Fraser Fields Historic District Mesa AZ | Flood Irrigated Homes

The Story

It began with $80 and a mare.

That’s what Hyrum Smith Phelps paid for this plot of land in the early 1900s — eighty dollars and a horse. He built an adobe house on it for his wife, Sara Lucretia Pomeroy, and farmed the ground the way everyone in early Mesa did: with water flooding across it from the canals the Hohokam had traced across this valley centuries before anyone thought to call it Mesa.

Phelps sold to Dr. Jack Fraser, who built his own home on what was then Fourth Street — University Drive today. And in 1946, Fraser sold to the Passey Investment Corporation, which platted an 80-acre subdivision and gave it the name it still carries: Fraser Fields.

Starting in 1947, the Mesa Journal Tribune advertised it as “Mesa’s Most Exclusive Subdivision.” The lots were nearly double the size of an average city lot, with at least 100 feet of street frontage, paved streets, city water and gas — and underground irrigation, listed right there in the ads as a modern amenity. Lots sold for $800 to $2,000, and the ads carried three-digit phone numbers.

This was the first major subdivision in Mesa built for families moving outward from the town center — the leading edge of a story that would play out across the postwar American West. Fraser Fields is where that story starts, in Mesa, and where it has been best preserved.

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A Fraser Fields streetscape — photo coming soon

The Water

The lawns are green because the water still comes.

Walk Fraser Fields in July and you’ll notice something that doesn’t quite add up for the Sonoran Desert: deep lawns, towering shade trees, the kind of green that usually costs a fortune in sprinkler water. It doesn’t. It’s flood irrigation — the same system that was a selling point in those 1947 newspaper ads, still working.

Water is delivered through the Salt River Project system, drawing on some of the most senior water rights in Arizona. On delivery day, a zanjero opens the gate, the water moves through the neighborhood’s ditches and pipes, and yards fill like shallow, temporary lakes. A few hours later the water has sunk deep into the soil — down where roots grow strong, where trees survive August without stress, where a lawn stays green on pennies per day.

One honest caution: not every lot in the neighborhood has an active irrigation account today. Water rights in Fraser Fields are appurtenant to the land, but the account status, the delivery infrastructure, and the condition of berms and valves vary from property to property. That’s exactly the kind of thing I verify before my clients write an offer — never after.

How Flood Irrigation Works

Flood irrigation day on a central Mesa property — water flooding a green lawn beneath mature trees

The Houses

Custom ranch homes, no two alike.

No single builder shaped Fraser Fields — and it shows, in the best way. Between 1946 and 1962, families bought their favorite lots and built to their own taste, which is why the neighborhood reads like a field guide to the American Ranch home.

The Styles

Four kinds of ranch

Early Ranch, Classic Ranch, California Ranch, and Spanish Colonial Ranch — plus a few Contemporary houses with flat roofs and walls of glass. The “rambling” ranch houses are the showpieces, with elongated floor plans and wings angling off the main façade.

The Details

Built with intention

Steel casement windows with diamond or square panes. Board-and-batten siding, exposed rafter tails, shake roofs. Painted block and fired adobe. These are the character-defining details that historic designation protects — and that you simply can’t buy new.

The Streetscape

A neighborhood that holds together

Uniform setbacks, broad green front yards, and a loop street layout that keeps traffic slow and the feel secluded. Most homes still have their original carports and garages — kept and cared for rather than converted, which is rarer than you’d think.

Mature fruit trees thriving on a flood-irrigated central Mesa property

Living Here

A place people don’t leave.

Fraser Fields is still home to some of its original families. That tells you most of what you need to know. Houses here change hands slowly, often quietly, and the people who buy them tend to understand what they’re getting: nearly an acre of deep-watered soil in some cases, room for an orchard or a garden that actually produces, and a house with the kind of craftsmanship that was normal in 1950 and is remarkable now.

It’s also central Mesa — minutes from downtown Mesa’s main street, the Mesa Arts Center, and the light rail, in a neighborhood that feels a world apart from all of it.

If you’re looking for a flood irrigated property with history in its bones, Fraser Fields belongs at the top of your list. And if you own here and are thinking about selling, the story of your property — the water, the trees, the architecture — deserves to be told properly to the buyers who will value it most.

Central Mesa Historic District Flood Irrigation Custom Ranch Homes

Frequently Asked Questions

Fraser Fields, answered.

Fraser Fields is in central Mesa, Arizona, about a half mile east of Mesa’s original townsite. The historic district is bounded by University Drive to the north, East Main Street to the south, Horne to the west, and Miller to the east.

Yes. Fraser Fields was designated a City of Mesa local historic district in 2003 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010, with a period of significance from 1946 to 1962. Of its roughly 128 buildings, 107 are considered contributing historic properties.

Yes — flood irrigation is one of the neighborhood’s defining features, and it’s the reason for the mature trees and broad green lawns that set Fraser Fields apart. Water is delivered through the Salt River Project (SRP) system. Not every lot has an active irrigation account today, so it’s important to verify the status of water rights and delivery on any specific property before you buy.

Fraser Fields is known for large, custom-designed Ranch Style homes built mostly in the late 1940s and 1950s, set on oversized lots with at least 100 feet of street frontage. You’ll find Early Ranch, Classic Ranch, California Ranch, and Spanish Colonial Ranch designs, along with signature details like steel casement windows, board-and-batten siding, and exposed rafter tails. No single builder shaped the neighborhood, so no two homes are quite alike.

Interior remodeling generally follows the normal City of Mesa permitting process. Because Fraser Fields is a local historic district, exterior changes that are visible from the street — additions, window replacements, façade changes — typically require review through the City of Mesa’s Historic Preservation office before work begins. Always confirm requirements with the city for your specific project.

Work with an agent who understands both historic districts and flood irrigation — the two things that make Fraser Fields what it is. Camille Fairbanks is a GREEN Certified REALTOR® with eXp Realty and an Arizona flood irrigation specialist based in Mesa. She can be reached at (480) 382-7348.

Historic details on this page are drawn from the City of Mesa Historic Preservation Office’s Fraser Fields Historic District records. This page is an independent neighborhood guide; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the City of Mesa, SRP, or any neighborhood association. Property-specific irrigation and historic-designation status should always be verified individually.

Fraser Fields