TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On the east side, the Windsor Park neighborhood, located off of Camino Seco and Wrightstown, is trying to become a designated historic district.
There are over 40 historic districts in Tucson.
Between 2013-2016, the City of Tucson surveyed over 300 post-World War II neighborhoods to see which ones were worth preserving. Out of all of them, Windsor Park stood out. They were named one of the 11 top priority neighborhoods for historic preservation.
Preservationist Chris Evans surveyed Windsor Park for eligibility, and his findings show that 99 out of 128 homes could qualify for historic preservation.
Andrew Denman, president of the Windsor Park Neighborhood Association, explains what makes a home eligible for this status.
“This is a really good example of one of the mid-century modern homes in this neighborhood. It’s got the low-angled gabled roofs, the sort of setback atrium entry way, it’s got floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see the exposed beams," Denman Described.
Denman says they’re fundraising for $5,000 to meet their almost $30,000 goal by September, so they can submit their application to the State Historic Preservation Office.
“Early this year, we started a real push for funding, quote-unquote phase two, which is the remainder of the almost $30,000 that we need to make this happen," Denman said.
Denman shares that gaining this status would benefit qualifying homeowners for the next 30 years.
“Effectively, it's a roughly 45% savings on your annual property taxes that is granted. The State Historic Preservation Office is the one that approves the historical status," said Denman. "They communicate with the Pima County Recorder's Office, who records your new tax basis. It's called the property tax discount, I believe.”
Denman says all of their fundraising efforts are designed to get the community excited about preserving their architecture.
“We've done raffles, we've done auctions. We've done door-to-door programs. We've done master classes where folks in the neighborhood who have special skill sets offer classes that people pay for, and the proceeds go to the historical status project," said Denman.
More information about Windsor Park’s efforts to gain historical status is here.
——
Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
