Douglas Historic District
a.k.a. See Also:Gadsden Hotel;Grand Theatre
Roughly bounded by Pan American, H, and F Aves. along 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th Sts. and G Ave., Douglas, AZThe Douglas Historic District encompasses the city's early twentieth-century commercial business district which has retained much of its original appearance and historic identity. Located in Arizona's southeastern corner, on the Mexican Border, Douglas is a major testimony to the extent and wealth of Arizona's copper industry. The district is comprised of a lineal streetscape of buildings dating from the initial founding of the City of Douglas in 1901, through the city's economic decline in the 1930s. The buildings in the district clearly convey the trends and styles of American commercial architecture during that period. Historically, the district is a result of the intense development of southeastern Arizona's copper resources (by the Phelps Dodge Company) at the turn of the century. Created at the site of a major copper smelter built to serve the regional mines, Douglas developed into southern Arizona's major center for copper production, as well as a distribution center for the area's ranching operations. Douglas's commercial district grew as the center of support and service functions and remains the focus of the city's economic activity.
Local significance of the district:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.