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. The 86 year-old majestic adobe home sits atop 9-acres of pristine Sonoran desert for all to enjoy.
The beautiful 2-story Pueblo Revival Style adobe structure is set with period furniture and galleries with interpretive educational panels highlighting builder Rose Eisendrath and the famed Arizona architect, Robert Thomas Evans and the importance of 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, and proved instrumental in making the name "Arizona" synonymous with splendid winter vacations. After being refused accommodations at a valley resort due to her Jewish heritage. 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, 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.
