Clarkdale is a small community in north-central Arizona, nestled in the Coconino forest, along the southwest banks of the Verde River. Clarkdale was founded in 1912 as a company town to serve the United Verde Copper Company and was offi cially incorporated in 1957. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Town of Clarkdale was Arizona’s first master-planned community that still serves as a model of urban planning. With Spanish Colonial style facades and original brick exposed on most buildings, the historic downtown district is poised to capitalize on its quaint charm. Despite a regional economic grow th trend that has benefited its neighbors, the Town of Clarkdale has not seen the same significant growth in recent years. Rather, the community has struggled to keep pace with the Towns of Jerome and Cottonwood; both have developed a unique character and identity, attracting both tourists and businesses alike, sometimes at Clarkdale’s loss. However, Clarkdale is well-positioned to tell a compelling story that celebrates the town’s history and positions it as a destination for tourists across Arizona.
Two master’s capstone students from the School of Public Affairs MPA program examined elements of historic preservation in Clarkdale. Both studies relied on literature review, expert interviews, site visits, and observation of the Town Council. The Shah capstone grapples with the broader framework and strategy around historic preservation. Shah draws on three leading revitalization frameworks, applying these frames to lessons learned from three other communities’ case studies. The Dabbs-Mendoza capstone explores funding mechanisms for historic preservation and similarly examines other communities’ approaches to funding historic preservation efforts. These sections position the Main Street Approach and Certified Local Government programs as core to Clarkdale’s historic preservation program.
Residents have expressed a clear desire for place-based branding and identity. The students’ analyses also support the need to establish anchor
attractions in Clarkdale and solidify its brand awareness as a destination that complements the draw of neighboring Jerome and Cottonwood. The comprehensive design guidelines detailed in the latter part of this report help paint a vivid picture of what that could look like for the Town of
Clarkdale, by capitalizing on existing attractions and untapped potential.