List of historic properties in Mesa, Arizona


This is a list, which includes a photographic gallery, of some of the remaining historic structures and monuments in Mesa, Arizona. Mesa is a city in Maricopa County located east of Phoenix. Mesa is the third largest city in Arizona, after Phoenix and Tucson.

Brief history

The early Mormon pioneers founded a settlement which they named Utahville. They shortly renamed their settlement Lehi. They rebuilt the ancient canals that the Hohokam tribe had once built and the area became successful as an agricultural haven. However, on March 5, 1877, the pioneers built a Fort with adobe bricks which they named "Fort Utah" to protect their families and fields from the Apaches who often attacked them. In 1886, the town Post Office name was changed to Zenos. In 1889, the Post Office Department finally allowed the name Mesa City. There was a flood in Lehi in 1891, which destroyed Fort Utah and carried away acres of valuable farmland in low-lying areas.
There are numerous properties in Mesa which are historical and which have either been listed in the National Register of Historic Places or in the list of the Mesa Historic Properties. The Mesa Historic Preservation Program, established by the city, facilitates public knowledge understanding and appreciation of the City's historic past.
The city of Mesa cannot keep the private owners of the properties from demolishing them. Before a structure in a historic district or landmark can be demolished it must receive approval from the Historic Preservation Officer. A permit of demolishment will be provided if the property represents an immediate hazard. Other requests will be denied for a period of six months, in which time the Historic Preservation Officer will look for ways to save the structure. The structure may be demolished if at the end of the six months a plan to save the structure has not been established
Included and pictured in this list are the historic properties which are located in what once was Williams Air Force Base. The base was once an active training base for the United States Army Air Forces, which later became the United States Air Force. The base closed in 1993. Part of the base was annexed by Mesa and the other part by the city of Phoenix. The area in which the base was located has been converted into a civilian airport called the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and an educational campus anchored by the Arizona State University and Chandler-Gilbert Community College. On May 19, 2016, the "Falcon Field World War II Aviation Hangars" were listed in the National Register of Historic Places, reference #16000266. Pictured is one of the hangars.

The following are images of some of these properties with a short description of the same.

Old Fort Utah

The following buildings and houses of religious worship which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and/or the Mesa Historic Properties are pictured in this section with a brief description of the same. The Arizona Museum of Natural History was actually built where the city hall, jail and courthouse were once located. The museum kept the 1884 Territorial jail cells and has them on display. Also, pictured is the 1926 Town Center Clock located at the NE corner of W. Main and Macdonald. This clock was originally across the street at 61 West Main but, was moved to this corner in 1932. The clock mechanism has been updated.
The following is a brief description of the houses pictured in this section.
The Southern Pacific 2355 was built in 1912 by Baldwin Locomotive Works. The heavy 4-6-0 "Ten Wheel" steam locomotive was retired from service in 1957. It is now on display at Mesa's Pioneer Park.

Williams Air Force Base

Williams Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base, located in the city of Mesa. It was active as a training base for both the United States Army Air Forces, as well as the USAF from 1941 until its closure in 1993. Williams was the leading pilot training facility of the USAF, supplying 25% of all pilots.
The following are the images of the remaining structures of the historic base with a brief description of the same.
The Arizona Commemorative Air Force Museum, a.k.a. Airbase Arizona Aircraft Museum, was established in 1978, in Falcon Field in Mesa, Arizona. It is the 10th unit of the Commemorative Air Force and the home of one of the largest Commemorative Air Force units in the world. On exhibit are World War II artifacts, helicopters and classic American and foreign combat planes, many of which are the last remaining warbirds of their kinds. The propeller in frint of the building is one of four which was installed on a B-29 Super Fortress.
Among the historic aircraft's and artifacts pictured are the following:
The Mesa Grande Cultural Park contains the excavated remnants of a large Hohokam public and ceremonial mound that was occupied from approximately 1100 to 1450. It is located at 1000 N. Date St. The Mesa Grande Cultural Park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1978, reference number 78000549. The following is a brief description of the images posted.

City of Mesa Cemetery

The City of Mesa Cemetery is a historic cemetery which was established in 1891 and is located at 1212 N. Center Street. Among the many notable citizens of that city which are interred there are the four founding fathers of Mesa: