Behind the facade of the Owls Club: The forgotten history of Tucson's turn-of-the-century bachelor residence

Abstract

There are a lot of misconceptions about the Owls Club, located at 378 N. Main Street in Tucson, Arizona. Many of these are the result of the popularity of the bachelors who formed Tucson's first men's club, The Owls, in the late nineteenth century. The restoration/renovation of the building in 1986 facilitated a revival of popular notions that the Owls Club served as a clubhouse for the gregarious society of men. However, by examining the building in its appropriate context of "Tucson Boosterism," different conclusions are drawn. Although the residence is connected with members of The Owls, the buildings construction after the organization's social and group emphasis had ended. Instead, research revealed that the Owls Club was designed as a single-family residence to promote the development of an elite Anglo neighborhood in Tucson while, simultaneously, reinforcing its patrons' position in society.