The Story of Marion Estates and 500+ tour photos are up for your enjoyment!
 Did you know that Marion Estates turned 60 years old this year?!? We've sorted through thousands of photos to bring you just the best of Marion Estates in 2012, and scanned through thousands of vintage newspaper pages to bring you the original marketing terms from 1952. To keep the length and complexity of the navigation bars reasonable, there are two different portals into the Marion Estates web pages: one is purely tour-focused and the other is more long-term and historical and will continue to grow long after the tour is a memory. History of Marion Estates Yesterday/Today >>
Excerpt from our neighborhood history:
"Susan Slicer and her husband Hank were one of the first couples to move into a Marion Estates Home. They'd been looking at older neighborhoods that were more established in the Phoenix Suburbs, like Windsor Square on Central. Growth had slowed down during the depression but things were picking up after the war and new subdivisions being built on the fringe. John Hall of Hallcraft Homes was building what the Slicers thought were some of the best homes in the city south of Indian School Road between 40th and 32nd Street, but the lots were small and they really wanted a bit of land. While exploring 40th Street they meandered further north and came upon the newly platted Marion Estates tract."
Maybe you're looking for that "rock'n'roll cabin" or pristine late '50s Blaine Drake instead? Then you'll want to check out... Two of the bonus homes on this year's tour were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The Boomer House and Adelman House were really delightful. We also found some vintage photos of "Shiprock" before the ruins of the Pauson House were moved.
Photo of David and Gladys Wright Residence courtesy of Quincy Ross
I'm sure a lot of you are curious about all the murmurings over the fate of Frank Lloyd Wright's David and Gladys Wright Residence that surfaced last week. It's too soon to say the battle's over but the impending peril foretold by a request to split the lot was DENIED by the Phoenix Planning Commission after a crowd of architecture lovers showed up to support a brief speech by Grady Gammage Jr. at last week's planing commission meeting. His exhortation was so effective that not one of the other speakers lined up needed to follow up. A motion to initiate historic property overlay with Landmark Status was issued instead. YOUR SUPPORTIVE LETTERS stacking two inches thick to city officials and Mayor Greg Stanton's support made a difference, too. Since then, the home's new owners have seen a bit of the light and declared intent to help preserve it. Thank you for your contribution, if you made one. Read the play-by-play highlights on the Modern Phoenix Facebook page or keep up with the twists and turns to come on the front page of modernphoenix.net.
Other Fun Stuff
The Pueblo Bonita neighborhood by Haver, Nunn and Collamer is chock full of triplexes and may be one of Phoenix's best-preserved 1960s neighborhoods. We've updated our page on the area with interior photos from two of the triplexes and all new exterior shots. One thing that makes these units so desirable is the U-shaped kitchen and effort to vary the exterior facades.
Sands West, a polynesian themed subdivision by Ragnar Qvale and E.T. Wright is a unique curiosity on the West Side.
Our three tours for DoCoMoMo Weekend featured both custom homes and behind the scenes of commercial buildings such as rooftop of the Phoenix Financial Center and inside one of Will Bruder's early ranch remodels from the '70s in Sunview Estates.
We've updated our ongoing discovery of The Evertson House in Marion Estates by Ralph Haver with a vintage article from Arizona Homes magazine. We've restocked our Links page with lots of information on Modernism in Tucson, including an article about A. Quincy Jones and what some believe to be the first modern tract subdivision in America. Look for the articles marked as NEW in red.
Modern Phoenix Has a Whole New Look!
It's subtle, but its new. We've fully transitioned over to using a new font that hearkens back to the glory days of 1950s advertising body copy: sans serif and rounded. We've also opened up the line spacing a bit and hope you find its easy on the eyes. It looks great on most browsers and especially alluring on iPads but if you encounter a real dud of a page (some navbars are getting bungled up, I'm working on it!) just write me back and let me know what page, what browser brand and version,and whether Mac or PC. We're well aware that Safari for PC is not being very kind to the fonts. :-/
I hope your summers are filled with adventure, travel and excellent architecture. I always enjoy seeing what you post on your Facebook, Twitter and our message boards.
Take Care!
Alison King
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