Arizona Architecture from the Archives

Martin Ray Young, Jr. was the first architect in Mesa, establishing his practice in 1948, and designing more than 1600 projects in a career that spanned more than 50 years. A graduate of Brigham Young University, Young designed churches, residence, schools, and commercial buildings, mostly in Arizona but also in New Mexico, California, Utah, Colorado , and elsewhere. Some of his prominent projects in the Phoenix area include the First United Methodist Church (Mesa), Paradise Valley Apostolic Church, Emmanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church (Tempe), and Mesa Historical Society Museum. He was the founding president of the Rio Salado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and a recipient of the prestigious Kachina Award from the Arizona College of Fellows of AIA. Martin Ray Young, Jr. died in February 1999.

Located in downtown Mesa, the building opened in 1954 and features a 120-foot tower. Young noted that the building design expresses aspiration.

The design for the Mesa Branch of the First National Bank incorporated both the convenience of drive-in banking as well as traditional parking.

The design for Mesa Dodge featured floor to ceiling windows in the showroom and a prominent sign on the building to attract passing motorists.

The collection includes over 15,000 preliminary sketches and working drawings as well as job files, project specifications, and photographs.  The collection is a gift from the Young Family.

For more information see the collection inventories

Harold Housley
Archivist, Design and the Arts Special Collections

Harold.Housley@asu.edu 
(480) 965-6370