El Corral

About the Business

Specialties

In 1915, the Tucson Citizen reported that local developer John Murphey had purchased several thousand acres of property in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains to the north of town. The editors of the newspaper projected the purchase as "folly", an investment in worthless desert hillsides, never to be recovered. For John Murphey, it took just over a decade to prove his detractors wrong. By the end of the 1920s, homes were being built in the Catalina Foothills neighborhoods, and the distinctive Spanish Colonial and Mission Revival style buildings in the area began to take form. A short distance east of Campbell Avenue a building was built in 1926, possibly the first restaurant/cafe/tavern east of Oracle Road.

History

Established in 1939.

In 1915, The Tucson Citizen reported that local developer John Murphey had purchased several thousand acres of property in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains to the north of town.The editors of the newspaper projected the purchase as "folly," an investment in worthless desert hillside, never to be recovered.For John Murphey, it took just over a decade to prove his detractors wrong. By the end of the 1920's, homes were being built in the Catalina Foothills Estates. Murphey brought architect Josiah Joesler to Tucson in order to build houses in his neighborhoods. The distinctive Spanish Colonial and Mission Revival style buildings in the area began to take form. In 1926, a building appeared a short distance east of Campbell Avenue and became a popular dining spot. This was possibly the first restaurant/café/tavern east of Oracle Road. Over the years, the restaurant changed hands several times. In 1939, the restaurant was known as the El Corral Café and was owned by Leroy C. Perkins.