Sandra Day O’Connor House Named to National Register of Historic Places

The historic former home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey announced today. The nomination was prepared by the State Historic Preservation Office in collaboration with the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute, along with Justice O’Connor’s friends and colleagues to achieve the designation. U.S. Senators Martha McSally and Krysten Sinema wrote letters of support to the National Parks Service, overseers of the National Register.

“Justice O’Connor’s adobe home deserves this historic designation,” noted Matt Feeney, O’Connor Institute Chairman of the Board. “Her storied life is symbolized by this iconic structure that embodies her character and quest for civil discourse,” he added. The National Register of Historic Places is the United States federal government’s official list of sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance.

“The O’Connor House now joins other historic houses, such as Jefferson’s Monticello and Washington’s Mt. Vernon,” noted Sarah Suggs, O’Connor Institute CEO.

“The O’Connor House is conserved by the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute and is our inspiration to continue her lifetime work of civil discourse, civic engagement and civics education.”

The Sandra Day O’Connor house was built by she and her husband John in 1958 of adobe made from mud and soil collected in the Salt River. Together, they raised their three sons Scott, Brian and Jay there in the decades to come while Sandra Day O’Connor’s career took her to historic heights. She served as an Assistant Arizona Attorney General, Majority Leader in the Arizona State Senate, Judge in the Superior and Arizona Court of Appeals before being appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the United States Supreme Court in 1981. Over the years, Sandra Day O’Connor hosted leaders and luminaries to discuss issues of the day, all in an environment of civil discourse and mutual respect. In 2006, the house was scheduled for demolition when community leaders rallied to save it and arrange to have the house moved, adobe brick by adobe brick to Papago Park in Tempe. In 2009, the house relocation was completed with the help of former Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman.