Ralph Haver

Ralph Haver was a Modern architect working in the greater metro area of Phoenix, AZ from 1945 until the early 80s. Haver is best known today for his Mid-century modern "Haver Homes", affordable tract housing executed in a contemporary modern style. These Haver Homes are prized by designers and do-it-yourselfers alike as modest and modern spaces to renovate.

Ralph Haver's success has often mistakenly been compared to that of California's Joseph Eichler, simply by similarity in design style -- however instead of being a real estate developer, Haver was an architect who knew how to communicate with developers to populate his designs on a large scale. Thus, his role in bringing modern design sensibility to the masses is more comparable to that of A. Quincy Jones (who designed for developer Eichler).

Haver Home characteristics include low-sloped rooflines, clerestory windows, massive mantle-less chimney volumes, floor-to ceiling walls of glass, brick or block construction, clinker bricks in the wainscoting, angled porch posts and brick patios.

Born in California and trained at USC Pasadena as an architect, Ralph arrived in Phoenix immediately after his service in WWII and began shaping the city with the assistance of his brother Robert (a builder) and father Harry (a mason). He settled in what would soon become Uptown Phoenix -- 2 miles outside city boundaries at the time. His first set of experimental modern contemporary ranch homes was created in the Hixson Homes subdivision near 12th Street and Highland -- now called Canal North.

He soon mentored under Ed Varney and remained lifelong friends and collaborators with him even after breaking off and creating his own firm. Haver also worked with prominent developers such as Del Webb and Fred Woodward.

Ralph Haver is responsible for so much of the design of postwar Phoenix that he is considered to be among one of the largest firms of the time. He designed churches, schools, municipal buildings, malls, multifamily housing, tract housing and custom homes.

Haver-designed buildings, while rather ubiquitous but valued in the Phoenix Metro area, are not immune from destruction. His elegant and acclaimed Cine Capri theater was razed in the 90s, and the 1960 Coronado High School was largely demolished by 2007. The Polynesian-styled Kon Tiki motel has been destroyed as well.

Of concern to the preservation community is the urge toward erecting second-story additions on Haver Homes, rendering the original low-lying profile of the home historically incongruous and altering the overall fabric of the neighborhood. Others claim these small, sometimes cramped home plans are largely outdated for present-day living and as ranch homes were designed to be modified from the start. Yet others cite that the housing is cheap, common and unattractive by today's standards and has little value at all for preservation or rehabilitation.

Haver's architectural design firm contemporaries included Ed Varney, Al Beadle, Weaver & Drover, Bennie Gonzales, and Lescher & Mahoney. His work may be also be found credited under "Haver Nunn & Jensen", "Haver Nunn & Collamer" or "Haver Nunn & Nelson". Blueprints as verification for authenticity of Haver designs are rare, as many buildings were created outside of Phoenix city boundaries at the time. Many of Haver's drawings, renderings and records were destroyed when the firm finally went into bankruptcy -- they ended up in a dumpster.

Haver designed (or participated in the design) of the following buildings and neighborhoods, among many others not mentioned or re-discovered:

1946 Hixon Homes/Canal North (includes the original Haver family home and several other experiments)
1950 Luke Air Force Base Housing
1953 Entz White Lumber
1953 Marlen Grove neighborhood
1953 Campus Homes in Tempe
195? Haver and Nunn office building (now Red Modern Furniture)
1954 Lou Regester Furniture (aka Copenhagen Imports)
195?1954 Starlite Vista neighborhood
1955 Tonka Vista homes (including new Haver family home and other experiments)
195? Madison Rose Lane elementary school
195? Madison #2 elementary school
1955 Windemere neighborhood
1955 Park Lee Alice Apartments
1956 Engineering Complex at ASU
1956 Tower Plaza (with John Schotanus)
1957 Rancho Ventura (Town & Country II) neighborhood, Phoenix
1958 Town & Country III neighborhood, Scottsdale
1959 Social Sciences Building at ASU
1960 Coronado High School, Scotsdale (mostly razed)
1961 Former Arizona Bank branch at 4231 East Thomas
1961 Fraternity on ASU's Greek Row (razed)
1961 Kon Tiki Motel (?)
1962 Haver Office Building on Missouri
1962 Kaibab Elementary School
1963 Phoenix Municipal Bldg (in collaboration with Ed Varney, won an AIA award)
1964 Cine Capri Theater (with Henry G. Greene; razed)
1964 Arizona Bank branch at 6015 North 16th Street
1967 Paradise Valley United Methodist Church
1969 American Express Complex
1980 North Phoenix Baptist Church
1981 Salt River Project Administration Building
1981 Intel Deer Valley Facility

=References=
* [http://www.modernphoenix.net/haverchronicle.htm "Growing up Haver" by Ralph Haver's son Bucky]
* [http://eservices.scottsdaleaz.gov/planning/projectsummary/other_info/OtherInfo_9_HP_2004.pdf Town and Country district of Scottsdale (pdf)]