Parks of old Phoenix

The original townsite set aside room for a park (plaza) on Block 23, site of today's downtown Fry's supermarket. You can click on each image for a larger view.

It became City Hall park, Phoenix's first, with a gazebo and shade trees (Brad Hall collection).

In 1905, the park was welcoming people for a concert. Easy access was provided by the Washington Street streetcar (McCulloch Bros. Collection/ASU Archives).

 

Another colorized postcard shows the Carnegie Public Library at 1100 W. Washington, surrounded by a shady park. By the 1970s, it was overrun by junkies and had to be fenced off (City of Phoenix).

The 1929 City-County Building soon after it was built. It was surrounded by grass and eventually mature shade trees. Today, it's dirt and palo verdes (McCulloch Bros./ASU Archives).

The Federal Block at Van Buren and First Avenue was another opportunity to surround the buildings — Federal Building, Salt River Project, and YMCA — with a shady downtown park (McCulloch Bros.Collection/ASU Archives).

Eastlake Park at Jefferson and 16th streets is the oldest "pure" green park in Phoenix, set aside as only a park with a lake and picnic spaces. By the 1930s, the neighborhood was black and Hispanic, along with "Red Light Row" — houses of prostitution secretly owned by powerful Anglos. (Brad Hall collection/photographer unknown).

The 12th Street entrance to Eastlake Park today (City of Phoenix).

Phoenix South Mountain Park's initial 13,000 acres were sold to the city in 1924 for $17,000 — $293,000 in today's dollars. It was gradually enlarged to become the largest municipal park in the world. In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross here. This is a view from Telegraph Pass in the 1950s (City of Phoenix).

The lights of the city from South Mountain Park's Dobbins Overlook (City of Phoenix). The city limits were far to the north when the park began.

Easter Sunday service at Papago Park in 1934 (McCulloch Bros. Collection/ASU Archives).

Papago Park in east Phoenix began as the Papago-Saguaro National Monument. It was delisted in 1930 and the Hoover administration offered it to Phoenix and Tempe. Papago Park became Phoenix's second desert park/preserve, also holding the Desert Botanical Gardens and Phoenix Zoo. In World War II, the eastern section became a POW camp, site of a famous prisoner escape (City of Phoenix).

Hole in the Rock at Papago Park (City of Phoenix).

Portland Parkway today. A legacy of the City Beautiful Movement, parkways on Portland and Moreland were built in the 1920s. The lusher Moreland park was a casualty of the Papago Freeway inner loop (Jon Talton photo).

Encanto Park was the crown jewel of Phoenix's early parks, construction beginning in 1935 and aided by New Deal money and workers. It was conceptualized by William Hartranft, a millionaire philanthropist and chair of the first Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board. He envisioned it as another Balboa Park or Golden Gate Park. It never reached such proportions but it iconic nonetheless. Here's the lagoon and boathouse in 1935 (McCulloch Bros. Collection/ASU Archives).

The Encanto Park lagoon.

EPILOGUE: Despite Encanto's promising start, Phoenix park investment and, especially vision, could never keep up with population growth. Steele Indian School Park was sold as a "Central Park for Phoenix" in the 1990s. But lack of shade trees and cut off from the avenue consigned it to being a disappointment. According to the Trust for Public Land's gold-standard Park Score, Phoenix ranks 84 out of the 100 most populous cities. This despite Phoenix being the nation's fifth most populous city. 

RELATED: The park Phoenix almost lost.

Encanto Park.

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My book, A Brief History of Phoenix, is available to buy or order at your local independent bookstore, or from Amazon.

Read more Phoenix history in Rogue's Phoenix 101 archive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Kevin in Preskitt]

Great photos! The Portland Parkway area is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Phoenix. So pretty, and so much within walking distance.

[Cal Lash]

SOUTH MOUNTAIN PARK
The San Juan road continues to be closed except for 2 days a month.
This has been healthy for natures work.
Also the Park closes on "Silent Sunday" to Motorized traffic beyond the lower level parking sites.

[Cal Lash]

Encanto Park Vietnam Veteran protest:

In the late 1980's i was assigned to the Phoenix Police Internal Affairs Bureau.
Now called Proffessional Standards Bureau. Aint that fancy?
Yes we investigated cops who resembled the police offices depecited in the film, "Internal Affairs" starring Richard Gere. Besides investigations I was responsible for auditing and shredding internal affairs investigative files. This was required by police administrative policy. Consequently i was ordered by my immediate supervisors to destroy police internal affairs materials related to a Protest by Vietnam Veterans at Encanto Park. Many of the demonstrators were maced, handcuffed and arrested by Phoenix Police officers.
The investigative file contained many black and white 8 by 10 photos of the actions that day.
Instead unknown to my immediate supervisors i took the file to an understanding assistant police Chief in charge of the Training Bureau.
He quietly had the files included in the Phoenix police academy training bureau by an understanding Lieutenant.
The assistant Chief was an easy going logical thinker. Actually i don't think he met the height requirment at that time to be a Phoenix police ifficer.
I recall occasionally on my way home at end of shifts i would see his unmarked police car parked in front of the Adult bookstore in the Slope.
Thanks Bud,
you were one of the good cops.

[Cal Lash]

Thanks Jon for this column.
I know most of these parks.
Sunrise service at Papago Park.
They need to remove the nearby military installation.
I recall a infamous City Manager picnic at Papago Park
I have a a family Photo from 1968 at Encanto Park.
Didn't fish there in the 1950's
I got my fish from the Arizona Canal as my dad was a Zanjero. And i had a key.

Eastlake Park was a meeting place for Phoenix police Black Shirt Squad members prior to entering and connecting with folks in the projects.
Out of that violence grew SWAT (SEU).
A less political type of handling "problems".

While on SEU assisting the FBI with Bank Robbers i saw the former Black Shirt Squad leader in North Mountain Park in his Red Caddy. Since he was retired and appeared to be occupied i just waved.

I was a member of the first SEU/SAU squad.

[Cal Lash]

Note: the 20 Acre Zanjero Park in Gilbert is a good visit.

[hellfire]

Why does the Papago part amphitheater sit unused today? I bike up there and walk around sometimes, it’s weird to see pictures of crowds there considering.

[Mariam Cheshire]

Fred Cheshire taught math to 7th & 8th graders at Royal Palm from 1969 for fifteen years. Weekends and summers he ran an archery program at Encanto Park that touched perhaps 150 people a year.
One year half of the U.S. Olympic team got its start with Fred at Encanto and two archers continued on to play in the Olympics. Other high school and college teams practiced at Encanto winning state and national titles.
“Worries Won’t Happen – Fred’s Story” (available on Amazon and Kindle) includes many of the activities at Encanto in those early years. As one of his archers said, “Encanto Park had such a great feel about it. It was so comfortable. People hung out for a day there.”

Cal -- we had our family picnics at Encanto through the 60's, 70's, 80's -- I don't remember how long.

Jon - I have a couple of Encanto archery pictures if there is any way to post them.
Mariam

[DoggieCombover]

I play "championship golf" at Encanto Park. It is one of the oldest courses in town and a classic old school layout. The architecture of the old neighborhoods surrounding the course are worth the price of admission, and the now urban high rise backdrop makes it truly unique. It's like time travel to go there, the pond still has fishermen and paddle boats, the kids amusement park is adjacent to the course with the "bogey train" tootling in the background.

[Ruben]

Doggie,

After years of playing at Encanto and hitting the occasional golf ball on to Thomas road, I never hit a car or car windshield. Whew!

[Cal Lash]

Sad. Today's parks are nothing compared to the great planet park 12000 years ago. They are over whelmed by numbers of destructive stupid people and vehicles.
Google a good article.
The Murder of Nature by Johnathan Cook

[Mariam Cheshire]

And the generations of ducks (or maybe geese) are still there. My great-great-granddaughter had her fifth birthday party there and is planning on her sixth, including a ride for all the kids on the train.
Mariam

[Pat]

Well, who knew Papago park used to be a National Monument? Not me. Damn that Hoover!

[Cal Lash]

Hoover Dam?
Pat, the problem began when some lazy Hunter/gatherers decided to squat in their own shit.
A Village.
Then society.
Obviously a failed project
Suggest your kids consider
a mountain cave and a few goats.
No Mozart.
Are humans the mythical gods latest experiment.

[AzRebel]

calvinator, you forgot a step.

A study of 450 civilizations found that when a civilization reached one million citizens, a "religion" would emerge in order to help the society keep order. These civilizations were located all over the world, over the past 7,000 years, with the same end result.

Makes you go Hmmmmmmm????

[Cal Lash]

4500 religions and counting
I missed that study.