HISTORY OF AHWATUKEE
Ahwatukee, Arizona
Archaeological Consulting Services Ltd. (ACS) initiated
this investigation of the Slawson home and the original Ahwatukee
Ranch house:
The Slawson home was first recorded when ACS
performed the cultural resource survey for the Ahwatukee expansion
in early November 1979. It was given site number AZ T:12:2 (ACS) and
brief field observations and a sketch map were made at that time.
The Slawson home was the only remaining part of a complex of
buildings which comprised the Ahwatukee Ranch.
Byron Slawson
was caretaker for the property from 1921 until his death in 1976.
Much of what we have learned about this home and the ranch has been
gained through interviews with Mr. Slawson's two daughters, Mrs. Ann
Adams and Mrs. Berma Evans. The Slawson home had been occupied by
Mr. and Mrs. Adams until April 1979. When the house was recorded in
November of that year, it was obvious that it had been the target of
vandals.
The house was purportedly posing a health hazard to
surrounding homes since it was badly infested with termites and
rats. Presley Development Company was, thus, asked to destroy the
house and, in November 1980, bulldozed the property.
Based on
consultation with the State Historic Preservation Office, the survey
report recommended that the structure was eligible for inclusion on
the National Register of Historic Places and further documentation
of the building and its connection with the Ahwatukee Ranch were
required prior to development. More thorough documentation of the
home, through interviews and historic research, was required to
gather together all existing information on the structure and its
context once it was destroyed.
Construction and Design
The Ahwatukee Ranch was
the design of Mr. and Mrs. W.V.B. Ames, millionaire dentist and
inventor, and his wife, originally from Chicago, Illinois. Dr. Ames
leased and then purchased 12 sections of land, immediately south of
the Phoenix South Mountains, from the State of Arizona for only
$4.00 per acre.
The Ames' intended to use the ranch as a
winter residence. Originally, a small house was constructed on the
property and served as a place for Dr. Ames to reside while the
larger house, known as Casa de Suenos (house of my dreams, in
Spanish) was under construction.
The principal architect for
the larger house was Mr. Lester Mahoney of Lescher, Kibbey, and
Mahoney, Architects (the firm was later known as Lescher and
Mahoney, Architects and Engineers, Ltd.). Final design plans for the
home were completed in May of 1921. Mr. Mahoney is a noted Arizona
architect who designed over 2500 homes and buildings in Arizona,
California, and New Mexico before he retired in 1975.
He was
the principal architect on a number of significant historic
buildings in the central Phoenix area (Frankeberger 1979). Probably
one of his most noteworthy contributions was the Palace West
Theatre. This building was designed in the Spanish Colonial Revival
style of architecture and resembles a Spanish courtyard. It is noted
for extensive decoration on its interior and exterior
trim.
This building is important not only for its exceptional
design and ornate character, but also for its historical association
with early entertainment in Phoenix. Other buildings designed by
Leslie Mahoney include the old Post Office building at 522 North
Central Avenue, the Title and Trust Building at 114 West Adams, Good
Samaritan, Memorial, St. Joseph's and Veterans' hospitals, the
Phoenix Newspaper building at 120 East Van Buren, St. Mary's School
at 380 East Van Buren, Veterans' Memorial Coliseum, the Arizona
State House of Representatives and Senate additions to the Arizona
State Capitol Building, and the Central United Methodist Church at
1875 North Central Avenue.
R. R. Vogt and ultimately, A. P.
Slawson were the contractors and construction supervisors for the
home. The cost of construction of the ranch was projected to reach
the neighborhood of $50,000 before it was
completed.
According to a newspaper account (Chandler
Arizonan, September 29, 1921), the following individuals and
companies were responsible for construction: J. D. Dunn
(electrician); Arizona Hardware and Lumber Company; Louis Henry
(painter); W. P. Pleasant; Byron Slawson; Everett DeBolt; George
Armstrong; and Jack O'Brien.
Construction of the main ranch
house was begun in February 1921, and the Ames' were able to move in
on Thanksgiving Day of that same year. While under construction, the
house was referred to in a newspaper article as 'one of the oddest
and most unique homes ever built in the west' and labeled the
'mystic home' (Chandler Arizonan, September 29, 1921).
The
Ahwatukee Ranch house was one of the finest homes constructed in
Arizona in its time. It consisted of two principal sections
surrounding two large patios. There were 17 rooms, seven bathrooms,
and four fireplaces. The main section served as the living quarters
for the Ames' and their guests, and included a master bedroom,
several guest rooms, a dining room, a billiards room, and kitchen.
The kitchen was equipped with a walk-in refrigerator with a
1.5 ton capacity for ice. There was also a large walk-in storage
pantry next to the kitchen. The second section of the house
contained the servants' quarters. Each section opened onto a
separate patio or courtyard surrounded by a covered walkway.
The main or south patio measured 40 by 70 feet and was
ringed by a 12-foot-wide covered walkway built of solid redwood. The
north patio, associated with the servants' quarters, was smaller in
size, measuring roughly 20 by 40 feet.
Byron Slawson was
asked to assume the duties of caretaker and handyman once
construction was completed. He remained in this capacity until 1976,
the time of his death. It is unclear when the separate quarters for
Mr. Slawson and his family were built.
According to Mr.
Slawson's daughters, it is likely that the original house built for
Dr. Ames was moved from its position west of the main house to the
location south of the main house. At that time, a third bedroom,
kitchen, and bathroom were added to the house, and the Slawsons
gained the use of it.
Mr. Slawson had been a cotton farmer
and handyman in Chandler before moving to the ranch. He was born in
Bennington, Indiana, in 1892, and moved to Arizona in 1913. He was
the brother of A. P. Slawson, who served as construction
foreman.
Before continuing the discussion of the Ahwatukee
Ranch, it is necessary to understand the term "ranch" in this case
is somewhat a misnomer. There never was any intention to operate
this land as a ranch or farm. Its sole purpose was to function as
the winter residence for the Ames. The use of the ranch changed
little with subsequent owners.
Occupants and Visitors
As mentioned earlier, Dr. and Mrs. Ames moved into the house
on Thanksgiving Day, 1921. Mr. Ames died only three months later,
but Mrs. Ames continued to use the ranch until her death some 12
years later. Little is known about Mrs. Ames, other than that she
spent most of her time with her chauffeur and companion, Marion
Jones.
Jones also helped with the Ames' dairy farm near
Libertyville, Illinois, when Mrs. Ames moved back to the Midwest for
the summer. Mrs. Ames had a trail built up into the South Mountains
in order to overlook the city of Phoenix.
The only visitor to
the ranch that can be documented was Swami Yogananda (Yogananda
1954). Swami Yogananda apparently visited the ranch on a number of
occasions over a period of several years. Ames requested these
visits because she was quite interested in the Self-Realization
Fellowship.
Swami Yogananda introduced the Self-Realization
movement to the United States and Western Europe. He preached a
doctrine of fulfilling one's potential through positive
understanding of one's self.
He established a number of
'churches' throughout the United States and lectured across much of
the country. At the time of her death, Mrs. Ames willed the property
to St. Luke's Hospital. Shortly before her death, however, she gave
some of the ranch land to the City of Phoenix, and it was added to
the South Mountain Park Preserve.
Miss Helen Brinton,
originally from Dixon, Illinois, bought the property from St. Luke's
Hospital in 1935. Before purchasing the ranch, Miss Brinton wintered
at the San Marcos Hotel in Chandler.
This, in addition to
her prior ownership of several parcels of land near the ranch, gave
her a familiarity with the area of her new home. The house continued
to be used primarily in the winter, from October or November through
May.
After purchasing the ranch, Miss Brinton returned to
Dixon, Illinois, and later to Big Horn, Wyoming, where she also
owned property, for the summer months. What was once her home in Big
Horn, Wyoming, is now the Bradford-Brinton Museum, where an
extensive collection of western art and Indian artifacts can be
seen. Miss Brinton is credited with renaming the ranch, Ahwatukee,
from the translation of Casa de Suenos into the Crow Indian
language.
Miss Brinton made several changes to the house.
One of the main changes she instituted was to shift the formal
dining area to the billiards room and use the old dining area as a
living room or parlor. She also made some changes to the living
quarters, particularly to the section of the house off the southeast
corner of the main patio. She added a flagstone entryway to the west
side of the house.
Residents in the area at the time created
stories about the ranch, including the idea that several famous
movie stars visited Miss Brinton. According to these stories, John
Wayne, Glenn Ford, and Bert Parks visited her during the 1940s and
1950s.
There is no documentation available to substantiate
these stories, and, in all likelihood, they are false. A number of
wealthy visitors from the Chicago area were entertained at the ranch
during this period, but they reflected the lifestyle of Miss
Brinton, who was so conservative, she would not allow a telephone or
a radio into the house.
At the time of her death in 1961,
Miss Brinton left the house to her nieces, Barbara Hackett and Pat
Brinton. They, in turn, sold the house to a land syndicate headed by
Walter Ong. The property changed hands around 1970 and was, at the
time of its demise, part of the land controlled by Presley
Development Company of Arizona.
When the main house was
dismantled around 1975, people from the immediate vicinity were
allowed to come and salvage parts of it. Some of the redwood
paneling was taken to the Lady of Guadalupe Church and is used today
to display church statuary and other items. Unfortunately, all that
remains of the house are these bits of interior decor and a number
of pictures.
FLOOR PLANS
A bell tower was located
in a corner. An old Spanish bell, which may have been cast in the
18th century, hung in the tower. (It was thought by some that the
bell may have been cast in Phoenix and simply made to look old.) The
bell was used to signal for help or to call Mr. Slawson to the main
house.
Located approximately over the pantry area was the
large tower which held a 2000 gallon water tank. Water from this
holding tank was distributed using a gravity system to the different
parts of the house. Alongside the water tower was the high chimney
for the fireplace located in the billiards room. Next to the pantry
was the large walk-in refrigerator which had a 1.5 ton ice
capacity.
The interior treatment of the home was quite
elegant. Besides the large fireplace in the billiards room, there
were a number of hand-wrought iron chandeliers originally made for
candles but later converted to hold electric bulbs. Mexican tiles
surrounded many of the rooms, and white marble covers were placed
over the electrical distribution panels.
The exterior of the
house reflected both Spanish and Hopi Indian styles of architecture.
The building was constructed so that it could be shut up tightly.
Several of the windows had wooden shutters which closed on the
inside of the house. The walls were constructed of cement and were
coated with stucco.
Wall thickness was 3-3/4 inches. All of
the living areas focused inward toward the patio. According to one
account, 'it was possible to go from any room to any other without
being exposed to the desert sun.' (Ahwatukee Newspaper. n.d.)
because of the overhang covering the patio walkways.
The use
of Mexican hand-wrought iron also extended to the exterior portions
of the house. Particularly noteworthy were the stair railings on the
steps leading from the south patio to the north roof and the front
gate. The hand-crafted gate consisted of redwood and wrought iron
and was built around 1935.
The main supports were two 16 by
16 inch redwood posts which had been shipped to Chandler from
California. Byron Slawson, who constructed the gate, brought the
redwood from Chandler and assembled the gate on the entrance road
(Warner Road) leading east from the house.
THE GROUNDS
Byron Slawson was chiefly responsible for planting and upkeep
of the grounds. Shrubs and flowers were planted in the large patio
areas as were several large trees. Date palms and an Alleppo Pine
provided shade for the main patio. Mrs. Ames had a small goldfish
pond installed in this area. A number of large goldfish and aquatic
plants were grown in this pond until it was removed by Miss Brinton.
Miss Brinton made several changes to the main patio. She
added a stair railing and took down the vines and sweet peas that
were grown along the wall. To the west of the north wing of the
house was a walled citrus and date palm grove. Flowers, especially
sweet peas, were grown west of the house and south of this
grove.
A memorable aspect of the landscape design for
the ranch, added by Miss Brinton, was the collection of a wide
variety of native cacti and succulents. The natural desert to the
east of the main house was left unchanged by Mrs. Ames while she
lived in the home.
Miss Brinton was chiefly responsible for
the enhancement of this setting. Mr. Slawson collected several
varieties of prickly pear, saguaro, organ pipe, several varieties of
cholla, including both tree and chain tree and chain cholla, boxing
glove, golden barrel, red and yellow blossom barrel, joshua tree,
strawberry cacti, and ocotillo.
Procurement of certain
species such as the organ pipe required long distance travel by
wagon to the Ajo area. Baled straw was used to pack the cactus arms
for support on the long and rough ride north to the ranch in a 1934
Ford station wagon.
Byron Slawson also collected local rocks
and boulders which he used to slow erosion and to display many of
the cacti. Several of the original Ahwatukee cacti were transplanted
to highlight the old masonry Ahwatukee sign which stood west of I-10
just north of Elliot Road.
BYRON SLAWSON AND THE SLAWSON HOME
Byron Slawson was an integral part of the
Ahwatukee Ranch. Without him, it would not have run effectively, and
it would have been missing his distinctive touch. As mentioned
earlier, he was chiefly responsible for the grounds and maintenance.
His careful selection and planting of cactus and care of citrus,
date palms, and flowers were a notable feature of the
ranch.
Mr. Slawson did more than simply serve as a gardener
and handyman, however. According to his daughter, Mr. Slawson would
get up as early as 4:00 a.m. to light the water heaters. He made
certain that the Koehler powered generating plant was operating and
also ensured that adequate supplies of carbon tetrachloride (for the
generating plant), kerosene (for heating water), and ice were
available.
In order to obtain ice, he took the wagon to
Chandler every two weeks to bring back six or seven 300-pound blocks
of ice. In 1933, the home was serviced by electrical power, which
reduced tremendously the time Mr. Slawson spent maintaining various
supplies.
The Slawson home was located about 150 yards
south of the main ranch house location. As mentioned above, we
assume that it was the original three-room structure Dr. Ames had
constructed so that he could stay on the property until construction
of the main house was complete.
Presley Development Co.
purchases the property for a planned community of single family and
retirement residences in a country club setting of golf courses and
swimming pools in 1970.
The following is a
story printed in the Arizona Republic
in1971:
When Presley Development Co. opens
Ahwatukee for public viewing next Sunday, one more large hunk of the
Valley's farm and desert lands will begin changeover to a
residential community.
The Presley holding, master-planned
for an eventual 23,000 population, in 8,400 homes, contains 2,010
acres bought from 10 landowners. In 1971 Florida-Valderbilt took
options on 5,000 acres in the area, east of the Maricopa Freeway at
Elliot Road. When the Florida firm did not exercise its options,
Presley, a California builder just then venturing into the Phoenix
area, bought a good part of the optioned land.
This includes
much of the Ahwatukee Ranch, which rests against the eastern
foothills of South Mountain. The old ranch house is expected to
eventually become a recreation center for the new
community.
Ahwatukee is a Crow Indian word which Byron
Slawson translates as "magic place of my dreams." The place has been
home to Slawson for 52 years - he and his brother built the ranch
house for Dr. and Mrs. W.V.B. Ames in 1921.
"Dr. and Mrs.
Ames bought the land, planned the house," says Slawson, who is still
its caretaker. "They moved in on Thanksgiving, Day 1921. He died
three months later."
"Ahwatukee was left to St. Luke's
Hospital," says Slawson. "In 1933, Helen Brinton bought it. She died
in 1960." After that a group of Arizona investors bought the
ranchland, of which about two-thirds has been sold into the Presley
development.
Next Sunday Presley will open 17 model homes, of
which 16 have been furnished by the interior design of Lois Harding
and Associates, Orange, Calif.
The unfurnished model will
serve to show home shoppers how the standard Presley house will look
when delivered to the buyer.
Says Presley Development Co. of
Arizona president Daniel A. Verska, "This is part of our effort to
in no way mesmerize the buyer, as some builders tend to do, with
lavish furnishings."
Verska says that Ahwatukee is designed
to provide three modes of living: retirement homes will be in the
community's center, adult-living units will encircle that, and
family homes will be on the perimeter. Single-family, duplex
and-townhouse units will be available in various
sections.
Homes, ranging in size from I,000 to 2,000 square
feet, and in price from $23,000 to $42,000, are of wood frame
construction, with slump block, masonite and stucco exteriors; tile,
wood-shake or composition-shingle roofs. Lots for single-family
homes are at least 7,000 square feet. Models will be open daily from
10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The developer's first phase of 412 acres
includes nine holes of an l8-hole golf course, designed by Fred
Bolton, who recently completed remodeling of Phoenix Country Club's
course, these will be ready for play by opening day, says
Verska.
The Presley firm was started 25 years ago by Randall
E. Presley, a Californian who had trained as a bombardier at
Williams Air Force Base. It now has housing projects in 25 Southern
California cities, several San Francisco suburbs, in Washington,
D.C., Maryland, Virginia, Chicago, Albuquerque and
Phoenix.
Presley's first project here was Arizona Homes, at
84th Avenue and Indian School. Next was Parkside Estates 65th Avenue
and W. Camelback.
Presley Development Co. of Arizona has 20
employees; most construction work,-as is customary here, is done by
subcontractors. On a job this size, says Ahwatukee project manager
Richard E. Mulhern, the contractors need a secure and guarded place
to keep equipment and material.
Presley provided that, to
Mulhern's specifications. Near the Ahwatukee entrance is an
equipment compound walled in side by side telegraph poles, and
surmounted by a rustic guardhouse.
A giant sign labels it,
"Fort Ahwatukee."
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