Donna Reiner, a local historian and a good friend of Get Your PHX, has written many articles over the years for the Arizona Republic and others about Phoenix history. We use her services when we list properties of historic significance to help us tell the stories behind the homes.
We are happy that Donna is allowing us to re-publish some of her articles on a monthly basis. If you or your business ever needs a historian, let Donna know at laydeescholar “at” hotmail.com.
Local history buffs know that Phoenix street names have dramatically changed or been slightly altered over the years. The reasons vary, but this is not about those changes. Rather, this is about place name changes.
The Arizona Republic article headline October 17, 1938, charged, “Residents Persist in Using Wrong Names for City Parks.” What was that all about? At the time Phoenix had nearly 20 parks and had recently completed Encanto Park. Some Phoenicians continued to call it Dorris-Norton Park or Jenckes Park, and the article even mentioned how most people did not use Phoenix in the “title” of South Mountain Park. Simply put, the city parks department wanted the populace to use the correct names for its parks!
So on to James Park. Don’t recognize that one either? It still exists, but you will have to read further to figure out where it is and what it is now called.
First, how did this 11-acre park come to be called James Park? It all had to do with a realty deal. James Realty Company, founded by William Knox James, owned large tracts of land which the company subdivided for residential development. The future park land was in an area that was, despite the on-going depression, experiencing growth.
It’s unclear whether the city approached James Realty or vice versa which really is not important. Nevertheless, the records show that in February 1935, James Realty sold this tract of land in Ranchitos Bonitos subdivision (your first clue) to the city of Phoenix for $12,000. The city and newspaper articles all referred to this purchase as James Park. Seems to be a reasonable conclusion.
The city/parks department wasted no time in putting out bids for a pool, bath house and well (clue #2). Securing funds from the Public Works Administration for the construction of these three park elements, work began in early 1936. The pool was billed as modern and attractive. It opened in the summer of 1937. Yet, to ensure that the neighbors would use the new park land before the pool opened, three softball diamonds were laid out, ramadas were built, a tennis court was constructed, and playground equipment plus a sand pile was installed for children. Over time, two basketball courts were added, the sand pile was removed, new playground equipment was added, and only one softball diamond remains (clue #3 for some of you).
When the pool opened in 1937, the current name was used. However, most Arizona Republic newspaper articles that year continued to call the park, James Park. So what is the name? James Park is actually Coronado Park, a “’harmonizing name’” according to that 1938 article.
