Willo Historic District.
22 subdivisions
north of McDowell Road.
Willo is a historic district in central Phoenix, between McDowell Road and the alley north of Edgemont Avenue, made up of 22 subdivisions platted by World War II. It has been on the Phoenix Historic Property Register since July 1990 and on the National Register of Historic Places since January 9, 1991.
Willo on the map
Boundary from the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office map (listed on the Phoenix Register). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A listed district on two registers
Willo is a residential historic district on the Phoenix Historic Property Register. The city describes it as generally bounded by First and Seventh avenues, McDowell Road and the alley north of Edgemont Avenue. It was listed in July 1990, with a boundary expansion in June 2006, per the Phoenix Historic Property Register (October 2026). The exact lines are on the city district map.
Willo is also on the National Register of Historic Places. The Willo Historic District was listed on January 9, 1991, roughly bounded by Central Avenue, McDowell Road, Seventh Avenue and Thomas Road. A boundary increase, roughly bounded by Edgemont Avenue, Cambridge Road and Seventh and Third avenues, was listed on October 15, 1997, according to the city's list of National Register properties in Phoenix.
The city register gives Willo a period of significance of 1910 to 1956. A period of significance is the span of years whose buildings give a district its historic value. Source: the Phoenix Historic Property Register.
Homestead land turned one neighborhood
The Willo Neighborhood Association's history page traces the land to J. P. Holcomb, who settled the southern portion, between Encanto Boulevard and McDowell Road, under a Homestead Patent in 1878. He acquired the northern portion, between Thomas Road and Encanto Boulevard, through a Timber Culture Land Patent in 1886. The land was used mainly for farming until about 1900.
In the early 1900s, four subdivisions were platted with long, narrow lots. A plat is the recorded map that divides land into lots. By World War II, various developers had platted 22 separate subdivisions here. Over time the individual names fell out of use and the area came to be known as one neighborhood, Willo. Most building in the 1920s and 1930s took place in the North Kenilworth and Broadmoor subdivisions, per the association.
A City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office study of central Phoenix subdivisions, filed with the National Register as Historic Residential Subdivisions and Architecture in Central Phoenix, 1912 to 1950, lists Broadmoor among the subdivisions that opened in 1928.
Home Builders bungalows
From 1920 to 1925 the firm Home Builders built 41 homes in the Bungalow style here, per the Willo Neighborhood Association. The city's subdivision study describes Home Builders, Inc. as a real estate and construction firm incorporated in 1910 and the largest organized residential contractor in the city at the time.
Exhibition houses
In the 1920s and 1930s, new construction was marketed through exhibition houses, which are now called model homes. One was advertised as a Spanish Rancho Home, per the association.
FHA era
In the late 1930s and 1940s, construction shaped by the Federal Housing Administration brought French Provincial and Monterey style houses, which led to the Ranch style. Most of these homes are in the northern section, per the association. The FHA was created by the National Housing Act of 1934.
Bungalows, Period Revivals and early Ranch
The National Park Service record for the Willo Historic District lists its architectural styles as Bungalow/Craftsman, Tudor Revival and Mission/Spanish Revival. A Bungalow is a low one-story or one-and-a-half-story house with a broad front porch. Period Revival houses borrow the look of older European and colonial styles.
The association's history adds the Period Revival styles built here in the 1930s: Tudor Revival, Greek Revival, American Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Pueblo Revival. The French Provincial, Monterey and early Ranch houses of the late 1930s and 1940s sit mostly in the northern section.
- 1920s.Bungalows, including the 41 built by Home Builders from 1920 to 1925.
- 1930s.Period Revival houses, marketed in part through exhibition houses.
- Late 1930s and 1940s.French Provincial, Monterey and early Ranch houses, mostly in the northern section.
Between McDowell and Thomas
The Phoenix Art Museum is at 1625 N. Central Ave., per the museum.
Distances below are straight-line miles from the coordinates the National Register database gives for the district. From Willo, the Arizona State Capitol is about 2 miles away and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is about 5 miles away.
Exterior work goes through city review
Properties on the Phoenix Historic Property Register carry HP overlay zoning. An overlay is an extra layer of zoning rules placed on top of the base zoning. In Willo, design review covers exterior changes, infill construction and changes to non-historic properties inside the district, according to the city's Historic Preservation approvals and guidelines page.
The National Register works differently. National Register listing does not rezone a property and gives no formal protection, but it can make a property eligible for state and federal incentives. City listing brings special permit review and eligibility for city incentives, per the city's historic preservation FAQ.
Exterior work
A building permit that affects the exterior needs a Certificate of No Effect or a Certificate of Appropriateness. A Certificate of No Effect is an over-the-counter staff approval for minor work. A Certificate of Appropriateness is for larger or street-visible work and requires a public hearing with an independent hearing officer.
What is not reviewed
Routine maintenance such as painting is excluded from review, and the Historic Preservation Office does not regulate paint colors. Interior work that does not affect the exterior does not need review. Replacing materials in kind, meaning with the same material, does not need permission unless a conservation easement applies.
Demolition
A Request for Demolition Approval goes to the Historic Preservation Office. Demolition of a contributing property can be delayed up to one year. A contributing property is one that adds to the district's historic character.
Willo, answered
Where is Willo?
Willo is in central Phoenix. The city describes the historic district as generally bounded by First and Seventh avenues, McDowell Road and the alley north of Edgemont Avenue.
Is Willo an official historic district?
Yes. It is on the Phoenix Historic Property Register, listed in July 1990 with a boundary expansion in June 2006, and on the National Register of Historic Places, listed on January 9, 1991.
How old are the houses in Willo?
The city register gives a period of significance of 1910 to 1956. Home Builders built 41 Bungalow style homes from 1920 to 1925, Period Revival styles followed in the 1930s, and French Provincial, Monterey and early Ranch houses from the late 1930s and 1940s.
What architectural styles are in Willo?
The National Park Service lists Bungalow/Craftsman, Tudor Revival and Mission/Spanish Revival. The neighborhood association also names Greek Revival, American Colonial Revival, Pueblo Revival, French Provincial, Monterey and Ranch.
Why is it called one neighborhood if it had 22 subdivisions?
By World War II, 22 separate subdivisions had been platted here. Over time the individual names fell out of use and the area became known as Willo.
Do I need city approval to paint a house in Willo?
No. Routine maintenance such as painting is excluded from historic preservation review, and the city's Historic Preservation Office does not regulate paint colors. Exterior changes that need a building permit do go through review.
Do I need approval for exterior changes?
Yes, if the work needs a building permit that affects the exterior. Minor work can get an over-the-counter Certificate of No Effect. Larger or street-visible work needs a Certificate of Appropriateness, which requires a public hearing.
What is the difference between the city register and the National Register?
City listing adds HP overlay zoning, special permit review for exterior changes and eligibility for city incentives. National Register listing does not rezone a property and gives no formal protection, but it can make a property eligible for state and federal incentives.
How do I check whether a specific house is historic?
Look the property up on the Phoenix Historic Property Register and the city's district maps, and check whether its zoning carries an HP suffix (historic district zoning) or an HP-L suffix (an individually listed landmark). For the National Register, check the National Park Service records.
Looking at Willo?
Whether a lot falls inside the Willo lines, which subdivision it was platted in, its construction year and its HP zoning all sit in the city and county records. Send me the addresses and I will pull them. Text 480-485-4261.
Own a home in Willo? See what the county has on file and get a real value. Looking? Search homes for sale.
Sources: City of Phoenix Residential Historic Districts, Phoenix Historic Property Register, Willo district map, National Register Properties in Phoenix, Historic Preservation FAQ and Approvals and Guidelines; National Park Service NPGallery record 90002099; City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office, Historic Residential Subdivisions and Architecture in Central Phoenix, 1912 to 1950 (National Register multiple property documentation, hosted by Arizona State Parks); Willo Neighborhood Association history; Phoenix Art Museum; coordinates from the Wikipedia list of National Register listings in Phoenix. All checked 28 October 2026.