Here we started, and here we stay.
Since 1949.
Once a cow pasture for a dairy farm, in what was considered “far out West Phoenix”, North Park Central was developed between 1949 and 1952. On December 27, 1950, Stanley and Margaret Kuykendall deposited $200 as earnest money for the property at 1017 W. Mitchell Drive, the first house sold in North Park Central. The sale price was $9,650.00.
Skyline views from NPC.
Aerial photo of what would soon become North Park Central.
Midcentury vibes in this Clarendon home.
Original kitchen in the iconic floor-plan known well by many residents.
History of Park Central.
A changing landscape.
Midtown Circa 1956.
The Making of North Park Central
1949
NPC Units 1-5 building began in 1949 by Bella Vista Properties, a California Corporation, known for a short time as La Mar Homes, Inc
Diversify
Apartments, two medical buildings adjacent to St. Joseph’s Hospital; a hotel, restaurant and the exclusive Country Club Manor subdivision followed. Ralph Burgbacher became the 3rd president of the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona. Some of these properties were later purchased by St. Joseph’s Hospital which opened in 1953.
Build
A.J. Burgbacher, VP and R.G. Burgbacher, Secretary of Bella Vista Properties built North Park Central. These builders were very significant to the development of Phoenix. Having the foresight to build, what was considered far out west of the city, they built Park Central Mall which was Phoenix’s first large scale mall.
Live
On December 27, 1950, Stanley Kuykendall and his wife Margaret deposited $200 as earnest money for the property at 1017 W. Mitchell Drive, the first house sold in North Park Central. The sale price was $9,650.00.
Sell
Henry Bradshaw paid the government 10 cents an acre for the property between Central and 7 th Ave., Catalina and Osborn and built the Central Avenue Dairy. Ten years later, Joseph Geare bought it for under $10 an acre. After lengthy negotiations with the Geare family, the Burgbacher brothers, along with Al Behrstock, purchased the Park Central site and an additional 100 acres lying west and north where North Park Central was built, for about 500 times what Geare paid.
Establish
In 1985, with 251 single homes and 750 residents, our neighborhood association was formed. With a primary focus on block watch efforts, these decades saw great change in the Phoenix area.
Grow
The brothers directed their first efforts to construct 360 homes on the land west of 7 th Avenue. North Park Central consisted of 252 of those homes.
2020
NPC has now extended its original boundaries of Amelia Ave. to Mitchell Drive, to now include the apartments and business complete from Indian School Rd. to Osborn Rd. in addition to the homes on 11th Ave. facing East. In the last 2 years NPC has welcomed over 40 new homeowners, signaling a rebirth for the area. NPC is lucky to have original residents, or family of original residents still living in the neighborhood today.
A Field of Dreams
“Well, I studied the local situation and saw the population density of the city was moving outward steadily. Skeptics did not see this trend or realize that it could not be stopped. The city merchandising center was leaving Washington and Central for areas farther out. Today merchants go to their resident customers. It used to be the other way around.”
— Ralph Burgbacher, Bella Vista Properties and
NPC Developer on deciding on the dairy farm fields for his lunge into the shopping center business.
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