Culin-Roskruge House, 318 E 13th Street

This is the second in a series of articles about noteworthy historic homes in Armory park. The historic information about each home is extracted from the Armory Park:74ff study done by the College of Architecture in 1974. My copy of this study was a gift from Annie Laos who passed away earlier this week. Those who value the historic character of Armory Park owe a debt of gratitude to Annie. Her drive, energy and passion for our history saved the original buildings of the Safford School from destruction. That set the stage for historic preservation here and she continued to be a driving force in that effort for many years. One can’t drive important change without causing some controversy which she certainly did. Annie was a great neighbor and we will miss her greatly.

Here is what the study had to say:

The Culin-Roskruge House was built in 1896, designed by Phoenix archi­tects Millard and Creighton. These men are well known in early Arizona architecture for their design of Old Main on the campus of the University of Arizona* and for the design of the Pinal County Courthouse in Florence. The Roskruge House is a fine example of the Queen Anne Style. The floor plan with its octagonal patterning and bay window clearly represent common features of that style. The front hall becomes a transition area serving the principal rooms. The kitchen and exterior bath are arranged in a manner requiring exit from the house for access.

The exterior displays many Queen Anne features as well. The irregular massing is seen in the many roof lines, multiple ridges and gables. Gables are filled with wooden fish- scale318 E 18TH Gable

surface are definite regional influences. The house is well maintained today. It occupies a portion of a large corner lot which contains a grove of olive trees. The building and its setting reflect many of the qualities found in Armory Park at the turn of the century.

George F. Roskruge (1845-1929) was born in Cornwall, England. He arrived in Tucson in early 1874, after traveling from Denver on horseback and on foot. He was a surveyor by trade. Having sur­veyed most of the nines in and about Tucson, he soon became Surveyor General of the Territory of Arizona, his survey of the city of Tucson in 1893, is included in this report. He became involved in educational administration, sitting on the original Board of Regents of the University of Arizona; he also served on the Tucson School Board at various times, lie was the founder of the Masonic Lodge in Tucson holding all the high offices of the Lodge.

(Tucson Historic Sites.1969,p.23)