TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In the heart of Tucson, where historic homes line streets near the University of Arizona, a demolition in the Jefferson Park neighborhood has sparked frustration and concern among residents.
Jefferson Park, a designated national historic district just north of the university, is known for early 20th-century architecture and deep roots in the city’s development. But neighbors say the recent teardown of a home at 1177 E. Lester St. — known as the Anne Lester House — represents a loss that could have been avoided.
“That was devastating. I was crying the other morning,” said Sharon Milan, who lives a block away in a home built more than 100 years ago by the same woman who founded the neighborhood. “I guess for me it brought up the impermanence of life and how things can change so quickly.”
Milan and her husband, George, say the house carried historic significance because of its ties to Anne Lester, who homesteaded much of the surrounding land.
“She homesteaded this whole piece of land, as far as I understand it — from Euclid to Campbell and from here to Grant,” Milan said.
While Jefferson Park is listed as a national historic district, offering certain protections and design guidelines, the Anne Lester House itself did not have an individual historic designation. That distinction ultimately left it vulnerable to demolition.
“I, of course, thought of my own house and all we put into it and all that’s happened there and all the history,” Milan said. “It just felt very sad that that could happen.”
Other neighbors now worry about what could replace the home, particularly given the size of the lot.
“It’s such a big lot, it could be more than one house, it could be several,” said Joan Daniels, another Jefferson Park resident. “It could hurt the historic designation.”
Property records show the site is owned by Asset Assistance Co. LLC. A representative for the company confirmed ownership but declined to comment on future plans.
“I just wish the developer would talk to people, and we could plan something,” Daniels said. “This is really sad.”
As residents await details about what will be built, the debate underscores a broader question facing Tucson’s historic neighborhoods: What pieces of the past are worth preserving, and who gets to decide?
——
Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
