One Story from the Barrio Viejo

One Story from the Barrio Viejo (HM136W)

Location: Tucson, AZ 85701 Pima County
Buy Arizona State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 32° 12.73', W 110° 58.31'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 670 views
Inscription

The History of Room 6

1914
Room 6 (originally addressed 202 W. 18th Street, and later 709 S. 8th Avenue), on the southeast corner of the excavated row house on Lot 10 (see map), housed several businesses throughout its history. In 1914, it was a blacksmith shop, while around 1919 it became a store and residence.

1951
By 1951, Room 6 was a secondhand shop owned by Bruce and Suzie Draper, who had lived in Tucson since 1929. The Drapers were among the many African Americans who have played an important role in the city's history. They owned and lived at 808 S. 8th Avenue, the next address south of the Lee Lung Company grocery store across the street, and then purchased and moved to Room 6.

1959
For a short time in 1959, Room 6 also served as a studio for radio station KTAN, from which radio pioneer Jacinto Orozco broadcast his show "La Hora Mexicana" (The Mexican Hour). The immensely popular show was the first all-Spanish radio program to be broadcast in southern Arizona. Orozco may have leased Room 6 from the Drapers, who owned the building. He produced the show at other locations in later years.

1960
By 1960, Room 6 had become the location of the De La Corte Bakery. At some time during the 1960s, Room 6, and possibly other rooms attached to it, burned. The collapsing row house had been demolished by 1971.

[Text at upper right of marker]
You are now standing on the site of a blacksmith shop. The archaeological record shows that it was first in operation by 1919 at 616 S. 8th Avenue (now S. Convent Avenue). Records show that a man named M. Pascal operated a blacksmith shop in the row house from 1909 to 1914. It appears that Pascal then moved his shop to this location behind the row house, which remained in operation until at least 1930.

[Text at lower right of marker]
In 2008, archaeologists from Tierra Right of Way Services, Ltd., conducted excavations for the City of Tucson on Lot 10 of Tucson City Block 247, where Mendoza Park now stands. The long history of Lot 10 reflects changing aspects of commerce, ethnicity, and identity within Tucson and the Barrio Viejo community.

Lot 10 was the location of a Sonoran-style adobe row house, a design common throughout the Southwest in times past and testimonial to Tucson's Hispanic heritage. The row house on Lot 10 was constructed in or before 1909, when it appears on a Sanborn fire insurance map. A basic row house typically consists of several rooms on a rectangular floor plan with a slightly sloping roof. Numerous buildings that stand today near Lot 10 follow this plan.
Details
HM NumberHM136W
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 5th, 2014 at 4:40pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)12S E 502654 N 3563953
Decimal Degrees32.21216667, -110.97183333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 32° 12.73', W 110° 58.31'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds32° 12' 43.80" N, 110° 58' 18.60" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)520
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 750 S Convent Ave, Tucson AZ 85701, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?