The Chandler City Council voted in favor of conserving a slice of history, as they rang in the establishment of a Historic Preservation District zoning overlay in their Silk Stocking neighborhood. The move will essentially wrap 23 designated properties in a protective cloak of historical reverence, as reported by the Chandler Historic Preservation.

According to the city's rules, 60% of the property owners in the area needed to agree to sign on the dotted line for the district to be a go. And with the signatures of these properties, along with Washington Street's nostalgic concrete facelift, considered a historic asset, that threshold was comfortably met. The campaign was led by locals Melisa Lalich and Cheryl Bell; without their spearheading, the streets that weave through Silk Stocking mightn't have seen this day.

The aesthetic fabric of Silk Stocking is largely made up of the "Early Ranch" architectural style, punctuated by specimens of Craftsman, Ranch, and Spanish Colonial Revival. Not only do the homes here whisper treasured architectural tales, but the very streets - such as the concrete canvass of Washington Street - spell out narratives from Chandler's salad days. This slice of suburbia is both a visual and historical feast, setting a scene virtually unaltered since those mid-century times.

Impressively, Silk Stocking isn't just about jaw-dropping residences and roads. The neighborhood also used to be the home turf for some of Chandler's VIPs. Among them was Arthur Price, Chandler's first-ever City Attorney and buddy to the city’s namesake, Dr. Chandler. Although Price's digs at 201 N. Washington St. are no more, the legacy of his 'hood endures. The Basha, Bogle, and Serrano clans - all heavy-hitting names in Chandler's annals - also hailed from these parts.

Those interested in diving deeper into Chandler's throwback threads can yank on the curiosity string by visiting the Chandler Historic Preservation website, which sheds more light on this dusty corner of Arizona's history.