Most cities have architectural treasures if you take the time to uncover them.  This has always been a search my husband Barry and I willingly undertake (much to the disappointment of our kids growing up).  Tucson has more than it’s share of “gems”.  One you should not miss is the Arizona Inn; built in 1930 by Isabella Greenway Arizona’s first Congresswoman.  The Inn is still owned by that family; perhaps that is why great care has been taken to preserve the original details.  Once you step onto the Arizona Inn grounds you would never know that you are in the center of Tucson.  You are enveloped in the grace of Spanish Colonial Architecture. 

Entrance to the Arizona Inn

Designed by noted architect Merritt Starkweather and built by James Oliphant the Inn occupies over 14 acres.  It is a complex of cottages & one and two story buildings that open to interior courtyards & gardens.  The grounds today feel like a secluded Mediterranean village; they are lush, green & fragrant.  Since it is spring everything is blooming.  

Gated entry at the front of the property

Garden Setting at the Inn

Don’t miss the library in the main building.  It contains furnishings from Isabella’s homes in the east.  There is also a collection of movies on DVD by some of the famous Hollywood stars who have stayed here.  Other notables who have enjoyed the Inn are John F. Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt and the Duke& Duchess of Windsor.

The Library

Not only is the Inn a find but the streets immediately surrounding it are worthy of exploring.  There is something for every architectural taste.

Cottages & Buildings

Located at 2200 E. Elm Street, Tucson, 85719

www.arizonainn.com

Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine is celebrating 30years in business by hosting the Arizona Style Showplace February 12^th, 13^th, & 14^th at the new Scottsdale Quarter.  When they approached us to be involved we jumped at the opportunity because we too are celebrating out 30^th year.  The Showplace features vignettes by the best & brightest in design & construction highlighting Arizona style.  Casas del Oso’s Barry Smith, a Master of the Southwest will be speaking on Creating Your Romantic Home.

Please join us and experience the best of Arizona residential design & construction.  To learn more or purchase tickets go to www.phgmag.com/arizonastyle/index.htm.

In the morning hours of Labor Day weekend we watched our only son, a US Marine board a bus to Edwards Air Force Base, final destination Afghanistan.  As we waited while they loaded their gear we were surrounded by families sending them off.  Some of these young men will become fathers for the first time while they are deployed.  The crowd is quiet but there are no tears, they will come later after the buses leave.   These young men & women are focused and confident.  They have trained well and they know it.  The mission is understood, the objectives are understood and they are 100% committed. 

What does all this have to do with custom home designing & building?  In the days we spent together before his departure I was reminded of the Marine Corps. Leadership & Core Values some of which we have borrowed for our company:  Semper Fidelis- Always Faithful, Adapt, Improvise & Overcome.  We are faithful to the architectural style of our projects, to our clients and to our trade partners.  Every project has challenges that require us to adapt, improvise and overcome.  When these are done well everyone flourishes; when they ignored or done poorly everyone suffers.  It is our commitment to our company and our clients to do them well.

Everyone at Camp Pendleton on this September morning is focused seven months into the future when they will return.  That will be a different crowd; excited, jubilant, tearful, grateful & rowdy.  For now we are just committed; all of us 100%.

As I look at the today’s construction market both commercial & residential it looks a lot like the market in the late 1980’s when we were going though the Savings and Loan Crisis.  It happened for a variety of reasons; one of them being the federal government relaxed the rules around Savings & Loan …..  sound familiar?  Property values declined, money dried up and there were foreclosures on every street in every neighborhood.  Companies had to take drastic measures to survive and they did.  Just like today there was opportunity everywhere.  Marginal companies were eliminated, land was cheap, wages became competitive, material prices declined, subcontractors & venders were willing to negotiate, and scheduling was suddenly easy…..just like today.   Sales have risen every month for the last three months.   Last month (June) home prices rose in Maricopa County for the first time in several years.  Today is the opportunity of a lifetime

Welcome to the latest version of our website.  We are excited about the opportunity to communicate for the first time directly.  We are looking forward to the conversation and your comments.  Let us know what you think.