West Second Street Historic District

Older homes on individually divided lots

West Second Street Historic District occupies part of Mesa’s original townsite, around First and Second streets and Robson, Macdonald, Drew and Center streets. Its original garden blocks were split into individual lots over time, leaving a less uniform pattern of parcels than a subdivision laid out all at once.

Bungalows are prominent, alongside Mission Revival and Colonial Revival houses and some later ranch-style homes. Landscaped medians, including citrus trees, are a defining part of the streetscape. Residential streets sit alongside office and institutional uses within the district.

• City of Mesa — West Second Street Historic District

Historic review matters for renovation plans

Mesa reviews alterations, new construction and rehabilitation of locally designated historic resources through its Certificate of Appropriateness process. For a purchase that depends on changing an older home, the city offers an optional staff meeting before the application stage; historic preservation staff can be reached at 480-644-2385.

The current process page excludes ordinary maintenance and repair, in-kind material replacement, and painting historic materials that are already painted. Staff clarification matters where a project falls between maintenance and alteration.

• City of Mesa — Certificate of Appropriateness process
• City of Mesa — Historic Preservation

Downtown rail is on Main Street

Center/Main is a downtown light-rail station on the Main Street corridor, south of the district’s First and Second Street blocks. Rail connects Mesa with Tempe and Phoenix. The station approach is part of the journey from these residential streets; the rail line does not run along West Second Street itself.

• Visit Mesa — Valley Metro Light Rail

Library evenings and a separate self-service hour

Main Library is at 64 E. 1st Street, east of Center Street. Staffed hours run 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday–Thursday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Friday–Saturday; Sunday is closed. Monday–Saturday, the earlier 9–10 a.m. period is self-service: computers require a library card, and items can be borrowed at self-checkout machines. Staff become available at 10 a.m.

Library parking has a three-hour limit monitored Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Visitors staying longer can ask library staff for a vehicle permit.

• Mesa Public Library — Main Library

A seasonal Sunday food stop south of Main

Farm to Mesa Market is listed at 104 E. 1st Avenue, south of Main Street, with produce, baked goods and prepared food. Published hours are Sunday, 9 a.m.–1 p.m., and the market closes during summer months. It adds a weekly food stop rather than an everyday supermarket.

• Downtown Mesa — Farm to Mesa Market