3 9 0 E . M O N T E V I S T A R D . ORANGE GROVE TO DEVELOPMENT Once upon a time, citrus trees grew high in the fields at 7th Street and <strong>Monte</strong> <strong>Vista</strong>. Citrus was one of the 5 Cs that the pre-war economy was based on in Phoenix: cotton, citrus, cattle, climate and copper. In 1906, 160 acres was platted by Heard, in what would ultimately become the Los Olivos subdivision. The subdivision was re-subdivided in 1909, due to slow sales of the original 5 acre homesites. “Los Olivos Re-Subdivided” was the name given to the Northeast portion of Los Olivos, which is now known as the Los Olivos historic district. The district only contains homes on 1 street; <strong>Monte</strong> <strong>Vista</strong> <strong>Rd</strong>, between 7th St and 3rd St. It is lined with its namesake olive trees, in addition to palm trees, which create a picturesque tree-lined streetscape. <strong>Monte</strong> <strong>Vista</strong> <strong>Rd</strong>. was a gravel road, when the subdivision was first being developed, as this was prior to the common ownership of motor vehicles. Paved roads came at a later date. In 1908, early advertising for Los Olivos started appearing in the newspaper. A 1912 advertisement indicated that some of the land was previously orange groves. There may have been varied farm land uses before the subdivision was platted. 1 home appears to be built circa 1900-1915 (324 E. <strong>Monte</strong> <strong>Vista</strong> <strong>Rd</strong>), with the next oldest home being built in 1915 (340 E. <strong>Monte</strong> <strong>Vista</strong>). There are 14 homes in the Los Olivos historic district and each one was custom built. The subdivision features a wide range of architectural styles, including craftman, craftsman/prairie, Spanish eclectic, French eclectic, Spanish colonial, tutor revival, colonial revival and ranch styles. Heard didn’t skimp on marketing, with large scale advertisements catered towards the affluent. He also had a knack for marketing with tag lines like, “You owe it to your wife, yourself and to your children to LIVE in a HOME of your OWN.”. Heard romanticized homeownership in his Los Olivos ads. Everything from rich and fertile soil, first class water rights, palm-lined streets, unobstructed views, city water and electric and cement walks and curbs were advertised. Heard also advertised proximity to the downtown area, via the Indian School street car line, which was called the Phoenix Street railway. The lots in Los Olivos Resub were offered for sale between $600-2,000 with deed restrictions requiring the homes to be of a class between $3,000 to $4,500 (as indicated on a 1913 advertisement). <strong>390</strong> E. <strong>Monte</strong> <strong>Vista</strong> <strong>Rd</strong> was the 6th house built in Los Olivos Resub. It is the only home built in the colonial revival architectural style, within the subdivision. E.E. Lane, aka Eben Lane, was the original owner of the home. Eben was president of Lane-Smith Investments, a real estate, insurance, mortgage and securities firm. Prior to that, he worked for Dwight B. Heard Investment company from approximately 1913-1925. He was the sales manager from 1922-1925. Lane was a well-known Realtor and also a former president of the Phoenix real estate board. Other original owners in the subdivision included judges, lawyers, surgeons, physicians, investment brokers and those in other prestigious occupations. Twins & Co. Realty Twins & 1 W W W . T W I N S A N D C O M P A N Y . C O M
3 9 0 E . M O N T E V I S T A R D Site of <strong>390</strong> E. <strong>Monte</strong> <strong>Vista</strong> <strong>Rd</strong>. Future Future homesite homesite of 1410 of W. 1410 Glenn W. Glenn Dr. Dr. 1 9 3 0 A E R I A L P H O T O W W W . T W I N S A N D C O M P A N Y . C O M 2
Change language