List of historic properties in Casa Grande, Arizona


This is a list, which includes a photographic gallery, of some of the remaining historic properties in the town of Casa Grande, Arizona. Some of the structures in the list were made of fieldstone by local stonemason Michael Sullivan. Many of the historic structures in this list are listed either in the National Register of Historic Places or the Casa Grande Historic Register.
Also listed are two of the Corona Satellite Calibration Targets built in the 1960s in the desolate desert, in and around Casa Grande that helped to calibrate satellites of the Corona spy satellite program.
Included are the images of the Casa Grande Domes which were built in the 1970s for a computer manufacturing company, but were never completed. The Domes, some resemble flying saucers and others look like giant caterpillars, are in a state of abandonment. The Domes were featured in Season 11, Episode 9 of the Travel Channel series "Ghost Adventures"

Brief history

Casa Grande is a city in Pinal County, which was founded in 1879 during the Arizona mining boom. It was named after the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, which is actually located in Coolidge. The presence of the Southern Pacific Railroad contributed to the growth of the town.
The Casa Grande Valley Historical Society was founded in 1964 to preserve and exhibit the history of the Casa Grande region.
The city has numerous historic properties which have been listed either in the National Register of Historic Places or have been identified as historical by the Casa Grande Historic Preservation Program. The Historic Preservation Office works together with the Historic Preservation. They determine which properties meet the criteria for inclusion in the Casa Grande Historic Property Register.
However, the preservation office does not have the ability to deny a demolition permit. Therefore, the owner of a property, listed in the National Historic Property Register, may demolish the historical property if he or she so wishes.
Among the properties which are listed in the NRHP and which have been demolished are the following:
The Arizona Preservation Foundation is an agency which identifies critically endangered cultural resources of major historical significance to the state. In 2012, the foundation identified the following properties in Casa Grande as endangered:
The following is a brief description with the images of the buildings listed.

Fieldstone structures

Michael Sullivan was a local stonemason who in the 1920s built various structures of fieldstone in Casa Grande. The stones collected from the surface of fields where it occurs naturally. The stones used as fieldstones are building construction materials which are collected from the surface of fields where they occur naturally. Sullivan's last completed project was the Pvt. Matthew B. Juan monument in the town of Sacaton, Arizona. Sullivan did not see the dedication of this monument as he died on February 25, 1928, of a heart attack while en route to Sacaton for a visit. Among the structures which he built are the following:
The following are the houses of religious worship in Casa Grande listed in the NRHP:
The following is a brief description with the images of the houses listed:
The Corona Satellite Calibration Targets refer to two hundred and seventy two concrete markers, built in the 1960s in the desolate Arizona desert, in and around Casa Grande, Arizona that helped to calibrate satellites of the Corona spy satellite program. They are large concrete crosses in the ground with a resemblance of a large Maltese Cross. The targets are only visible if one walked up to them or passed over them from a great height, like space.
Each of the targets has a manhole with a cement cover and rebar handles. The manhole is located on the west arm of the cross. According to Gary Morgan, member of the Cold War Museum in Warrenton VA., the 6 pieces of rebar, which protrude at an equal distance from each other, may have been used to hold laser lighting to give a more accurate fix on each target.
The targets were abandoned following the end of the program in 1972. About half of the targets were either destroyed or demolished. Pictured are two of the remaining targets which have survived. The first one pictured is located on the southeast corner of South Montgomery and West Cornman Roads and the second one on the northeast corner of West Cornman Road and Carmel Blvd.

The Casa Grande Domes

The Casa Grande Domes, located on South Thornton Road, were built in 1982 for the California-based electronics manufacturing company InnerConn Technology Inc's new headquarters. The company's then-current headquarters in Mountain View, California was to become a branch plant. At the ground breaking event for the domes in 1982, owner of InnerConn Technology Patricia Zebb stated:
InnerConn opened one office in the structures, but production never started after it defaulted on a loan and the bank took possession of the property. The domes were abandoned and never completed. In later years, the iconic and crumbling structures, some which resemble flying saucers and giant caterpillars, became an attraction to vandals, graffiti artists and others. The domes were featured in Season 12, Episode 9 of the Travel Channel series "Ghost Adventures" In 2017, the county officials ordered the demolition of the dilapidated domes.