The City of Tucson’s Historic Preservation and Sustainability programs are organizing the Sustainable Historic Home Tour on April 26,
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This self-guided open house tour will feature historic homes in Tucson that have been “green retrofitted” to be more sustainable, while remaining sensitive to their historic
characters. Participants will travel to locations identified on a map, where the property owners and volunteers will provide information and
tours.“People will not only get to learn about the benefits of retrofitting their homes but also learn about the history of our community,” said
Ward 5 Councilmember Richard Fimbres. “Many of the homes are in my Ward and I am proud that the homeowners have taken these steps for
better sustainability, preserving Tucson’s history and our environment.”
City staff is still enlisting homes for the tour. To be included on the tour each home must be a contributing property in a National Register of
Historic Places historic district. In addition, homes must showcase retrofit treatments that meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and where applicable, meet the requirements of local Historic Preservation Zone Design Guidelines. Also, all homes
on the tour must address at least one of the following; energy efficiency, water conservation, use or reuse of responsible building materials.“This tour supports knowledge exchange about appropriate and sustainable retrofit treatments of historic homes,” said City Historic Preservation Officer, Jonathan Mabry, “This will help homeowners make better choices to increase the sustainability of our community, while also preserving the integrity of Tucson’s historic built
environment.”City’s Sustainability Manager Leslie Ethen notes that “retrofittinghistoric homes to be more energy and water efficient benefits not only the homeowner through reduced utility costs, but also contributes to
Tucson’s quality of life by recognizing the inherent value in historic homes. Also, improving and extending the life of these homes really is
reduce-reuse-recycle on a larger scale.”Maps of the tour will be available at KXCI, 220 S. 4th Avenue, beginning on April 21. Sunscreen, hats, and walking shoes are recommended for this event. Please bring your reusable water bottles
that can be filled up at the stops along the tour.Free information booklets that provide Tucson-specific guidelines for sustainable retrofitting of historic homes will be available at each
house on the tour and from the City of Tucson Historic Preservation Office beginning April 25 at
www.tucsonaz.gov/preservation/greenretrofitting.Assistance in organizing this event is being provided by graduate students in the Planning and Heritage Conservation Programs at the University of Arizona College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape
Architecture.
For more information contact Jennifer Levstick at (520) 837-6961.
Picked up the map of this home tour from KXCI and there are 2 homes in Blenman-Elm neighborhood and 5 homes in the Armory Park area, both historic districts. The homes range in age from 1886 to 1946, so if you enjoy historic buildings, this is the tour for you, on Saturday.