History of the Grant Alvernon Area Plan
Until the early 1930s, the one-mile-square area now called Palo Verde Neighborhood was decidedly rural in nature, characterized by uneven desert terrain, scrubby creosote bushes, thorny mesquite and Palo Verde trees, and water-carved arroyos. It was outside Tucson city limits, and didn’t even rate inclusion on a Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.
Per a 1991 "Tucson Guide" article: In the 1930s, this was an "artists' colony.in PNVA " This was later disputed by a historian at the Tucson Historical Society, who determined that there was no official artists' enclave -- just a few creative residents who happened to be writers or musicians. A focal point of the community was the Palo Verde Market, 1402 N. Palo Verde
Eventually dubbed “Camden-Palo Verde Neighborhood,” the remote landscape nonetheless attracted a certain type of adventurous soul. Prominent residents included land speculator and home builder John Murphey, who later paid a key role in developing the affluent Catalina Foothills. Also residing here was his business partner – noted Swiss architect Josias Joesler, who designed some of Tucson’s most beloved buildings, including St. Philip’s in the Hills Episcopal Church and historic Broadway Village Shopping Center.
For his part, Joesler built at least two houses on Fairmount Street. One, meant for his own family’s use, still stands near Jones Boulevard. (Interestingly, one of the Joesler-built residences eventually became home to psychiatrist Dr. L. Cody Marsh – a pioneer in the concept of group therapy for the mentally ill. An oral history housed at the Arizona Historical Society described his practice more matter-of-factly as “a clinic for disturbed children of wealthy people.”)
Like much of the city, development accelerated in Palo Verde Neighborhood following the end of World War II. In the mid-1940s, the former Desert Sanatorium became the larger Tucson Medical Center. Affordable suburban homes were built to accommodate returning military veterans, East Coast transplants and Tucson’s growing population.
A major milestone occurred when Tucson Unified School District selected the neighborhood to be site of the city’s third high school. Catalina High School opened in 1957, designed for 2,000 students. The school was designed by architect Nicholas Sakellar -- a U.S. Army Air Force veteran (specifically, a B-24 bomber pilot) who moved here in 1947, and was notable for helping introduce modern architecture to Tucson. His firm designed, among other projects, the award-winning Wilmot Branch Library, and the First Methodist Church adjacent to the University of Arizona campus.
By 1962, there were 3,800 students enrolled in double sessions there. In 1979, a 50-meter (Olympic size) swimming pool was constructed on the CHS campus. During the 2016-2017 school, per the Washington DC-based National Center for Educational Statistics, Catalina Magnet High School served 734 students. From the start, Catalina High School was controversial: Due to the red-brick edifice’s modern architectural design, state-of-the-art campus and steep price tag, the local press dubbed it “Disneyland.” Over the years, the educational facility now known as Catalina High Magnet School would find itself at the center of controversy. In 1991 and 2012, Tucson Unified proposed its closure, but community outcry has so far saved Catalina – which now partners with the community and makes its considerable amenities – tennis courts, a skate park, running track, softball field and Olympic-size swimming pool – open to the public.
Palo Verde Neighborhood is a mix of owner- and renter-occupied structures. The homes have various architectural styles, primarily “poetic adobe,” pueblo revival and mid-century red-brick ranch style. It contains churches of various denominations, ethnic restaurants, small businesses and private schools. Businesses tend to be modern in design. The neighborhood has 3 desert “pocket parks” which are a luxury in the Grant-Alvernon Area.
For information or to get involved, contact gaapcommittee@gmail.com