Annie Rockfellow

Annie Graham Rockfellow was an influential and prolific architect active in Tucson during the first half of the 20th century.

Born in Mount Morris, New York on March 12, 1866, Annie was the daughter of Samuel L. and Julia Lucinda (Conkey) Rockfellow. She studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduating in 1897. She moved to Tucson and worked with architect Jansted. She was a faculty member at the University of Arizona from 1895-1897 and a member of numerous Tucson civic clubs including: American Pen Women, Arizona Archaeological and Historical Society, Tucson Natural History Society and the Tucson Fine Arts Association.

She visited the San Diego California-Panama exposition which affected her design style. Her buildings relied and were inspired by region styles including Pueblo Revival, and Spanish Mission Revival. She created some of Tucson’s most prominent buildings including the El Conquistador Hotel and Saford School.

Rockfellow moved to Santa Barbra in 1938 and died in 1954 at the age of 87.

Major Extant Buildings

*Safford School, 1918
*Desert Sanitarium (Tucson Medical Center), 1926 Erickson House Arizona Building Patio Building Water Tower Court Buildings Educational Buildings
*Young Women’s Christian Association, 1930
*Southern Arizona Bank and Trust Co.
*Christen Science Church
*La Fonda Buen Provecho Inn
*R.P. Boss House, 1932
*Allison-James school, Santa Fe
*Manual School, Albuquerque

Demolished Buildings

*El Conquistador Hotel, 1928
*Hoyl House, 1929

References

*Regan, Margaret, Remembering Rockfellow, Tucson Weekly, January 31, 2000. (www.weeklywire.com/ww/01-31-00/tw_feat.html)
*Rockfellow, Anne Graham. The Cactus Gets Under the Skin. The Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation. (http://www.bwaf.org/timeline/architect/show/Rockfellow_Anne_Graham)