Roosevelt Historic District, Phoenix: homes from the 1890s to 1930

At a glance

The Roosevelt Historic District in Phoenix: what you're buying

The City of Phoenix listed Roosevelt in September 1986, its earliest listing date among the city's residential districts, and gives it a period of significance of 1895 to 1930. The district is generally bounded by McDowell Road, Fillmore Street, Central Avenue and Seventh Avenue, and Interstate 10 crosses it. Streets on the city map include Roosevelt, Portland, Moreland, Culver, Willetta, Lynwood, Latham, McKinley, Pierce, Garfield and Fillmore streets and First through Eighth avenues.

This guide covers the residential HP district the city calls Roosevelt, a different place from Roosevelt Row. The names are easy to confuse, so confirm the district on the parcel's zoning.

The Roosevelt Historic District fits if

• You want a house from the 1910s or earlier. Half of Roosevelt's homes were built by 1920, and 95% before 1950.
• You want a large house on a large lot near downtown. The median home has 2,084 square feet on 9,425 square feet of land.
• You like Prairie and Craftsman design. No other part of Phoenix of this size has as many Prairie buildings.

Look beyond the Roosevelt Historic District if

• You want a quiet single-family street. Only 167 of Roosevelt's 341 parcels are single-family homes. In Willo, 884 of 926 are.
• You need a lower price. Garfield's median Assessor value is $331,800 against Roosevelt's $696,700.
• You want curving streets and a park. Encanto-Palmcroft has both.

Roosevelt Historic District lots: 100, 70 or 50 feet wide

In Roosevelt, lot width changes from street to street, because each early addition set its own. The National Register nomination gives three widths, and the width is the first thing to check on a listing.

Roosevelt's 100-foot lots in the Simms Addition

Lots in the Simms Addition, on Portland Street and on Roosevelt Street from Central to Third Avenue, were generally 100 feet wide. Col. J.T. Simms, who built the Arizona Canal with W.J. Murphy, platted the addition in 1893 and designed Portland and Moreland streets with landscaped center islands. Portland's medians survive.

Roosevelt Street's 70-foot lots

On Roosevelt Street between Third and Sixth avenues, lots were 70 feet wide. Roosevelt Street and Second Avenue also hold the district's larger two-story houses and its apartment buildings.

Roosevelt's 50-foot lots

Everywhere else, lots were 50 feet wide, the same standard as Coronado and Willo. Most of the district's buildings are one- and one-and-a-half-story houses and duplexes. The Assessor's middle half of lots, 7,700 to 10,150 square feet, shows the spread.

Prairie, Craftsman and Victorian houses in the Roosevelt Historic District

The nomination's style count: Bungalow 51%, Prairie 13%, Period Revival 10%, Southwestern vernacular 8%, Neoclassical Revival 6%, Victorian vernacular 2% and Moderne 1%.

Roosevelt Prairie-style houses

Roosevelt has a larger concentration of Prairie-style buildings than any comparably sized area of Phoenix. One is an "aeroplane bungalow", with a second-story sleeping loft perched on a one-story house.

Roosevelt Craftsman and Japo-Swiss bungalows

Bungalows are half the district. The nomination singles out ten Craftsman bungalows of exceptional workmanship and two Japo-Swiss bungalows.

Victorian vernacular and Neoclassical Revival in Roosevelt

The district's earliest styles are its rarest: Victorian vernacular is 2% of the count and Neoclassical Revival 6%. If an 1890s house is the goal, expect a long wait between chances.

Roosevelt's landmark buildings

Trinity Cathedral and the Bishop Atwood residence were designed by Charles A. Coolidge of Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge; the nomination calls the cathedral one of the finest examples of religious architecture in Phoenix. The Gold Spot Marketing Center was one of the first Phoenix shopping centers built to serve a specific neighborhood, and Kenilworth Elementary School at 1210 North Fifth Avenue has been individually listed on the National Register since 1982.

Why single-family homes are scarce in Roosevelt

Roosevelt was never only houses. Four major apartment buildings went up on Roosevelt Street between Third and Fifth avenues from 1918 to 1924, and the Patio Royale Apartments followed in 1928, mainly for winter visitors. By the early 1980s, about a quarter of the buildings had been converted inside from single-family to multi-family use, and about 10% to offices.

Buying a converted house in the Roosevelt Historic District

A house that was split into units decades ago may come to you that way. Before you plan to turn it back into one home, or to keep renting the units, confirm the current zoning and permits for that parcel. Inside work that doesn't touch the exterior may need ordinary permits, while anything that changes the outside goes through HP review.

Roosevelt's 167 single-family homes

The Assessor counts 167 single-family homes among 341 parcels in the city's district boundary, against 884 in Willo and 1,014 in Coronado. Expect few choices at any one time, and be ready to move when the right one lists.

How the Roosevelt neighborhood grew after the 1891 flood

After the Salt River floods of 1890 and February 1891, Phoenix residents moved north to higher ground. That move produced the additions that make up the district: the Simms Addition (1893), Bennett Place (platted by Guy and Saidie D. Bennett in 1894), Plank's Addition, Chester Place and the Kenilworth Addition, developed from 1893 to 1937.

The Fifth Avenue streetcar in Roosevelt

In 1910 the Phoenix Railway Company extended a streetcar line along Fifth Avenue north to Roosevelt Street.

Roosevelt Park and Latham Street

Roosevelt Park was developed in 1934 in Bennett Place and counts as contributing to the district. Nearby Latham Street is named for H.I. Latham, who platted the Latham Addition, later replatted as Chelsea Place.

The Roosevelt Historic District on the National Register

The National Register lists the Roosevelt Historic District from November 30, 1983, as part of the Roosevelt Neighborhood Multiple Resource Area, with three neighboring districts (Chelsea Place, Kenilworth and Portland Street) listed the same day. The National Register district covers about 48 acres and 109 major buildings; the city's HP boundary takes in a larger area.

HP rules and additions in the Roosevelt Historic District

Every property inside the city boundary carries the HP overlay, the apartment buildings and offices included, and outside work that needs a permit goes through review: a Certificate of No Effect from staff for minor items, or a Certificate of Appropriateness after a hearing. The Phoenix HP zoning explainer sets out each step.

How a Roosevelt house loses its historic status

Roosevelt shows what's at stake. A 1996 National Park Service update removed twelve properties as contributors after they were demolished, and in 2004 a house on North Fifth Avenue was removed after large additions. A big addition can cost a house its contributing status. Before you plan one, read the historic property tax guide and book a pre-application meeting with a city preservation planner.

Demolition in the Roosevelt Historic District

Demolition needs a separate HP approval with a sign posted on the site, and an applicant who is denied can ask for an economic hardship hearing.

Roosevelt Historic District or Garfield: price and age

Roosevelt and Garfield both have roots in the 1880s and 1890s, one west of Central Avenue and one east. The Assessor's figures put them far apart.

The $364,900 gap at the median buys about 877 more square feet and 2,550 more square feet of land in Roosevelt, where Portland Street's medians and 100-foot lots are. Garfield gives you more houses to choose from and a far lower entry point, with smaller cottages and bungalows. If you want size and Prairie design, choose Roosevelt; if you want an early house on a tighter budget, choose Garfield.

Inspecting a Roosevelt Historic District home

A house built around 1920 has had a century of repairs. Ask the inspector to trace which systems are original, and price any outside repair together with its HP review. The inspection guide for historic homes and the insurance guide cover the rest, and the Phoenix historic home buying guide covers the steps from offer to close.

The Roosevelt Neighborhood Home Tour

The Roosevelt Action Association's 2026 Roosevelt Neighborhood Home Tour is on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; tickets are $15 for each guest 12 and older. For houses for sale, Phoenix Realtor Joe Janus can send recent Roosevelt sales and set up showings. Other districts are on the full list of Phoenix historic districts.

Roosevelt Historic District FAQs