Petersen House open once again for Christmas tours

• The home was somewhat distant from the business district
• Niels Petersen was known to be a gracious host and his home a good place for town gatherings
• Since 2008, the Petersen House has only been available to the public for just a few days in December

Tempe in 1890 can best be described as a village.

With a population around 900, tiny Tempe was a small enclave of homes and businesses concentrated in a 1.8 square mile area we now call downtown. The rest of the population was scattered on ranches and farms that radiated out several miles from the town center.

Wealth was generally modest. Most people were hard working middle-class — small business owners, farmers, agricultural workers and a small staff at the Normal school.

The few “mansions” built at that time certainly stood out from the less pretentious homes.

When Charles Trumbull Hayden turned La Casa Vieja over to commercial activities in 1889, he erected an impressive ranch home for his family far from town — now the southeast corner of McClintock Drive and University.

Three years later a young Danish immigrant, who arrived in the community two-decades earlier with little more than energy and willingness to work, had amassed a small fortune enabling him to construct a magnificent 13-room “mansion” for his new bride, Susannah Decker.

Niels Petersen’s elegant Queen Anne home was designed by noted Phoenix architect James Creighton who also built the Tempe Hardware and Andre buildings. Like the Hayden ranch house, it was somewhat distant from the business district — the northeast corner of present-day Southern and Priest.

Petersen, like Hayden for whom he worked upon arrival in Tempe, was known to be a gracious host. His house and expansive grounds provided an ideal backdrop for town gatherings — especially at Christmas.

Throwback Thursday: Tempe Thanksgivings past

Niels Petersen passed away in 1923, at age 78 — leaving his home as a lasting legacy.

Petersen was buried at Double Butte Cemetery — on land he donated to the town in 1887. After Susanna died in 1927 his remains were moved to the front lawn of the house so he could lay at rest with his wife. A headstone marks the graves today.

In 1968, the aging home, an anachronism in a changing environment, was given to the Odd Fellows, which in turn gifted the deteriorating property to the city in 1977 — the year in which it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Twelve years later an expensive restoration of the house was completed, and public tours began.

Once open on a regular basis, since the budget cuts of the 2008 recession, the Petersen House has only been available to the public for just a few days in December.

If you have never toured Tempe’s only Victorian mansion, the next three weekends are your only chances to experience the Petersen House this year.

Brightly decorated for the holidays, the house will offer docent-led tours and holiday cookies.

Outside traffic noise notwithstanding, it is easy to become lost in time while wandering the two-story home. And imagine a warm glow emanating from the crackling fireplace while Niels and Susannah welcome you into their home.

Reach historian Jay Mark atjaymark@twtdbooks.com

Christmas at the Petersen House

Where: 1414 W Southern - NW Corner of Southern and Priest

When: Saturdays, Dec. 5, 12 and 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sundays, Dec. 6, 13 and 20, 1 to 4 p.m.

Information: 480-350-5100

Cost: Free, but contributions are very much appreciated.