Quick Facts
Biography
Annie Graham Rockfellow (March 12, 1866 – January 17, 1954) was an influential and prolific architect active in Tucson, Arizona during the first half of the 20th century.
Life and work
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 receiving a special certificate in 1887. In 1905, She moved to Tombstone, Arizona to care for her father, Samuel, then living with his son, John A. Rockfellow. By 1916, she had moved to Tucson and worked for the firm of architect Henry O. Jaastad from 1916 to 1938 as chief designer. 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-Pacific International Exposition which affected her design style. Her buildings relied and were inspired by regional styles including Pueblo Revival, and Spanish Mission Revival. She created some of Tucson’s most prominent buildings including the El Conquistador Hotel and Safford School.
Rockfellow moved to Santa Barbara, California in 1938 and died in 1954 at the age of 87.
Major extant buildings
- Safford School, Tucson, 1918
- Desert Sanitorium (Tucson Medical Center), 1926: Erickson House, Arizona Building, Patio Building, Water Tower, Court Buildings and Educational Buildings
- Young Women’s Christian Association, Tucson, 1930
- Southern Arizona Bank and Trust Co., Tucson
- First Church of Christ Scientist, Tucson
- La Fonda Buen Provecho Inn, Tucson
- R.P. Boss House, Tucson, 1932
- Allison-James school, Santa Fe
- Manual School, Albuquerque
Demolished buildings
- El Conquistador Hotel, 1928
- Hoyl House, 1929