Cheery Lynn

Ahead of the times when developed, Cheery Lynn featured attractive financing for home buyers, English-influenced architecture, and desirable amenities. Today, Cheery Lynn is redesigned and boasts French Provincial Ranch style homes.

Just south of 16th Street and Osborn lies one of Phoenix’s sweetest midtown historic districts, Cheery Lynn Historic District. Noted for the numerous English revival style homes, Cheery Lynn Historic District has an interesting history as well as current charm. Below we’ll give a short history lesson on the Cheery Lynn Historic District followed by a look at the area today.

A Look at the history of Cheery Lynn Historic District in Phoenix, AZ.

Imagine it’s 1928, the nation is giddy with prosperity and the town of Phoenix, Arizona is seeing massive population growth. The demand for housing is enormous and developers are jumping at the chance to join the craze.

Mr. & Mrs. William Fosburg joined the development game in the recently platted subdivision called Cheery Lynn. The couple engaged Marion Carr as architect and building superintendent to develop the neighborhood. Carr, the history books tell us, was fond of the English Tudor and Elizabethan revival styles introduced at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1892.

Fosburg and Carr wasted no time and completed 29 homes by 1929. The homes were advertised as “ultra modern English style homes” and Cheery Lynn was touted as “The Most Distinctive Subdivision in the Southwest.” In addition to English designs, homes in Cheery Lynn had basements, paved streets, indoor plumbing, sidewalks, street lamps and generous financing was available. Some say the new Arizona Biltmore Resort was another attraction to this somewhat rural neighborhood.

Initial sales were brisk and then an unknown tragedy hit… The Great Depression. Like so many other late 1920’s developments, sales stopped as the national and local economy collapsed. Not much is written about this time with regard to Cheery Lynn. We do know the Fosburg’s either traded or sold Cheery Lynn to H.M Strough, a builder from Los Angeles who was also a cotton farmer in Peoria, AZ. The sale occurred in 1932.

Strough was a bit of an anomaly. While most builders were hunkered down just trying to survive the down economy, Strough built 23 homes before passing away in 1938. During the Strough era, building styles in Cheery Lynn moved to the Monterrey and Spanish revival styles that were introduced at the Pacific Panama Exposition held in San Diego in 1915.

Cheery Lynn Historic District Today:

Cheery Lynn was one of the early designated historic districts in Phoenix, gaining its acceptance in 1994. This is likely due to the concentration of pure period revival style homes. Of the 68 properties, 33% are English revival style homes and 49% Spanish or Monterrey with a smattering of bungalows and later ranch style homes built in the 1940’s. One additional home is worth mention… a 1979 Will Bruder designed home. The neighborhood boundaries stretch from Osborn to Thomas and 16th Street to Evergreen/Randolph Road.  The central point of the neighborhood is the lovely LDS Church built in 1953.cherry lynn historic district phoenix

In addition to Cherry Lynn’s architectural distinction, it features wide streets and mature vegetation. The lots are not as large as some of the other east-of-Central Historic districts. This fact has made homes in Cheery Lynn a bit more affordable than some similar nearby homes.

Cheery Lynn has its own neighborhood association that encourages activities and events that add to the charm of the area. Here is a bit from their site regarding life in Cheery Lynn Historic District:

Spending time on front porches is widely enjoyed.  It’s not unusual to see several neighbors gathered together to pass a little evening time.  A great diversity exists among the individuals and families that live here.  Some are relatively new, while others have lived here since childhood.  Our strong sense of community brings us together through planned activities and events.

Homes For Sale In Cheery Lynn Historic District

The button below will open a search for you to see the homes for sale in Cheery Lynn Historic District. Let us know if you have any questions or want more info on a particular home you like.

[Provision Error #28.1 - This Showcase IDX website license is currently active in another WordPress install.]


We hope this information has been helpful. If you are thinking about buying or selling in Cheery Lynn, please know we are here to help. Historic homes in downtown Phoenix are our passion, as is taking expert care of our clients.