Arizona 2008 Official State Visitor's Guide - (Page 10) Cities and Towns If you’re like me, you’ll find that Arizona offers a wealth of architecture to ponder and explore. The state, with its varied topography and cultural influences, reads like a crash course in regional architectural history: ancient cliff dwellings, remnants of Spanish missions, Mexican-influenced 19th century adobe row houses, the Victorian exuberance that arrived with the railroad, the revival styles of the early 20th century and the modernism that blossomed with the advent of air conditioning after World War II. As you visit Arizona’s best-loved attractions, you’re likely seeing many examples of architectural periods and styles. Keep your eyes peeled – and pack a camera. I do. Phoenix & The Valley of The Sun At first glance, metro Phoenix seems like something that sprang up, say, about 1982. Much of the area did actually develop during the last century, but parts of the urban fabric go back – waaay back. Witness Pueblo Grande Museum in Phoenix, the site of a 1,500-year-old Hohokam village. At the museum, you’ll learn about these progressive farmers and builders and see a ceremonial mound, an excavated ballfield and reproductions of Hohokam houses. Fast-forward to the early 20th Century, when Maie and Dwight Heard, collectors of Native American art and artifacts, asked architect H.H. Green to build a museum for their collection in Phoenix. The gracious, Spanish Colonial-style Heard Museum has been revamped and expanded numerous times since its 1929 opening (and it now has two satellite locations), but it’s still one of the best places in the country to learn about native cultures. A few blocks away, you can also get another glimpse of early Phoenix at Heritage Square, a park-like setting dotted with buildings dating from 1881 to 1929, which now house museums, restaurants and shops. T our Rosson House, a restored 1895 Victorian. Take a leap into modern Phoenix by visiting some downtown cultural facilities. At Heritage Square, the Arizona Science Center, with its hands-on exhibits, was designed by New Mexico architect Antoine Predock and is a sculptural ode to Arizona’s canyons, mountains and desert. Up the street, Burton Barr Central Library, designed by Phoenix architect Will Bruder, is a bold statement in copper, glass and concrete. Nearby, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien of New Y ork have updated the Phoenix Art Museum, which now has a spectacularly contemporary presence on Central Avenue. Scottsdale has its own architectural pedigree. Get a gander of what the resort mecca was like in the old days at the Scottsdale Historical Museum, located in a red brick school house that dates to 1909. But Scottsdale’s (and some might argue the state’s) most important slice of architectural history sits in the high desert just below the McDowell Mountains. Here, architect Frank Lloyd Wright established Taliesin West, his architectural community, in 1937. T our this National Historic Landmark to see the stone, concrete, wood and glass buildings that rise organically from the desert floor. Two local architects were certainly influenced by Wright when they recently designed two notable Scottsdale attractions. Will Bruder transformed an old movie house into the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, an edgy, concrete, glass and metal setting for equally edgy art. Philip Weddle channeled Wright’s organic influences with his design of the shady, rammed-earth trailhead structure for the Lost Dog Trail in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. Restaurants with Style Sometimes, it’s not enough to have a good meal – your surroundings should be interesting, too. Here are some Arizona restaurants where the architecture holds its own to the food. Hang out at The Vig in Phoenix’ Arcadia neighborhood for burgers and a very modern, indoor-outdoor ambiance. Like something older? Try The Roosevelt, a 1912 bungalow, revamped with a minimalist interior, which offers fun bar food. In Scottsdale, go both retro and modern with dinner at Trader Vic’s, where pupu platters meet Polynesian artifacts – but the building is all modernist block, rock and glass. In Flagstaff, try Pasto, housed in a restored storefront, which offers up Italian comfort food and a cozy atmosphere. Savor local history in Tucson. Barrio Historico’s Cushing Street Bar & Grill, located in an 1860s adobe, is a favorite gathering place for drinks and eclectic dishes. El Charro Cafe serves up Mexican cuisine in its original downtown locale, an 1890s house, built with black volcanic rock. © Trader Vic’s, Hotel Valley Ho 10 • A r i z o n A o f f i c i A l S tAt e V i S i t o r ’ S G u i d e
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.