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List of historic properties in Casa Grande, Arizona facts for kids

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List of historic properties in Casa Grande
View of Florence Street in Old Casa Grande
View of Florence Street in Old Casa Grande
Location in Pinal County and the state of Arizona
Location in Pinal County and the state of Arizona
Casa Grande-Casa Grande Stone Church-1927-2
Close up view of the Casa Grande Stone Church

This is a list, which includes a photographic gallery, of some of the remaining historic properties in the town of Casa Grande, Arizona. Some of the structures in the list were made of fieldstone by local stonemason Michael Sullivan. The historic structures in this list are listed either in the National Register of Historic Places or the Casa Grande Historic Register.

Casa Grande

Casa Grande (Spanish for big house) is a city in Pinal County, which was founded in 1879 during the Arizona mining boom. It was named after the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, which is actually located in Coolidge. The presence of the Southern Pacific Railroad contributed to the growth of the town.

The Casa Grande Valley Historical Society was founded in 1964 to preserve and exhibit the history of the Casa Grande region. The city has numerous historic properties which have been listed either in the National Register of Historic Places or have been identified as historical by the Casa Grande Historic Preservation Program. The Historic Preservation Office works together with the Historic Preservation. They determine which properties meet the criteria for inclusion in the Casa Grande Historic Property Register. However, the preservation office does not have the ability to deny a demolition permit. Therefore, the owner of a property, listed in the National Historic Property Register, may demolish the historical property if he or she so wishes. Among the properties which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and which have been demolished are the following:

  • The John C. Loss House which was built in 1880 and which was located at 107 W. Main Ave. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1992, reference #85000889.
  • The Shonessy Building/Don Chun Wo Store which was built in 1913 and which was located at 121 W. Main Ave. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, reference #85000893.
  • The Souva—Cruz House which was located at 310 W. Main St. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, reference #85003688.

Endangered properties

The Arizona Preservation Foundation is an agency which identifies critically endangered cultural resources of major historical significance to the state. n 2012, the foundation identified the following properties in Casa Grande as endangered:

  • The Fisher Memorial Home.
  • The Meehan/Gaar House.

Fieldstone structures

Sacaton-Matthew B. Juan-Memorial-2-Matthew B. Juan-Ira Hayes Veterans Memorial Park
The Pvt. Matthew B. Juan monument in the town of Sacaton, Arizona.

Michael Sullivan was a local stonemason who in the 1920s built various structures of fieldstone in Casa Grande. The stones collected from the surface of fields where it occurs naturally. The stones used as fieldstones are building construction materials which are collected from the surface of fields where they occur naturally. Sullivan’s last completed project was the Pvt. Matthew B. Juan monument in the town of Sacaton, Arizona. Sullivan did not see the dedication of this monument as he died on February 25, 1928 of a heart attack while en route to Sacaton for a visit. Among the structures which he built are the following:

  • The House at 222 9th St., built in 1920 and located at the same address.
  • The House at 320 West Eighth Street a.k.a. The Stone Barber Shop , was built in 1920 and is located at 320 W. 8th St.
  • The Stone Bungalow was built in 1921 and is located at 515 E. 3rd St.
  • The Stone Warehouse was built in 1922 and is located in the rear of the building at 119 Florence St.
  • The Casa Grande Woman's Club Building , built in 1924 and located at 407 N. Sacaton St.
  • The Casa Grande Stone Church, built in 1927 and located at 110 W. Florence Boulevard.
  • The Fisher Memorial Home, built in 1927 and located at 300 E. 8th St.
  • The Vasquez House, was built in 1927 and located at 114 E. Florence Boulevard.

Buildings and Houses of religious worship

Houses, etc.

Corona Satellite Calibration Targets

The Corona Satellite Calibration Targets refer to two hundred and seventy two concrete markers, built in the 1960s in the desolate Arizona desert, in and around Casa Grande, Arizona that helped to calibrate satellites of the Corona spy satellite program. They are large concrete crosses in the ground with a resemblance of a large Maltese Cross. The targets are only visible if one walked up to them or passed over them from a great height, like space.

Each of the targets has a manhole with a cement cover and rebar handles. The manhole is located on the west arm of the cross. According to Gary Morgan, member of the Cold War Museum in Warrenton VA., the 6 pieces of rebar, which protrude at an equal distance from each other, may have been used to hold laser lighting to give a more accurate fix on each target.

The targets were abandoned following the end of the program in 1972. Most of the targets were either destroyed or demolished. Pictured are two of the remaining targets which have survived. The first one pictured (Y47) is located on the southeast corner of South Montgomery and West Cornman Roads and the second (Y4-) one on the northeast corner of West Cornman Road and Carmel Blvd.

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