Historic Preservation

Arizona State University is committed to the preservation of pre-historic and historic properties, which include sites, buildings, structures and objects (see glossary for definitions). The 2006 ASU Comprehensive Development Plan states the following:

“ASU has been a major force in the development of the Tempe area. From its humble beginnings as a normal school in 1885 through the present, the university has become progressively more imbedded in the city and metropolitan region. Although now distributed on four campuses across the metropolitan region, the university will maintain its largest enrollment and concentration of colleges and schools on the historic Tempe campus. Honoring historically significant buildings and spaces on the Tempe Campus is one of the tenets of the campus plan.”

There are currently eight buildings on the Tempe Campus, two buildings on the Downtown Campus, one off campus, and three historic properties on the Polytechnic Campus listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Below is a list of the National Register Listed buildings and properties on all campuses:

1894-1898, Old Main (Originally The Main Building), Tempe Campus
1895, Harrington-Birchett House, Tempe Campus
1907, Virginia G. Piper Writers House, (Originally the President’s House), Tempe Campus
1909, University Club, (Originally the Science/Administration Building), Tempe Campus
1914, SHESC (School of Human Evolution and Social Change), (Originally the Anthropology Building), Tempe Campus
1918, Matthews Hall, Tempe Campus
1935, Phoenix Downtown Post Office, Downtown Campus (occupied by ASU, owned by City of Phoenix)
1939, Moeur Building, (Originally B.B. Moeur Activity Building), Tempe Campus
1942, Facilities Mgmt. #3, (Originally WAFB* Housing Supply and Storage Warehouse), Polytechnic Campus
c.1942, WAFB* Ammunitions Bunkers, Polytechnic Campus
c.1942, WAFB* Flagpole, Polytechnic Campus
1948/1959, Kerr Cultural Center, Off Campus
1964, Gammage Auditorium, Tempe Campus

* Williams Air Force Base

Additional buildings on the Tempe and Polytechnic Campuses may be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places based the following criteria:

Age: Over 50 years old, or of “exceptional significance” less than 50 years old
Historical Significance: Association with events, people, designs or architects of significance
Integrity: the ability of a property to convey its significance through location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association

National Register Eligible Properties are treated in accordance with the requirements of the State Historic Preservation Act (SHPA) and The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Treatment of Historic Properties through review and concurrence by the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).

Helpful links

Historic Preservation Glossary
Arizona State Historic Preservation Office
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)
National Register of Historic Places
Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties