Tucson Fire Department says the cause of a fire at the historic J. Knox Corbett House is under investigation after crews extinguished an early-morning blaze Wednesday.
Officials say no one was inside the Corbett House on 180 N. Main when the fire broke out. The fire spread to the building’s attic. Crews arrived at the location a little before 6:45 a.m. TFD says the fire was under control by 7:18 a.m.
TFD reports “significant damage to the upper floors and attic.”
Built in 1907, the Mission Revival-style Corbett House is part of the Tucson Museum of Art (TMA) and Historic Block. The museum acquired the building in partnership with the city of Tucson in the 1970s.
Prior to that time, members of the Corbett familywhose name is prolific around Tucson, and perhaps most commonly associated with Hi Corbett Fieldlived on the property until the 1960s.
Norah Diedrich, the Jon and Linda Ender Director and CEO, says staff won’t have immediate access to the second and third floors where the damage occurred, but they have plans to inventory items on the house’s ground level and assess damages once it’s safe to do so, Diedrich says.
The Corbett House was restored in 1995. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the building was open to the public Sundays. Diedrich says plans for re-opening the Corbett House to the public will be revised once the damage is assessed.