Nothing I never said ever did me any harm.
Today’s HOT LIST Link ( click the pretty gold link below to see today’s picks ):
$6,195,000
41188 N 102ND PL, Scottsdale, AZ
“Most photographed home in recent times”
Show me you just read the photographer’s invoice without telling me you just read the photographer’s invoice. Welcome to another episode of Survivor where our contestants will attempt to outwit, outplay, and outlast each other as they navigate trays of margaritas across the flagstone obstacle course to Pool Island, while being distracted by a blitzkrieg of Kodak moments. There is a bumper crop of beauty spots on today’s Hot List and this lead off hitter makes the perfect appetizer for what the Rock’s got cooking.
This iconic ironwork is the embodiment of every divine element that makes Desert Mountain our valley’s crown jewel community. Sprawling corridors of pretty parts, a seamless indoor to outdoor environmental interchange, with single level spaces all tango dancing before a backdrop of pants dropping views. Do you like drama? I like drama. THIS. IS. DRAMA!
Tonight! Tonight! The world is full of light!
$335,000
10 W NORTHERN AVE 6, Phoenix, AZ
“two first-floor primary suites with en-suite bathrooms”
To be clear, those two first-floor suites begin on floor number two, as the front porch is a twelve step program. This is a find. There are only eight of these second-to-third floor end units in existence at 8000 North. This one of two with southern facing windows. The end units enjoy the spectacle of a 14 foot brick wall transitioning to 20 feet of glass. Get your sexy on (go ahead, be gone with it)! Count me a big fan of these Central Corridor classics. You approach these condos from a quaint streetside staircase that has the generic curb appeal of a Holiday Inn, circa 1972. Imagine your surprise upon entering a raucous speakeasy. You enter with lowered expectations and then WHAM! BOOM! POW! The space electrifies emotion, raising your mouth ends beyond the ear lobes. Every damn time. These are a personal favorite. I hope my wife doesn’t see this list. We’ll be moving.
Fantastic price for a phenomenal Central corridor lifestyle where everything is walking distance, if you have the time.
This is stealing.
$11,750,000
8161 N 51ST PL, Paradise Valley, AZ
“Homes designed by Tull are strong, romantic, and timeless.”
The Tull referenced above is the late great Bill Tull buried below. Bill Tull is known for his bold minimalist paintings and the architectural adobe artistry he softened and strengthened our valley’s beauty spots with, as if he was applying a mud mask treatment to an already exceptional face. Some men are home builders, Tull was a home ‘carver’. One of his many notable achievements, as a true Master of the Southwest, was convincing municipalities to accept adobe brick as a valid building material (Adobe brick had not been used for 53 years before the change). He was an artist first, thus his homes were sculptures rising from the earth floor, bending with the landscape, adapting to their surroundings like God had molded them into place himself. Bill Tull is one of the most interesting characters in our Valley’s history. His influence upon southwestern design is timeless. We are immersed in his soft linear architectural stylings to this day.
However…Bill Tull was not an architect.
Bill Tull was unlicensed, unregistered, his “blueprints” were hand drawn sketches he would pass on to certified architects to get the requisite government stamps of approval. I would encourage you to watch the video of this home. Does it scream $11 million? That’s not the point. This was Bill Tull’s own home and studio, and it captures his pueblo adobe style perfectly. Soft lines that blend seamlessly with their surroundings, providing a shaded and comfortable sanctuary for its inhabitants. Tull bought this three acre parcel in 1968 for $15,000, using money he’d earned from art shows. As construction costs exceeded what the banks were willing to fund, he sold a painting to actor William Holden to cover the remainder. The stories this house could tell.
This is art. Priceless art.
Tull would sit on project lots for hours, even days, experiencing the way the sun danced from end to end. Feeling how the wind approached, adapting his design to integrate with the lot’s landscape. Instead of tearing a saguaro from the ground, he’d frame it with a window. Bill Tull was the epitome of the phrase, “Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.” He saw value in strength, creativity, and preservation, and his designs evoke the same. Not all heroes wear capes. Some use a pencil.
Here’s to you Bill Tull. Inspiration never dies.
Some people leave a mark, but it’s a rare few that leave a beauty mark.
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