Is My House Historic, or Just Old? Property Research for the Tucson Area
This past May the Arizona Historical Society presented an online program devoted to how to research your property and determine its historical value. The archivist’s devoted time to the importance of property research, the process, basics on how to get started, and what to do when you get stuck. You can access the video presentation by going to youtube.com and searching for the title of this article.
The main take away for me was the comprehensive resource list they provided that follows:
Speaker Information
AHS Tucson archivists: Rachael Black and Perri Pyle. ahsreference@azhs.gov
Demion Clinco, Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation: info@preservetucson.org
Dan Cowgill, Fidelity Title Company. Market Research: tucsonmr@fnf.com
Arizona Historical Society Resources
How To Search guide for AHS Library & Archives
Library & Archives catalog: catalog.azhsarchives.org
Library & Archives homepage: arizonahistoricalsociety.org/research/library-archives
City of Tucson Resources
Subdivision Maps & Plats: www.tucsonaz.gov/apps/maps-and-records/smp
Historical and Other Surveys: www.tucsonaz.gov/apps/maps-and-records/other-surveys
If your house is listed in the National Register, you can find the application here: www.tucsonaz.gov/preservation/national-register-historic-districts
Tucson Historic Preservation Office: www.tucsonaz.gov/historic-preservation
Pima County Resources
Pima County Assessor’s Office: www.asr.pima.gov
Pima County Recorder’s Office: www.recorder.pima.gov/RecorderHome
Pima County GIS Parcel Search: gis.pima.gov/maps/landbase/parsrch.htm
Pima County Cultural Resources & Historic Preservation Division: webcms.pima.gov/cms/One.aspx?portalId=169&pageId=51010
Pima County Public Libraries: www.library.pima.gov. Some library branches have information on neighborhoods, for example the housing plans for homes in the Sam Hughes neighborhood are at the Himmel Park Library.
UArizona Special Collections
UA Libraries Catalog: new.library.arizona.edu
UA Special Collections: speccoll.library.arizona.edu
Arizona Archives Online: azarchivesonline.org
Other Resources
Historic aerial photos: historicaerials.com
Arizona State Land Department parcel viewer: gis.azland.gov/webapps/parcel
U.S. Bureau of Land Management Records: glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx
Sanborn Maps @ Library of Congress: www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps
Good luck with your research and if any of you discover something noteworthy about your property, we hope you will share it with us for feature on the CFA website’s Historical Glimpses.
Linda Bowers
CFA History Committee