The Yaple Park Historic District in Phoenix Arizona

Roughly bounded by 3rd and 7th avenues, and Turney and Minnezona avenues.

Yaple Park can be found near the northeast corner of 7th Avenue and Indian School Road in central Phoenix. It is a small district on only 3 streets, but neighboring homes share some of the same great amenities. 7th Avenue for one.

7th Avenue is home to a variety of independent businesses, dubbed Melrose on Seventh by the merchants who worked to make it a pedestrian friendly and happening place. Dinner, coffee, antiques, pet grooming, a pharmacy (not a Walgreens) are all just steps away from the residential Yaple Park neighborhood. The Grand Canal creates a northern edge to Yaple Park and serves as a walking and biking path. To the east of Central Avenue, the 75-acre Steele Indian School Park has been beautifully remade to include walking paths, an outdoor amphitheatre, and a dog park where Fido can run off leash.

But back to Yaple Park itself. Yaple Park was originally marketed as a pleasant suburb just a few minutes from the offices downtown. While the city of Phoenix has grown around and far beyond Yaple Park over the years, Yaple Park has maintained its suburban feel. Green irrigated lawns, and mature palms and pine trees, and the Grand Canal are reminders that this was agricultural land not all that long ago. The lack of curbs and sidewalks, and the low lit streets, add to the non-urban mood.

The homes are predominantly Transitional Ranch style, simple in design with long shallow porches. The slow development of Yaple Park between 1931 and 1949 resulted in the changing styles of those years, so these are far from cookie-cutter Ranches. You will also find a few older Period Revival style homes and a few modern homes, if that is your preference.

A Ranch home in Yaple Park averages around 1200 square feet, probably with tile or polished concrete floors, and maybe a fireplace. Windows are generally of the steel casement variety. Most of the alleys have been abandoned over time, adding more space to the backyards but leaving an 8’ public utility easement (so check with the City before you plan to build anything back there.)

If you like the Ranch-style homes and suburban feel of Yaple Park, you might like Country Club Park, North Encanto, and Woodlea historic districts too. If you love Yaple for the proximity to the shops at Melrose on 7th Avenue, Woodlea Historic District is just across 7th Avenue to the west. (Coronado Historic District has a thriving group of independent businesses along 7th Street that may be to your liking too.)

• Melrose/7th Avenue Merchants Facebook Page: Click Here
• Read more history of the Yaple Park Historic District in the successful nomination to the National Register of Historic Places: Here
• Steele Indian School Park has a history of its own: Click Here
• Bicyclists: Grand Canal paths lead directly to old town Glendale to the northwest or downtown Tempe to the southeast, either about a 10 mile ride. Grand Canal also connects with other canal paths that lead all over the valley.