El Encanto Estates

El Encanto Estates, located in central Tucson, is one of Tucson's most prized neighborhoods. Owning an El Encanto property is a source of pride for residents of this "Beverly Hills of Tucson" neighborhood, known for its exclusivity and high prices. The structures in El Encanto are among the finest examples of Tucson architecture dating from 1929 to 1941, with some properties erected more recently. Some of Tucson Arizona's most prominent leaders currently live or have lived in the renowned El Encanto Estates. Here is a summary of what El Encanto offers the elite few who are privileged to live in the neighborhood.

Description

Few neighborhoods in Tucson can compete with the history and luxury of El Encanto Estates. The neighborhood is comprised of 145 single-family properties, each a brilliant representative of Period Revival and mid-twentieth century styles within a noticeably distinctive community arrangement. The official, geometric subdivision plat is one of the first in Arizona to integrate a symmetrical, curvilinear layout. The subdivision plat includes a centrally sited circular park with streets placed to the well-defined boundaries of the neighborhood.

Landscape forms are a key consistent entity within the neighborhood; walling and edging has been used in a highly reserved manner, unifying each street. The execution of early all-inclusive deed restrictions restricted building to detailed styles, creating architectural compatibility and unity within the neighborhood limits. The neighborhood plan, landscaping forms, and architecturally significant residential homes combine to create a distinct, cohesive historic neighborhood with a noticeable sense of time and place.

The historic subdivision plan is the major contributing, cohesive entity which provides unity to the El Encanto Estates Residential Historic District. Within the district's 145 residences, fifty-three are considered contributors. Twenty-one residences are recommended for nomination as they meet the age criteria. Of the buildings that meet the age criteria (fifty years or more), only eight residences have been modified to compromise their original integrity, and are thus considered noncontributors.

Development in the district has been generally steady since 1929, with lulls in construction during the Depression and during WWII. There are thirty-five residences that are fifty or more years old (built before 1937) and eighteen homes that were constructed from 1937 through 1941. These homes constructed between 1937 and 1941 are considered historic due to their architectural integrity and their contribution to the neighborhood's cohesion.

The Founder of El Encanto

W.E. Guerin is significant in the neighborhood for his association with early subdivision development and for furthering the development toward comprehensive community planning. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Guerin graduated from Cornell University. He practiced law in Sandusky and served in the Ohio State Legislature. He was vice president of the Guardian Bank of Cleveland, before coming to Tucson in 1928.

It can be assumed he came to Tucson with a large sum of money. The year he arrived, he purchased all the land, except a ten-acre parcel, that now makes up the El Encanto Estates Residential District. He entered into contracts with L.C. James and William B. Powhatan. The atmosphere in Tucson at the time was that of improving and speculating. The plot of land where El Encanto Estates was developed was ideal, for the newly built El Conquistador Resort Hotel was just about to open, and though far from Tucson's center, this hotel promised to become "the" Tucson resort hotel. The location and speculated grandeur of the hotel directly enhanced the development of the neighborhood, whose clientele were wealthy, local and out-of-state businessmen. It was in this environment Guerin invested. His intent was to provide an exclusive neighborhood, one of privacy and prestige. He anticipated the impact of the hotel, hoping to attract winter visitors, many of whom would buy and construct homes in the neighborhood. He strove to create one of the "show places of the West."

Guerin's home, designed by overseeing architect, M.H. Starkweather, is located at 30 E. Calle de Felicidad (#86). It was constructed in June 1929, as one of the early homes in the El Encanto Estates Residential Historic District.