Tucson's Kirby Lockard House Designated a Historic Landmark

Sometimes preservation takes a village. For the Kirby Lockard house in Tucson, Arizona, it took Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation, City Council and mayor to designate the 1968 Brutalist home a historic landmark in late September 2020.

“This is an important designation that protects a rare example of Tucson’s modern architecture,” said Demion Clinco, CEO of the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation who prepared the historic landmark and rezoning applications. “The nomination of properties like the Kirby Lockard House rely on support from donors and property owners who are interested in ensuring our architectural heritage is protected for future generations. Without their partnership and support these designations would be impossible.”

Kirby Lockard House interior — The Kirby Lockard House remains occupied as a private residence, but we get to sneak a peek inside to admire the floor-to-ceiling lines.

Kirby Lockard & His House

The Illinois-born architect Kirby Lockard (1929-2007) got his start in architecture in 1952 working at the Scholler and Sakellar firm in Tucson. He earned a masters in architecture at MIT, and upon graduating, he returned to Tucson where he practiced and taught architecture. In 1965, he designed the Dove of Peace Lutheran Church for which he received an award. Three years later, he designed what is now known as the Kirby Lockard House as his own home.

The house is a rare instance of Brutalist architecture in the Tucson area.

Lockard’s legacy also includes many books on architectural drawing such as Design Drawing Experience as well as twenty volumes of videos on the topic.

A rear view of the Kirby Lockard House affords a view of the interior as well as a shapely olive tree.

Architectural Significance

“Protecting our cultural heritage through historic landmarks is part of preserving our shared community values,” said Mayor Regina Romero. “The City is proud to protect outstanding and important examples of our community’s architectural identity, like the Kirby Lockard House. We are grateful to the owner and nominator of this property for protecting it for future generations.”

The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation describes, Lockard’s use “of gray cast concrete blocks constructed with deep raked mortar gives the building a feeling horizontal layers.”

Ready to learn more about Mid Century Modern design and preservation? Check out the Case Study House #6: Neutra’s Study in Outdoor Livin g. And of course, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more Atomic Ranch articles and ideas!