Sears kit bungalow house 1915 (Phoenix: houses, neighborhood, gated)

[roosevelt]

This is the Kaler house on 3rd AVe. and Friar, north Central area. The owner is seeking permission to tear it down as it is a historical building. The house is rare, a 1915 Sears kit bungalow sent out here by railroad and assembled on site. The house looks in mint condition. Even the porch is original. Mr. Kaler owned acreage bought from Murphy and had many acres of citrus groves. Kaler Drive is named after him.

[cactusland]

So why does the owner want to tear down a historical house? There are plenty of other properties he could put whatever he wanted up on instead of a historic site. It might not be exactly what he wants, but that is the consequence of owning something from our past.

[ozzeran]

Those Sear's houses have stood the test of time and I love the look of them.

I would hate for that to be demolished at the hand of another person because they want to build something more modern.

[KurtAZ]

Well...make them an offer, I am sure they will sell it to you if the price is right. I mean the Zestimate is only $318k in a neighborhood of million dollar homes...

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by roosevelt

This is the Kaler house on 3rd AVe. and Friar, north Central area. The owner is seeking permission to tear it down as it is a historical building. The house is rare, a 1915 Sears kit bungalow sent out here by railroad and assembled on site.

Anyone who's really that concerned can almost certainly go out and offer to move the house, and spare the owner the trouble and expense of demo.

However, few are really that concerned. Most "preservationists" want someone else to pay to maintain history.

[tumamoc]

I don't think this particular property would be considered eligible for listing in the National Register or Arizona Register of Historic Places, which is about the only way preservation could be mandated. And even then, the owners could just let it fall apart. It's neither associated with a person significant to history, nor an important historic event. These houses aren't the work of a master (for example, Frank Lloyd Wright). It is hardly unique--there were a lot of these kits sold, and there is a lot of documentation on these homes already.

[Burning Madolf]

Originally Posted by tumamoc

I don't think this particular property would be considered eligible for listing in the National Register or Arizona Register of Historic Places, which is about the only way preservation could be mandated. And even then, the owners could just let it fall apart. It's neither associated with a person significant to history, nor an important historic event. These houses aren't the work of a master (for example, Frank Lloyd Wright). It is hardly unique--there were a lot of these kits sold, and there is a lot of documentation on these homes already.

I agree, BUT I think this house has in fact been Registered since 1992 (according to Wiki fwiw).


If the owner bought it and wants to tear it down then they're probably SOL.


Now, if they want to get into a legal battle and try to de-Register, that's a different discussion altogether.

[tumamoc]

Originally Posted by Burning Madolf

I agree, BUT I think this house has in fact been Registered since 1992 (according to Wiki fwiw).


If the owner bought it and wants to tear it down then they're probably SOL.


Now, if they want to get into a legal battle and try to de-Register, that's a different discussion altogether.

Ha. Shows what I know. From the National Register Nomination form: The Kaler House is a small, 1918 Craftsman Bungalow Style farmhouse located in north central Phoenix, Arizona. It is nominated to the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for its significant place in the development of the small-scale, irrigated farming that characterized Salt River Valley agriculture following the building of Roosevelt Dam. It is also nominated under Criterion C as a rare example of a once common type of rural architecture.

[Hschlick84]

Id leave the house alone, plenty of empty lots to build a modern mcmansion.

[sheena12]

Originally Posted by cactusland

So why does the owner want to tear down a historical house? There are plenty of other properties he could put whatever he wanted up on instead of a historic site. It might not be exactly what he wants, but that is the consequence of owning something from our past.

This ^^^^