Roy Place
Encyclopedia
Roy W. Place was a Tucson, Arizona
architect.
Born in San Diego in 1887, Place moved to Tucson in 1917 after working in Chicago and the Boston firm of Sheply, Rutan and Coolidge. Place partnered with John Lyman in 1919, together constructing over 20 buildings in Tucson. Place worked independently from 1924-1940 as the University of Arizona
's Chief architect. Roy’s son, Lew Place, joined the firm in 1930, became a partner in Place and Place in 1940, and managed the firm after his father’s death. Lew Place designed several University of Arizona buildings as well as Pueblo, Rincon and Salpointe High Schools. Lew was also the sculptor for the two figures on the Cochise County Courthouse.
Place’s sophisticated Spanish Colonial Revival building shaped the character of Downtown Tucson from the mid 1920s until urban renewal
of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Buildings included the Plaza Theater
constructed in 1930 (closed and demolish on May 14, 1968 for the widening of Congress Street), the Montgomery Ward Building (striped and resurfaced on the corner of Pannington and Stone Avenue) under restoration in 2010 and The Pioneer Hotel
(refaced and striped of its ornamentation). The domed and pink plaster Pima County Courthouse
and the Davis Clinic Building are Place’s only extant surviving examples of this architectural style in the downtown Tucson.
The never realized ‘“Puelo Nuevo Lodge”’ was designed by Roy Place and developer G.G. Souerbry. Conceived as a grand, pueblo revival, courtyard, luxury 24 units apartment Co-Op. The site occupied a Tucson city block on Speedway Boulevard from Martin to Warren. The elegant two story design featured courtyards, pueblo massing and environmentally sensitive details. Each unit was conceived with a second story bedroom with two porches to maximize open air sleeping. The development was advertised as the “most beautiful and attractive ever constructed in Tucson” and was to feature: Philippine mahogany trim, colored stucco walls, steel casement windows, celotex insulation, bean ceilings, tile, oak and linoleum floors and kitchen servidors.
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
architect.
Born in San Diego in 1887, Place moved to Tucson in 1917 after working in Chicago and the Boston firm of Sheply, Rutan and Coolidge. Place partnered with John Lyman in 1919, together constructing over 20 buildings in Tucson. Place worked independently from 1924-1940 as the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
's Chief architect. Roy’s son, Lew Place, joined the firm in 1930, became a partner in Place and Place in 1940, and managed the firm after his father’s death. Lew Place designed several University of Arizona buildings as well as Pueblo, Rincon and Salpointe High Schools. Lew was also the sculptor for the two figures on the Cochise County Courthouse.
Place’s sophisticated Spanish Colonial Revival building shaped the character of Downtown Tucson from the mid 1920s until urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Buildings included the Plaza Theater
Plaza Theater (Tucson)
The Plaza Theater was the crowing jewel of 1920s development on West Congress Street in Tucson and the only indoor Spanish language theater in Southern Arizona. The theater was designed by renowned local Tucson architect Roy Place in 1930 for A. Kaufman a local commercial developer and pioneer...
constructed in 1930 (closed and demolish on May 14, 1968 for the widening of Congress Street), the Montgomery Ward Building (striped and resurfaced on the corner of Pannington and Stone Avenue) under restoration in 2010 and The Pioneer Hotel
The Pioneer Hotel
The Pioneer Hotel, designed by Tucson Architect Roy Place, was one of Tucson's first high-rise building. Opened in 1929, the spanish revival hotel became the social center of the downtown business district. The property catered to the social elite. In the mid-20th century Harold and Margaret...
(refaced and striped of its ornamentation). The domed and pink plaster Pima County Courthouse
Pima County Courthouse
Pima County Courthouse is the former main county courthouse building in downtown Tucson, Arizona. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
and the Davis Clinic Building are Place’s only extant surviving examples of this architectural style in the downtown Tucson.
The never realized ‘“Puelo Nuevo Lodge”’ was designed by Roy Place and developer G.G. Souerbry. Conceived as a grand, pueblo revival, courtyard, luxury 24 units apartment Co-Op. The site occupied a Tucson city block on Speedway Boulevard from Martin to Warren. The elegant two story design featured courtyards, pueblo massing and environmentally sensitive details. Each unit was conceived with a second story bedroom with two porches to maximize open air sleeping. The development was advertised as the “most beautiful and attractive ever constructed in Tucson” and was to feature: Philippine mahogany trim, colored stucco walls, steel casement windows, celotex insulation, bean ceilings, tile, oak and linoleum floors and kitchen servidors.
Extant Buildings
- Hotel Congress (1919) (NOTE: Alexander Curlett and Son, Los Angeles, is the architect of record for Hotel Congress (as well as the Rialto) in its National Registration listing.)
- Roskruge School (date unknown)
- Sam Hughes Elementary School (1927) (http://edweb.tusd.k12.az.us/Sam_Hughes/)
- The Pioneer HotelThe Pioneer HotelThe Pioneer Hotel, designed by Tucson Architect Roy Place, was one of Tucson's first high-rise building. Opened in 1929, the spanish revival hotel became the social center of the downtown business district. The property catered to the social elite. In the mid-20th century Harold and Margaret...
(1928) - Pima County CourthousePima County, Arizona-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*74.3% White*3.5% Black*3.3% Native American*2.6% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.7% Two or more races*12.4% Other races*34.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
(1929) (http://jp.pima.gov/Pages/history/buildings.htm) - Veterans Administration Hospital (1929)
- Former Montgomery WardMontgomery WardMontgomery Ward is an online retailer that carries the same name as the former American department store chain, founded as the world's #1 mail order business in 1872 by Aaron Montgomery Ward, and which went out of business in 2001...
Building (1929) (http://www.downtowntucson.org/downtowntucsonan/feb05/historic.html) - El Conquistador Water Tower (1929)
- Mansfeld Junior High School (1930)
- Reilly Funeral Home (late 1920's/early 30's Art Deco remodel)
- Cochise County Courthouse in BisbeeBisbee, ArizonaBisbee is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, 82 miles southeast of Tucson. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 6,177...
(1930): An example of Pueblo Deco architecture. - U.S. Post Office. Yuma, ArizonaYuma, ArizonaYuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
(1933): 370 West Third Street. Yuma, Arizona. - University of Arizona Humanities Building (1935)
- University of Arizona Anthropology Building (1935)
- University of Arizona Chemistry-Physics Building (1936)
- University of Arizona Centennial Hall (1936-1937)
- University of Arizona Gila Hall (1937)
- University of Arizona Yuma Hall (1937)
- University of Arizona Administration Building (1937)
- Benedictine SanctuaryBenedictine Sisters of Perpetual AdorationThe Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration are a congregation of nuns within the Benedictine Confederation. The original monastery was founded in 1874 by a group of five nuns, led by Sister Mary Anselma Felber, O.S.B., who came from the young monastery of Maria-Rickenbach in Switzerland...
(1939-1940) (http://www.tucsonmonastery.com) - Tucson Unified School District Educational Building (1941) 1010 East 10th Street; An example of Pueblo Revival architecture.
- Bank Building; 150 N. Stone Ave. (1955) Tucson, Arizona. (Lew Place as Roy passed in 1950.)
- Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind.
- Former Sears & Roebuck, 81 N. 6th Avenue (1929; remodel and addition 1940 (demolished 1984), and 1947 south wing addition (existing)); An example of Art Deco.