In 1900, when Louise was in charge of North Hall she noticed the young women did not have a place for study, recreation and pleasant diversions except for the North Hall and the Main Building. There were almost no other homes or buildings around the University. To provide a homelike atmosphere, she decided to build a spacious residence that would also provide a meeting place for the young women students.
She decided the land just north of campus and between North Hall and East Cottage would be a good place. On May 11, 1901 she purchased 1.9 acres from Jesus Maria and Emilia Ronstadt Zepeda "including the Road and Highway on the north side of the University." Tanque Verde was the road. You can see from early photographs, it was not even a path. Later the address was 85 Rincon Road, in 1930 it became 1185 Second Street. That number no longer exists as the house was made into a parking lot in 1957. In 1990 the lot, from Second Street to Speedway, is between Harvill Building on Olive Road and Business and Public Administration Building on Palm Road.
Cottage and behind it the barbed-wire fence that enclosed the original forty acre
site. If you want an answer to the trivia question, "What was the first structure built
at the University of Arizona?" the answer is "a barbed-wire fence to keep out stray
cattle". The road Tanque Verde (later Rincon Road and by 1930 named Second Street)
is parallel to the fence, but apparently exists only on maps as no road is visible. What
is visible is a path and gate. The gate will soon lead directly to Professor Foucar's home.
Today, only the gate is near the same place. To the right is North Hall and the brick Shop
and Assay building before the 1900 addition. LFM
might have been the one Louise took to North Woburn, Massachusetts, in the summer
of 1900, when she told her parents of her plans for a home. This would be the last
summer Louise would see her father, as he died December 22, 1900. Her mother lived
in the family home until March 22, 1923; she died at the age of 94. She had lived in the
family home for almost forty years. LFM
There was more to campus life than just going to class, as shown by the picture below. Persons who have not been to Tucson must think it snows frequently. Actually it snows for about an hour every few years, and Tucsonans quickly rush out with a camera to capture the scene.
Notice the students' clothing. Young men wear coat, tie and hat even to a snow fight. Some wear military uniforms or striped football jerseys or a combination. The young man on the far right is wearing military trousers, striped football jersey and hat. Women students all wear long dresses.
new home, North Hall, a weeping mulberry tree and the Manual Training building (formerly
called Shop and Assay). All have disappeared now, first to go was the snow, the last
was the weeping mulberry tree in 1983. Photo courtesy Special Collections, University
of Arizona Library. Snow Scenes, [no accession # ] FB