolstered the mercantile sector of the local economy and led to the establishment of several new dry goods and mining supply businesses. Communication and utilities improved along with transportation. An electric light plant was built in 1889 and telephones arrived shortly thereafter. The year 1889 also marked the year that the Capital was moved to Phoenix. In spite of this political loss, Prescott continued to prosper and develop as the 19th Century drew to a close.
By 1900, established residences were clearly reflecting the Victorian era architectural styles: Cottages, Greek Revival, Octagon, Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, Eastlake, Stick, Shingle, Italianate. People were moving across Granite Creek and into areas south and west of town. Commercial development was altered dramatically when a disastrous fire on July 14, 1900, destroyed four and one-half blocks of downtown Prescott. Twelve hotels and 20 mercantile establishments were lost. After the fire, citizens soon viewed the event as a chance to replace the old wooden buildings common in the downtown area with more permanent concrete, brick and stone buildings. These buildings reflected a shift from exuberant Victorian styles to a more controlled formality of styles.
The Fire of 1900 not only brought on a new era in architecture, but it also seemed to stimulate a variety of social and public improvements. Downtown, cement sidewalks and paved streets replaced the dusty thoroughfares of the 1800s. Fort Whipple was reopened after a brief closure in the 1890s, which provided the community with a steady influx of federal dollars. Craftsman, Classical Bungalow, Vernacular and Revival architecture became the prominent residential styles during the first part of the century and remained popular through the 1930s.
The Yavapai Chamber of Commerce (now the Prescott Chamber of Commerce) was founded in 1914 to promote Yavapai County and especially the Prescott area for its healthful climate. Prescott, along with Arizona in general, was experiencing an increase in tourism. Summer, in particular, was a busy time of the year for Prescott. Many families from Phoenix would stay in summer homes in or around Prescott, or “camp out” in tents, or sometimes, in elaborate portable houses.
The Copper Mining Industry also supported area growth in the early 20th Century because of the extra demands for World War I. However, by 1919 Prescott suffered the effects of postwar depression along with the rest of the state and nation. Even so, after reduction in population during World War I, Prescott was again enjoying a steady growth rate with a population in 1920 of 5,010.
The pre-World War II depression was also very hard on the state and local area economy. Thousands of banks failed, and people were left without work or savings. However, local and federal assistance programs (the PWA, CCC, WPA) were well organized in Prescott during the late 1930s. Many local unemployed found work with the WPA in Prescott without having to leave their families. There was a definite slump in the tourism industry and almost no growth or expansion between 1932 and 1935. There was very little building during World War II. However, starting in 1946, there was a significant increase in both residential and commercial building reflecting the nationwide boom in growth and home ownership for the middle class. Prescott’s significant growth occurred in the 1980s; and, since the 1990 census, the population has nearly doubled.
Buildings built during the Early Territorial phase tend to be simple in construction and detail. This character was directly related to Prescott's geographic isolation.
Travel in Arizona during the 1860s and 1870s was arduous, time consuming, and often dangerous. Goods had to be transported hundreds of miles by river, steamer, and mule train from the west coast. Due to high costs, only tools and small building elements were imported.
Adobe, stone, logs, pressed brick, and sawn lumber were the primary construction materials. The skills of available workmen greatly influenced the quality of each building.
Except for log structures, buildings erected during this period tend to be vertical and thin in proportion. These qualities are echoed in the character of windows, doors, and porch columns. Roofs are primarily gabled although some commercial buildings have shed or flat roofs. Ornamental details are frequently nonexistent, and when they do occur, they are small and greatly simplified versions of their prototypes.
Gothic Revival, Classical Revival, and Renaissance Revival forms constitute the stylistic body after which the early buildings were patterned.
Few of the buildings erected prior to 1880 have survived. What has been retained from this phase is the land use pattern and general townscape character.
Commercial structures were built on the front property line and usually abutted buildings on either side. They formed a dense linear mass which is particularly apparent around the Courthouse Plaza. On the other hand, residences were usually situated at least twenty feet from the front property line and ten feet from side lines. Each residence was thereby set in its own frame of grass and trees: a necessary condition for the picturesque ideal which dominated 19th-century design concepts.
Public and semi-public buildings were situated according to their respective function and locations in the town.
Beginning about 1880 and continuing through the turn of the century, building styles became more elaborate and complex. This change was greatly facilitated by the arrival of the railroad in Northern Arizona.
Tools, materials, and building elements became available in larger and heavier units. Imported machinery greatly improved the sophistication of local material suppliers and more knowledgeable craftsmen were attracted to the region.
Many of the structures built at this time were multi-storied, well constructed, and elegantly detailed. Although construction in any significant volume did not begin until the 1890s, the Middle Territorial period might be considered a high water mark in terms of architectural development in Prescott.
Despite the good quality which pervaded most non-residential construction, it was the homes which received the best workmanship and evidenced the most creative design skills. Residences of this period were highly sculpted and ornate.
Massing was typically asymmetrical, although floor plans included both irregular and rectangular shapes. In terms of proportions, the Middle Territorial residences were clearly vertical but they lacked the thrust of earlier designs. Materials were used in combination on the exterior with surfaces faced with clapboard or shingles. Roofs were most commonly gabled with a variety of ridge heights. Details were usually small in derivation; they were frequently supplemented with jigsawed and turned ornament in the carpenter-built tradition. Bay windows, turrets, Palladian windows, dormers, "L"-shaped verandas, and bracketed columns were major design elements.
The origins of Middle Territorial residential design in Prescott are commonly traced to the popular Queen Anne style. However, many of these buildings used a mix of other Victorian influences in the design so that many of the buildings may be best classified simply as Victorian. It is probable that most of these designs were derived from pattern books although professional architects began to appear in the area about 1890.
At about the turn of the 20th century, architectural character changed from exuberance to controlled formality.
Building design shifted from vertical to horizontal orientations; and, eclectic detailing became larger and more academic. The overall effect emphasized treatment of building planes rather than articulation of structure.
One of the major factors influencing this shift toward formality was the ready availability of trained architects in Prescott. Another condition was the increased availability of mail order designs and catalogs of building elements. This increased standardization of the building industry was well revealed in the construction which followed the City's disastrous fire of 1900.
Just as many buildings from the Middle Territorial period can be grouped under the general description of Queen Anne or Victorian, so buildings of the Late Territorial period can be classified as part of the Classical Revival movement.
As used here, Classical Revival encompasses Beaux Arts Classicism, Second Renaissance Revival, Romanesque Revival, Georgian Revival, and Neo-Classical Revival. These structures are characterized by large and more accurately rendered classical details, symmetrical facades, and hipped or gabled roofs.
Craftsman/Classical Bungalow Architecture became the prominent residential style during the first part of the century and remained popular through the 1930s. In some instances, the Queen Anne style also appears as part of the Classical Revival in what may be called 20th Century Transitional.
The granting of statehood to Arizona in 1912 continued the architectural shift toward Neo-Classical design, a trend that is visible throughout Arizona. This time period represents a transitional period in architecture in Arizona. This trend was especially visible in commercial and government buildings.
The primary example of this in Prescott was the construction of the Yavapai County Courthouse in 1916 at the center of the downtown commercial area.
The "revival" styles are a wide range of historically based architectural styles favored by the American public from 1890 to 1940. Colonial Revival and Neo-Classical Revival were popular throughout the entire period and appeared concurrently with the Craftsman Bungalow, Arts and Crafts, and Prairie School styles. Following World War I, other, more varied styles became popular, such as Spanish Colonial, English Tudor, and Mission.
Prescott residential architecture tends to include several revival motifs, including Mission/Spanish Colonial, Gothic, and English Tudor.
This return to Historicism was reinforced in the teens and twenties by the architectural press with numerous articles on the "country house." Unlike the Victorian fondness for the picturesque, which was expressed mostly through a variety of building materials, decorative detailing, and silhouettes, the revivals' historical elusions were based on simpler adaptations of established historic styles.
The overall simplicity of mass also suggested the informality that was "appropriate" for the modern American way of living. Thus, the interiors of the building designed during this period conformed to American concepts of comfort and practicality. Undoubtedly, this informality in living patterns had been influenced by changes in family relationships after the Victorian period and by a shortage of domestic help.
In residential architecture, Colonial Revival styles began to be replaced by more current Bungalow and Craftsman styles, which were popular in California and were readily available through pattern books. The bungalow was intended to be a forthright, direct, and functional dwelling. It was a modest, comfortable-looking, low profile house which communicated a sense of shelter. Lacking the busy three-dimensional ornamentation popular during the Victorian Era, the bungalow was typified by use of materials left as close as possible to their original state. Ornamentation was reserved, and was characterized by exposed beams and rafters, natural stain of wood surfaces, and the use of stone, brick, concrete, and concrete block. French doors leading to porches and terraces were common, as were pergolas. A large brick or stone fireplace was often a major element. The bungalow became the basic middle-class house, replacing the Victorian cottage of the earlier period.
Learn about the Rich History of Prescott Arizona on the Heritage Trail.
Watch our introductory video about this self guided tour below. The trail will guide you through historical sites in our downtown area as well as to some of our most precious museums.
For more information visit our official Tourism Office located at the Chamber of Commerce in downtown Prescott.
Prescott contains 13 Local and 13 National Historic Register Districts, encompassing over 800 National Register Properties.
Owners of properties located in Local Historic Districts must go before the Prescott Preservation Commission for any exterior work requiring a permit.
If you own a property in a National Register District Only and are applying for exterior work requiring a permit; your application will be reviewed administratively by the Historic Preservation Specialist.
The following resources are available to aid you in properly maintaining & planning for your historic property.
The State Historic Property Tax (SPT) program offers a substantial reduction (35-45%) in the state property tax assessment for eligible owners of non-income producing residential properties. This fifteen-year agreement requires maintenance of the property according to federal and Arizona State Parks Board standard. The program is managed by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).
Historic Property Tax Reclassification application
For further guidance on state property tax programs visit SHPO's website , contact Arianna Urban at (602)-542-7138 or aurban@azstateparks.gov.
Owners of commercial, National Register properties may be eligible for special historic preservation tax incentives. The Federal Investment Tax Credit Program authorizes a 20 percent investment tax credit (ITC Program) and can be coupled with accelerated depreciation (SPT Program) for income-producing properties.
The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is responsible for reviewing the eligibility of properties as well as rehabilitation plans to ensure their compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. The following is additional information on these programs:
Visit the National Park Service’s webpage regarding incentives here
For further guidance on federal investment tax programs, visit SHPO's website or contact Susan Lawson at (602)542-6943 or slawson@azstateparks.gov
A comprehensive website for public & private grants and funding sources can be located at PreservationDirectory.com.
Other incentives include special provisions in the International Building Code for Historic Structures as well as conservation and preservation easements that can allow limited tax benefits. Contact the Historic Preservation Specialist for more information.
The City of Prescott’s current Historic Preservation Master Plan was adopted by Council in 1998. It serves as the primary resource for the public, staff and Preservation Commissioners when work on historic properties is proposed. It is referenced in City Code and the City’s Land Development Code as the document governing historic properties and districts.
An update for the Historic Preservation Master Plan (HPMP) is underway, with an estimated completion date of early 2025. Outreach for the HPMP update will begin late Summer 2023 in conjunction with Prescott’s 2025 General Plan Update.
For more information or to provide input please visit the City’s General Plan website at planprescott.com or reach out to us.
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