Cheery Lynn Historic District

(added 1994 – Maricopa County – #94001485) Also known as Cheery Lynn Subdivision 16th St. to Randolph Rd. and Earll Dr. to Flower St., Phoenix (390 acres, 57 buildings)

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Historic Significance: Architect, builder, or engineer: Architectural Style: Area of Significance: Period of Significance: Historic Function: Historic Sub-function: Current Function: Current Sub-function:

Carr, Marion E. Bungalow/Craftsman, Tudor Revival, Mission/Spanish Revival Architecture, Community Planning And Development 1925-1949 Domestic Single Dwelling Domestic Single Dwelling

MORE HISTORY

“You will find the tract on the west side of Sixteenth Street one and one-quarter miles north of McDowell Road. Just three miles north of the post office, in walking distance from golf links and Country club. There are two model homes on the tract, awaiting your inspection beautiful homes. There is an abundance of good water. The lots have a 60-foot frontage and can be bought for easy terms. Watch for the opening announcement!”

“DRIVE OUT TO CHEERY LYNN TODAY”

And drive they did …  In Studebakers, Packard’s, and Nash’s. The year was 1928, Hoover won the White House, Earhart flew across the Atlantic, and Phoenix was in the midst of a building boom. The Cheery Lynn subdivision was one of several new neighborhoods brought to market. Its call to buyers drive out today heralded a new phase in the physical expansion of the growing city.

[cheery lynn historic homes] On January 28, 1928, a tract of land described as Lot 1 Beverly Heights was subdivided under the name of Cheery Lynn. Bounded by 16th Street on the east and Earl Drive on the south, the project was three miles from downtown, somewhat isolated from “in-town” neighborhoods, and a dramatic departure from development patterns of the past. Ownership of automobiles was now widespread, and neighborhoods no longer need be tied to rail lines. Services, amenities and marketing now determined the success of residential development. Cheery Lynn was promoted as ultra modern, progressive, and indicative of the decline of streetcars, heralded as on the road to the new Arizona Biltmore. Subdivided by William Fosburg, the project contained 89 lots, 60 feet wide along 60-foot streets. While early Phoenix developments had concentrated on the sale of lots, Cheery Lynn represented the newest trend of packaging completed homes in a neighborhood stamped with a defined character and identity.

[cheery lynn historic homes]

Fourteen Tudor Revival homes were constructed in Cheery Lynn in 1928. This early construction, when teamed with subsequent styles, has left Cheery Lynn with its most striking feature a dramatic interplay of the angles and pitches displayed by the roofs of competing architectural styles.

Just after the Great Depression, Monterey and other Spanish Revivals would eclipse the English styles, with the Monterey look providing Cheery Lynn with its most dominant style. Constructed primarily of block, a typical home featured low walls and wing walls, some forming courtyards; vigas (wood beams)arches; and rooflines highlighted by red tile.

[cheery lynn historic homes]

Fueled by the loan insurance programs of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), home construction took on a new vitality. With the loans came regulation and standards that once again changed the look of construction. Lavish Period Revivals gave way to more muted forms. Diversity was replaced by uniformity and consistency. Floor plans were simplified, material was standardized, and ornamentation reduced to a minimum. Period styles gradually evolved into the Transitional and Early Ranch Styles, simple structures characterized by an L-shaped pan, low-pitched gable or hip roof, and columned porch at the entry. While a small number of these homes were constructed in Cheery Lynn prior to World War II, the majority of the subdivision’s post-War homes were modest versions of the French Provincial Ranch Style, which became the quintessential style of the Post-War West.

Bearing witness to the past, Cheery Lynn today reflects and preserves the history of the city’s development. Water, politics, technology, and ingenuity all combined to create this unique enclave of homes at the northern edge of the city’s surging residential core. Historic designation of the district has focused added attention on the value of preserving such an asset and will ensure the future of Cheery Lynn Historic into the new century.

Information courtesy of Historic Preservation Office, City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department