WHITE DAIRY BARN
1810 E. APACHE BLVD.
HP #19

THEME / CONTEXT
This building is associated with the context of Community Planning and Development. It falls under the theme of agriculture - barn building. In 1930 it was converted to commercial use and thus could be associated with commerce/tourism.

HISTORIC ASSOCIATION
The Dairy Barn was converted to a commercial establishment after 1930. The building is in an excellent state of preservation and retains its original design features. The building is a rare example of innovative owner-built architecture using locally indigenous material, and is worthy of preservation.

ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION
The White Dairy Barn is the only known river cobble building remaining in Tempe, and was built around 1918 to 1920 by E.M. White, after he bought the property from M.H. Meyer and J.H. Guyer.

The White Dairy Barn is a square, single-story building constructed of concrete and river cobbles. The building features a stepped parapet with concrete parapet copings and a concrete pediment at the roofline. Concrete columns at regular intervals provide support for the building. Intervals between the columns are infilled with courses of river cobbles. The entire building is painted white. The front facade has been altered with the addition of signage and a canopy over the main entry. Two large glass block windows have been added to the front facade, one on either side of the entry. Two additions at the rear of the building have stepped parapets and plastered walls painted white. The building is in excellent condition. Major original design features, such as the parapet, exposed concrete columns, door framing, and cobble surfaces, have been preserved.  

SUMMARY
E. M. White came to Arizona from California in 1908 and farmed near Phoenix before moving to Tempe to permit his children to attend the Tempe Normal school. He used the property in Section 14 as a dairy farm until 1927, when it was subdivided into acre tracts for sale. White is best known for the large river cobble house he built just across the river from Tempe, called the White House, which was demolished in the early 1980s. The White House bore many similarities in design and construction to the Dairy Barn. The Dairy Barn was converted to a commercial establishment after 1930. The building is a rare example of innovative owner-built architecture using locally indigenous material.

For more details see Excerpts from Newspaper Articles and Documents about the White Dairy Barn.

SOURCES
Tempe News, 4/17/18, 4:1, 6/6/25, 3:3, 4/30/27, 3:2; The White Residence - A Process of Preserving the Historical Residences in Tempe, David F. Thompson, 1974, College of Architecture, ASU.