Our History
Overview: The Historic Eisendrath House, a point of pride for Tempe and the community is the recipient of the 2016 Governor's Heritage Preservation Honor Award. This 1930 majestic adobe home sits atop 9-acres of pristine Sonoran desert.
The beautiful two-story Pueblo Revival Style adobe structure showcases the venue and the history with interpretive panels and furnishings highlighting the original owner, Rose Eisendrath, the famed Arizona architect, Robert Thomas Evans, who designed the house, and information about the adobe revival in our valley in the 30′s and 40′s.
Rose Eisendrath, a widow of a Chicago glove manufacturer, was one of many affluent Chicago residents that spent winters discovering the cultural and historical asset of the Southwest. She was one who proved instrumental in making the name "Arizona" synonymous with splendid winter vacations. Mrs. Eisendrath acquired the 44-acre parcel in the hills above the Salt River in North Tempe on April 23, 1930, and commissioned the home to be built by family friend and architect Robert T. Evans. The home is one of the finest remaining examples Evans' skill and mastery of adobe architecture.
Tempe History Museum manages the Eisendrath House in accordance with its mission - to be a place where the community comes together to explore Tempe's past, share its present and imagine its future. We work together with Tempe's diverse residents to preserve and tell their stories. The Museum comprehensively explores Tempe history through exhibits, activities, speakers, collections, research services, and programs that captivate, connect with and engage audiences throughout the community and beyond. We embrace the important responsibility of collecting and caring for the artifacts and the written, spoken and pictorial records of Tempe.
