|
Returning the L. L. Steward House to its Former Glory In an effort to verify our suppositions about the form, function, and appearance of the original layout of the building, we have searched public archives and contacted the descendants of earlier owners of the property, searching for any pre-war documentation or photographs of the building. L. L. & Mary Steward - March 9 1914 There is considerable information to be found on the Steward family, due in part to his relatively high profile and also to the less popular spelling of L. L.'s surname. However, there were few descendants, and none so far has been much help in locating any extant photographs of either the 522 house or of Mr. Steward himself. Russell Peabody was the son of Mary Peabody, and L. L. Steward's stepson. We did track down one of Mr. Peabody's nieces, Ms. Mary Matilsky, living in Peoria, AZ. She did not have any documentation of the 522 Bldg, but connected me with Russell's son, Chuck Peabody, an insurance agent in Phoenix. Bob Croft had a brief meeting with Chuck at a north Phoenix yard sale in the Fall of 2006. Chuck stated that he was quite certain that he did not have any photos of the 522 residence, and was pretty certain that no one else in the family did either. L. L. Steward Jr. was referenced as a delegate to the 1956 Democratic National Convention from Arizona Thomas & Annie Tayrien - March 8, 1926 David Tayrien When doing an internet search for the name Tayrien along with the locator of Phoenix, I pulled the name of David Tayrien, of Mesa car insurance - Arizona. As it turned out, David no longer lives in Arizona, but has moved his practice to Oklahoma. He had the telephone number of, and was kind enough to refer me to his sister, Jacque ("the genealogist fo the family"). Jacque Tayrien After several attempts, I was able to reach Jacque, who told me that she was in the middle of remodeling her kitchen, and all of the old family photographs were beneath the items she had removed from the kitchen prior to the repairs. She promised to get back to me as soon as she was able to get to the photos. Davena Tayrien I called back several weeks later, and was lucky enough to have called while Jacque was entertaining her mother (), from Salt Lake City, who "should have a better handle on whether the family had ever lived on Roosevelt St.". Unfortunately, Jacque's mom did not recall any such thing. I e-mailed photos of the 522 building to her, but the images did not jog her memory of any old family photos. Dr. Richard Tayrien I also discovered an internet link to a Dr. Richard Tayrien, who practiced at St. Joseph's Hospital: I spoke with his receptionist, Carmen, in mid November. She informed me that Dr. Tayrien was out of town and would be until December 14. I called back several times, reaching her again on December 26, only to be told that he was again out of town and would return on January 2, 2007, at which time she (Carmen) would be unavailable. She promised to put us together on her return, January 8. Carmen did inform me that Dr. Tayrien had commented that he did not believe that he had any old family photos, and did not recall any mention of an old house on Roosevelt as being in his family history. 1926 Phoenix City Directory Tayrien Thos (Annie) h 522 W, Roosevelt Dr. E. L. & Evaline C. Hicks - August 27, 1928 The Hicks seem to be the highest profile owners. Dr. Hicks moved here from New York City, where he lived, according to the 1910 census, in a home just off Central Park, between the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Ernest arrived in Phoenix shortly after completing the construction and staffing of a hospital in Tampico, Mexico for Standard Oil Co. This project was completed about the time his brother, Clarence, was employed by Standard Oil. We have a copy of the ships manifest listing U. S. citizens. History of Arizona - Biographical - Volume IV (1930 ed.) The article indicates that Dr. & Mrs. Hicks had "no children of their own, but have reared four children". One would assume they were adopted; judging by his date of birth and the date of his move to Arizona, the children would most likely have been left as adults in New York. 1920 Census The 1920 Census indicates that Dr. & Mrs. Hicks living at 520 W. Portland with Mrs. Hicks' sister and her husband (John and Pauline Kellogg) along with a Bradford Bailey, six years of age, named as a "nephew" of the Kelloggs. No further information has been found on Bradford. 1926 Phoenix City Directory Ernest L (Evaline) phys 125 W. Monroe R 137 325 E. Portland 1930 Census The 1930 census shows Dr. & Mrs. Hicks living 1931 Phoenix City Directory Ernest L. (Evaline C.) phys h 522 W. Roosevelt 1938 Phoenix City Directory Hicks Ernest L (Evaline C) physician and surgeon Physicians Bldg 125 W. Monroe Tel 4-2500 h522 W. Roosevelt Tel 3-3822 AZ State Dept of Health - Death Certificate - May 27, 1942 Obituary - AZ Republic - May 31, 1942 Dr. Hicks was survived by his wife, Evaline, who also passed within a couple years, and his brother, Clarence J. Hicks, who was involved in Industrial Relations, most notably working with John D. Rockefeller and Standard Oil Co. Clarence was a published author in his field of expertise, and established trusts to finance scholarships at several eastern universities. Among them:
The purpose of this fellowship is to enable a qualified individual to undertake the study of industrial relations in accordance with a program approved by the director of the Industrial Relations Section and, preferably, to allow the fellow to divide time between study and research at Princeton and field work in industry. Evaline Hicks - November, 1942 After Dr. Hicks' passing, Evaline moved to 310 E. Coronado, near the Phoenix Public Library (now the Phoenix Art Museum). Evaline passed within a couple years of her husband. Phoenix City Directory Hicks, Evaline C Mrs. R310 E. Coronado Rd S. F. & Mata Isley - April 9, 1943 Mata Isley - October 4, 1944 Margaret Selby - April 24, 1945 Rudolph & Mary Schweinfurth - May 22, 1947 1948-49 Phoenix City Directory Chicagoan Hotel Rudolph Schweinfurth mgr 522 W. Roosevelt We have been unable, to this point, to uncover any information on either the Isleys or on Ms. Selby. Very little information is extant on the Schweinfurths. Postwar Ownership There wasn't much reason to contact the owners after the conversion of the structure to multi-tenant status; it seemed highly unlikely that any would have historic photographs of the building. No attempts were made to contact these owners, other than a descendent of Clifford and Sarah Arnold, who we were told (incorrectly) possessed video footage from a commercial aired on KTVK, Channel 5 advertising the airing of syndicated "Hill Street Blues" segments. The commercial was shot using the newly renovated Steward house as a backdrop. 1956 Phoenix City Directory The 1956 Phoenix City Directory lists the following for 522 W. Roosevelt: Strait Apts
|
|
Ownership of the Steward House Owner ----------------------------------------------- Purchase Date: • L. L. & Mary Steward ---------------------------- March 9 1915
|