DOWNTOWN
Downtown is the site of Flagstaff's New Town, which was the Railroad Addition to the Flagstaff Townsite. Flagstaff's Old Town was originally located near a spring that is in now-Thorpe Park.
The New Town began when the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad came through the area in August 1882. The Atlantic & Pacific Railroad had, by then, sold its charter rights to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. The railroad set up a depot about a mile east of the current community, Old Town, in the fall of 1882. Engineers for the railroad laid out a town and lots at the same time. The first person to move from the old town to near the depot was P.J. Brannen, a merchant. A saloon opened across San Francisco Street, and this was the beginning of commerce along the railroad.
New Town became the sole business district when a fire ripped through Old Town in July of 1884, burning down the wooden buildings. Only houses were rebuilt in that area. Wooden buildings were still in use in the business district until 1886, when a fire in New Town raged through and burned almost everything. Brick and stone buildings were then mandated, and these materials were used in New Town as it grew.
The Coconino County Courthouse, at San Francisco Street & Birch Avenue.
The courthouse was built in 1894, and an extension to the east was seamlessly added in 1925.
A building on San Francisco Street.
The old Presbyterian Church parsonage, on Cherry Avenue. The house was built in 1893, and is now used as offices.
The Church of the Nativity, on Cherry Avenue.
The Catholic church was built in 1930 using native volcanic rock.
A house, used as a mission for Navajos, on Leroux Street.
Over the hill is the North End neighborhood, and beyond that is the hills of McMillan Mesa.
The Hugh E. Campbell House, on Leroux Street. The house was built in 1890.
A building on Leroux Street.
A building at Leroux Street & Aspen Avenue. The structure was once a J.C. Penney store.
Flagstaff City Hall, on Aspen Avenue.
The Orpheum Theater, on Aspen Avenue. The theater was built in 1911 as the Majestic Opera House, and was expanded in 1917 and renamed the Orpheum. The theater is now a concert venue.
Hotel Weatherford, at Aspen Avenue & Leroux Street. The hotel was built in 1900.
The Bledsoe Building, at Aspen Avenue & Leroux Street. The structure was built in 1897.
The Hopi Building, at Aspen Avenue & Leroux Street. The structure was built in 1999, and was renamed in 2010 after being bought by the Hopi Tribe.
Heritage Square, along Aspen Avenue between San Francisco and Leroux Streets. The area for Heritage Square was opened up in 1992 with the demolition of an extension of the Babbitt Brothers store. An underground parking garage was built in 1997, and the square was dedicated in 1999. The square is now the cultural heart of Downtown.
Buildings on Aspen Avenue.
The Babbitt Brothers general store, on San Francisco Street at Aspen Avenue. The store was built in 1888, and was once the biggest general store in Arizona.
Babbitt's Garage, on San Francisco Street at Birch Avenue. The garage and car dealership was built in 1915, and was renovated as office space in 1993.
The Masonic Temple, on San Francisco Street. The structure was built in 1917.
The Federal Building, on San Francisco Street. The structure was built in 1937.
The old post office, on San Francisco Street. The structure was built in 1917.
The Hotel Monte Vista, at Aspen Avenue & San Francisco Street. The hotel was built in 1927. The sign was added on top of the roof in 1946.
Buildings on San Francisco Street. The Verkamp Building, built in 1899, is on the left.
The Herman Building, on San Francisco Street. The structure was built in 1916.
The Rickel & Brooks Building, on San Francisco Street. The structure was built in 1911 and originally housed a saloon call "The Office".
The former Ice House, on Birch Avenue. The warehouse was built in 1946 and was originally used to store ice for trains transporting goods and passing through town.
Signage for Route 66, also known as Santa Fe Avenue. Santa Fe Avenue is signed in Downtown Flagstaff with the road that draws tourists from around North America and Europe. Santa Fe Avenue was originally called Railroad Avenue, since it paralleled the railroad.
The Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Station, on Route 66. The station was built in 1925, and is now used as am Amtrak station and visitor's center.
The Southwest Lumber Mills, Inc. #25 train, along Route 66. The steam engine was purchased by the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company in 1917. It was nicknamed the "Two Spot Logging Train" because canvas water bags hung out of the engine's window and rubbed off the 5s, leaving only the 2s.
Next to the train station are logging wheels. The wheels were used to drag logs, hooked up in between the wheels, along the forest floor by mule to the lumberyard. The wheels were renovated in 2004.
The former Atlantic & Pacific Railway station, on Route 66. The train station was built in 1890 with red Moenkopi sandstone, and is now used by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway as offices.
The Bank Hotel, also known as the McMillan Building, on Route 66 at Leroux Street.
The Bank Hotel was built in 1887, and was originally a bank and a hotel.
The former Brannen Block, at San Francisco Street & Route 66. The bar was built in 1883, one of the first buildings in "New Town", as a general store. It was converted from a stone to brick building in the 1910s.
Businesses on Route 66. On the left is Wild West Traders, which is housed in Flagstaff's oldest extant building, dating to 1881. In the center is the Grand Canyon Cafe, opened in 1938 and expanded in 1950.
Businesses on Route 66.
Loooking west past the Burlington Northern Sante Fe railroad tracks at Mars Hill. Near the foot of the hill, out of frame to the right, was the Old Town site of Flagstaff. The town moved east to the railroad tracks when the railroad was completed through town.
Looking up Beaver Street, with Mount Elden in the background.
SOUTHSIDE
The Southside's history is tied to transportation, much like Downtown, which is located on the other side of the railroad tracks. It originally developed when the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad built through Flagstaff. This railroad was purchased by the Santa Fe Railroad in 1885. The National Old Trails Road came through Flagstaff in the 1910s, following next to the railroad alignment. When Route 66 was designated in 1926, using the National Old Trails Road, travelers passing through Flagstaff began. The first motel, Motel Du Beau, opened in 1929. As people drove through town during the Great Depression en route to California, or people stopped in town on their way to see the Grand Canyon, the Southside grew. A new alignment was constructed in 1934 to take Route 66 under the Santa Fe Railroad, and Route 66 business filtered towards Downtown. Motels remained, however, and business from the railroad kept the neighborhood going. Today, the Southside is the link between Northern Arizona Unviersity and Downtown, and San Francisco Street has a small, but healthy, business district. College students live in bungalows and congregate in some bars and restaurants in the neighborhood, and Flagstaff's microbreweries are located in the neighborhood.
The San Francisco Peaks dominate the northern horizon, and provide great outdoor activities.
Agassiz Peak is the tallest peak visible from Flagstaff, and is the second-tallest mountain in Arizona. It rises to a height of 12,356 feet.
The Downtowner Motel, at San Francisco Street and Phoenix Avenue. The motel was built in 1929.
Businesses on San Francisco Street. In the center is Jesus Garcia's Tourist Home. The bungalow boarding house was built in 1926, and originaly served sheepherders from the Basque community in this part of the Southside neighborhood. It later served tourists, beginning in the 1940s. To the left of it is the Historic Basque Handball Court, built in 1926 by Garcia for the same herders that his boarding house served.
Buildings on San Francisco Street.
A mural on Phoenix Avenue depicts things that have most influenced Flagstaff's history: Navajos and the Indian tribes in the area, the railroad, and Route 66. This mural is on the back wall of the Lumberyard Brewing Company, wich is housed in the former Flagstaff Lumber Company building, dating back to 1890.
Rowhouses on Phoenix Avenue, built in 1928.
Motel Sierra Vista, on Phoenix Avenue. The motel was built in 1937 using red Coconino sandstone.
Buildings on Phoenix Avenue. On the right is the Saint Anne Apartments, built in 1892 as Flagstaff's first rooming house.
Motel Du Beau, on Phoenix Avenue at Beaver Street.
The motel was built in 1929 as an upscale motor inn, and is now used as a hostel.
A restaurant on Beaver Street. The structure was originally part of the Arizona Lumber & Timber Company lumberyard, dating back to the 1890s.
This concrete bridge over the Rio de Flag is from the original Route 66 alignment of the 1920s.
The former B & M Auto Camp, on Mike's Pike. The structure was built in 1896 as a bungalow house. The aluminum facade was added in 1926, when Route 66 was built and designated, and the front section served as a convenience store, while the house and back of the property served as an auto court.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, on Kendrick Street.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church was built in 1926.
Motels, like the former Spur Motel on Mike's Pike, still line both of the old alignments of US Route 66.
An old gas pump like this one on Milton Road reminds people of both of the old alignments of Route 66 as well.
A house on Humphreys Street.
A house on Cottage Avenue at Humphreys Street.
A house on Cottage Avenue.
A building on Agassiz Street.
A house on O'Leary Street.
A house on Leroux Street at Benton Avenue.
First Baptist Church, on Beaver Street. The church was built in 1939.
Fremont Peak, at 11,929 feet, is the third-highest mountain in Arizona, and can be seen looking up Verde Street. On the right is Doyle Peak, the sixth-tallest point in Arizona at 11,460 feet.
La Iglesia Metodista Mexicana El Divino Redentor, formerly the Flagstaff Presbyterian Church, on San Francisco Street. The church was built in 1892, and is the oldest church in Flagstaff. It was given to Mexican Methodists in 1916. The church was moved here from across the street from the courthouse in 1927.
The Riordan Estate, on Kinlichi Knoll. The house was built in 1904, and is now a state park.
The Riordan Estate is a duplex built for Timothy and Michael Riordan, brothers who were lumber barons in town. The houses were connected to each other with a common billiard room.
On the grounds of the Riordan Estate is a playhouse, built by the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company for an Independence Day parade in the early 1900s.
Milton Road, which was originally part of Route 66, is still home to motels like this.
The former Flagstaff Armory, on Clay Avenue. The armory was built in 1920.
NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
Northern Arizona University began as Northern Arizona Normal School. The school was established in 1899, using a building originally meant as a home for wayward boys in northern Arizona.
The school became Northern Arizona State Teachers College in 1925, and became Arizona State Teacher's College in 1929. In 1966, the school became Northern Arizona University.
Northern Arizona University has an enrollment of over 27,000 students, with over 20,000 at the school's Flagstaff campus. The school participates in Division 1 sports, including FCS football.
The campus of Northern Arizona University utilizes a lot of Coconino red sandstone, a local rock, for much of its architecture. Most buildings, even those that do not use the stone, have a burnt pink color to them, to give the campus unity.
The Blome Building, on Knoles Drive. The structure was built in 1921 as the Teacher Training School. Moenkopi sandstone was used for the Greek Revival building.
The Gammage Library, on Knoles Drive. The library was built in 1930.
Gammage Library originally housed Registrar's and Deans' offices, and classrooms, in addition to the library. It now houses administration offices.
The Administration Annex to the Gammage Library was built in 1958.
Frier Hall, on Knoles Drive. The structure was built in 1950 as the Sciences Building, and was renamed in 1961. It is the last building on the campus of Northern Arizona University to use red Coconino sandstone.
Old Main, on the North Quad. The structure was built in 1894 of Moenkopi sandstone.
Old Main was originally planned to house wayward boys in the northern part of Arizona, but sat empty until it became home of the Northern Arizona Normal School in 1899.
Taylor Hall, on the North Quad, east of Old Main. The structure was built in 1905 as the women's dormitory, then became the men's dormitory in 1908. It still functions as a residence hall.
The Science and Health Building, under construction along Osborn Drive. The structure is expected to be completed in August 2015.
The "Through The Root" statue, along Knoles Drive. The statue was dedicated in 1999. In the background is the Riles Building, which was built in 1926 as the school's gymnasium, until being replaced in 1951.
The NAU Center for Aquatics & Tennis, at San Francisco Street & Franklin Avenue. The pool building will be completed in 2015.
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