We’ve traveled to Tucson frequently, starting in the early 1980s. We are both theatrical designers (Don designs lights; Vicki designs scenery); and we often work at Arizona Theatre Company, which is right across the street from the Old Barrio. During breaks from rehearsals, we’ve taken many, many walks through this wonderful neighborhood, the nearby areas of Barrio Santa Rosa, Armory Park and, occasionally, the Tucson foothills. The photos in this book were all taken during those walks. But, before we get to our pictures, a brief history…
The Barrio Viejo (Old Barrio) was one of the original urban communities in Tucson, first developed in the mid-19th century. The oldest homes date from the 1840s, when Arizona was still part of Mexico. The neighborhood has one of the largest collections of 19th century adobe buildings in the United States. For many years, the area fell outside of the jurisdiction of the city of Tucson, hence its original name, Barrio Libre. Prior to the 1880s, the area was a Free Zone, without legal restraint, few policeman, and a colorful street life.
During Tucson’s Mexican period, neighborhoods were based on Spanish community-planning principles: one-story simple rectangular rowhouses built right up to the street, enclosing outdoor courtyards. Roofs were relatively flat; door were wood-planked and set back from the face of the buildings. There were roof drainage pipes (canales) and, otherwise, very little ornamentation. The arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1880 brought an influx of Anglo and Chinese settlers and, along with them, Tucson’s greatest period of growth. Dense rows of adobe buildings were built along the barrio’s major streets. This period also brought new building styles: detached houses sometimes set back from the street, gabled or pyramid roofs, and Victorian embellishments. By the 1890’s, although adobe continued to be widely used, residents began to favor more “modern” building materials like brick and stone, a trend which continued into the first few decades of the 20th century.
By mid-century, many of the homes had fallen into disrepair; and the city of Tucson proposed an urban-renewal plan which recommended demolishing almost the entire of the Old Barrio to make way for downtown expansion. More than 1,200 buildings were to be destroyed and 5,000 people relocated. Local opposition to the plan saved the neighborhood; but in 1964, the city did decide to make room for a new Tucson Convention Center. This plan succeeded; 80 buildings were demolished and 1,200 people displaced. When a new freeway was proposed that would have demolished many more homes in the neighborhood, the community took action; and in 1972, the state decided to stop further deconstruction.
A local historic preservation movement began in the 1970s to protect the neighborhood from more damage; and, in 1978, the Barrio Viejo was listed on the National Register of Historic Districts.