Douglas Sonoran Historic District
Roughly bounded by the W side of H Ave. between Sixth and Ninth Sts., Douglas, AZThe significance of this district lies in its unique combination of traditional Sonoran architecture and twentieth-century building materials in structures dating from 1900 to 1935 in an area that is architecturally and socially distinct from the rest of the community. Locally produced gypsum cast-stone units were used in the construction of more than sixty percent of the buildings. Douglas boasts the largest known concentration of cast-stone buildings in the state.
The Sonoran Historic District had its origins in the founding of Douglas with construction dating from the first two decades of this century. The anonymity of the architecture is characteristic of the Sonoran building tradition. There are no architects or builders of record for this area. This section of town has received very little documentation over the years.
In the United States, the Sonoran style is exclusively an expression of the Southwest and is an extension of the Spanish Colonial architecture of Mexico. The term Sonoran is employed for identification because buildings of this general form and technology are found in the communities of Sonora, the northernmost state of Mexico. This building form was quite common in southern Arizona borderlands during the Territorial Period. It is primarily associated with the American Anglo culture.
In Douglas, the Sonoran quarter yields to the discipline of the rectangular grid of the 1901 town plan. The buildings are an appropriate urban expression in their direct relationship to the street. Private and common areas were located to the rear of the property. This site utilization contrasts sharply with the 'suburban' development found in the rest of the community.
The uniqueness of Douglas' Sonoran District lies in its translation of traditional Sonoran forms into early twentieth-century materials. Arizona's only known gypsum mine was located just north of the city and a plant to manufacture the units was constructed to the northwest of this particular district in 1900. Due to its availability and convenience, this material was readily utilized for local construction. During Douglas' depression years of the 1930s, the manufacturing plant ceased operations and the use of this material was discontinued.
Despite the growth and development of the city of Douglas, the Sonoran district has retained its streetscape and architectural integrity.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
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.