Phoenix Union High School
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Phoenix Union High School Historic District
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| Location | 512 E Van Buren, Phoenix, Arizona |
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| Coordinates | 33°27′10″N 112°3′51″W / 33.45278°N 112.06417°WCoordinates: 33°27′10″N 112°3′51″W / 33.45278°N 112.06417°W |
| Area | 18 acres (7.3 ha) |
| Built | 1912 |
| Architect | Norman F. Marsh, et al. |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts, Renaissance, Mission/Spanish Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 82002085 |
| Added to NRHP | July 15, 1982 |
Phoenix Union High School was the main high school for Phoenix, Arizona, at 7th Street and Van Buren Street. It closed in 1982 amidst declining enrollment, along with East High School and West High School. It is the namesake of the extant Phoenix Union High School District.
The mascot was the Coyotes. The school's athletic programs combined won over 100 Arizona state championships.
The high school and its district were created in 1895. Classes started on the second floor of the Central School Building, on the present site of the San Carlos Hotel; they moved to the Churchill Residence, a Victorian house at 5th Street and Van Buren. By 1910, Phoenix Union had 300 students; the city of Phoenix at the time had more than 11,000 residents. That year, a bond issue was approved to begin building three new high school buildings, and in 1912, construction began. In 1912, the first Thanksgiving football game against the Phoenix Indian School Braves was played; the tradition continued for 46 years. In 1917, Phoenix Union became a pioneer in military training when the first high school Junior ROTC program in the United States was created. Further overcrowding by 1920 (the fire escapes were even crowded, with approaches used as class space) led to the approval of the construction of three more buildings.
A new stadium was built in the mid-1920s and dedicated in 1927, and the auditorium was remodeled in the late 1920s after a 1927 fire. By 1928, PUHS had 2,500 students, with major growth predicted. 1930 brought the installation of lights to the football stadium — just in time for an undefeated football season (see below). In the 1930s, despite the Great Depression, the forecasts of larger enrollment proved true, as the student population bulged over 5,000 students at one time. By 1938, there were 4,219 students at Phoenix Union High School.
In 1935, the Arizona Vocational School opened at 6th Street and Monroe to provide technical education skills.
The second high school in the district was opened in 1939, when North High School opened its doors. 1,517 students originally attended North, and the Thanksgiving game (beginning in 1941) was now played against that high school. The tradition would continue until 1960. (Because of earlier school starts, regular-season football in Arizona is usually played from late August to late October, with playoff matches in November.)
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