Kemp Residence
Tucson, Arizona
Description: Kemp residence
Other Names: none
Address: Tucson, Pima County, Arizona [exact location undetermined; probably planned for the north side of Speedway Boulevard, in the vicinity of First Avenue]
Type: domestic: single family dwelling
Original Client: Mr. and Mrs. (Margaret) William Kemp
Date: January, 1909
Architect or Firm: Henry C. Trost
Associated Architect or Firm: Trost & Trost & [T.] Forster
Contractors: S.E. Gregory and V.S. Griffith
Dimensions and Orientation: one story; would have faced south; 90 feet, 3 inches side, including east terrace wall; 80 feet, 3 inches deep, including south terrace wall
Budget/Cost: $20,000
Foundation: stone foundation on concrete footing
Wall Materials: brick
Roofing Materials: tile
Other Materials Used: concrete window sills and lintels; stucco exterior ornament; extensive use of wood paneling and glass front cases on interior
Location of Drawings: Architecture Department archives, University of Arizona: 7 sheets of ink on linen drawings, dated January, 1909, include floor plan, roof plan, 4 elevations (including ornament on the south and east elevations), and interior detailing
Bibliography: (1) Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Arizona) Sunday, February 21, 1909 page 10 ‘Trost engaged in the new 10-room building of William Kemp
(2) Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, Arizona) Tuesday, March 2, 1909 page 7 ‘$20,000 Residence’
Remarks: The porch was planned to have five semicircular arches on the front and one on each side; Sullivanesque ornament was designed for the spandrels of the arches; additional Sullivanesque ornament was designed for portions of the south and east walls. In spite of being designed a decade after the First Owl Club,Tucson AZ, the drawings for the Kemp house project bear a striking resemblance to it.
A search of city directory entries led to the conclusion that the Kemp family (Mr. and Mrs. Kemp and their daughter, Nellie), never occupied a project. However, an area of Speedway Boulevard near First Avenue does contain some large lots and two houses with a general resemblance to the drawings. Nevertheless there is no evidence to connect the Kemps with any house on Speedway Boulevard. The newspaper states the house to be built at the corner of First street and Second avenue. The 1910 census state Kemp living at 301 4th Street
Prepared for the El Paso Public Library by Lloyd C. and June F. Engelbrecht under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, 1990.