In 1889, a young German immigrant named Anna Stattleman arrived in Tucson from Bavaria. She bought a plot of land, married Mammoth Mines superintendent Frank Lester and became one of the early residents of what is now the Jefferson Park neighborhood.
Miriam Pattison remembers meeting Mrs. Lester as a child in the 1950s.
“She was a very hefty, gray-haired, nice, friendly woman who enjoyed meeting the grandchildren,” Pattison said. “She had built the bigger house on what's now Lester in 1918. And I remember meeting her across the back fence.”
Born in 1949, Pattison was the oldest of six. Her grandparents bought the house from Annie Lester in the 1920s, but its origins date back to the 1890s.
Lester’s original home on Santa Rita Ave is in disrepair. It is located north of the home that Mrs. Lester built in 1918.
Pattison’s younger brother, John, hopes to renovate Mrs. Lester’s original property. He told AZPM that he wants to make this place a community center for the neighborhood.
“We vividly remember Easters here. And in those days, of course, the yard was Bermuda lawns, tall oleander, bushes, trees all over the place,” John Pattison said.
The house that Miriam peered over the fence to see is south of Mrs. Lester’s original home. It is a two story craftsman bungalow home built in 1918.
On February 17, 2026 the house on Lester Street was demolished.
Neighbor Sharon Milan, who owns a home built by Annie Lester, says residents had little warning.
“It was really fast and kind of violent how it went down and without a lot of warning for us to know that it was going to be torn down. It just felt really really sad,” Milan said. “My house feels very solid and big but somebody could knock it down in four hours — that seemed really shocking to me to think about that.”
City records show developer Michael Goodman bought the property in 2012 through Asset Assistance LLC. Goodman also owns 100 U of A Rentals, a student housing mini-dorm company.
Nicholas Polucci rented a guest house behind the Annie Lester residence from 100 U of A Rentals. None of the adjacent residents were notified. AZPM found that Polucci was the only one to be notified before both homes were razed.
Polucci said that he was actually referred to move to the guesthouse by 100 U of A Rentals. Polucci moved out about a month before crews arrived.
Goodman and 100 U of A Rentals declined to comment. In March, the rental office confirmed that they work with Asset Assistance LLC, but did not give further comments on the Lester Street demolition.
Following the demolition, residents met with city planning officials and Ward 3 Councilmember Kevin Dahl, questioning why neighbors never received notice.
Resident Cindy Doklan asked about the affidavit to Planning and Development Services Department (PDSD) Director Koren Manning.
“Why is the burden of proof on the neighborhood?” Doklan asked. “To sign an affidavit is not proof that they did anything. Do they give you a copy of the letter?”
Manning responded, “Well, so that's the legal justification -- What we're trying to do is actually a policy. Our department can change a policy about how we request notice.”
Joe Andrews, with the City Attorney’s Office, said the notice is not legally required.
“Under Arizona's law… it's not determinative whether or not notice was received. It's determinative of if it was sent and if it was meant to do what it was designed to do,” Andrews said.
Although the home was located in a Neighborhood Preservation Zone, it was never designated a historic landmark, leaving it vulnerable to demolition.
Residents like Joan Daniels worry continued losses could threaten the neighborhood’s historic character.
“Every house we lose, we lose contributing properties. We are going to be in trouble,” Daniels said.
Planning officials say losing the neighborhood’s historic status is unlikely, but the city plans to strengthen demolition-notice requirements and require larger on-site signs.
As of June 24, nothing has been built on the property at 1177 East Lester Street, but residents hope its demolition sparks changes that help preserve Tucson's historic neighborhoods for generations to come.
