Esoteric Survey

  Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium by Rex Willoughby of Blanton & Co. Architects & Engineers (1975). Located on the University of Arizona campus. More about Blanton & Co. (formerly Blanton and Cole) can be found at the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation The history of the Grace H. Flandrau Planetarium can be found here .

I made it out to Arizona one last time before Summer. I was able to tour a special house by Robert Swaim.  Dr. Edward Gelardin, a psychiatrist, interviewed a number of architects when he moved to Tucson and decided to build a house in what is still a relatively remote part of the desert near Saguaro National Park East. Robert J Swaim was selected and the house was completed in 1972.  The 1,778 SqFt single store residence sits on 3+ acres. Dr, Gelardin has been the sole owner of the house and has taken amazing care of it. I don't even hate the purple carpet. The kitchen is usually the first thing to get altered and this one is still in original condition. I really hope whoever buys this house has enough sense to leave it that way. If you want the opportunity to own this special house and promise not to change a thing, you should reach out to Darci Hazelbaker . The torch cut sculpture and light fixtures are by Wanda Corrine Hill, a Tucson transplant from California. Robert Swaim...

Studio Rick Joy (1999) Architect Rick Joy's studio and the adjoining Convent Avenue Studios are located in Tucson's Barrio Historico. The mixed-use project is a combination of private and public adobe courtyards that transition from office to residential. Many of the buildings are rammed earth, a signature construction method used by Joy.  There was a Max Gottschalk chair in the main studio. However, when looking through Rick Joy's website, I came across this photo. Along with four other Gottschalk chairs, there is a monumental sculpture by Jack Boyd.  Source: Studio Rick Joy And here is a period photo with what looks like the same Boyd sculpture on a Max Gottschalk table.  Source: Dave Hampton The visit was part of a bike tour my friend and talented photographer,  Logan Havens , led me on.  Logan also knows where all the Charles Clement works are.

I was in Tucson this past weekend and spotted a school with a series of buildings with thin-shell concrete roofs and breezeblock.  Walter Douglas Elementary School was completed in 1961. John Shaver was the architect.  The structural engineer was Jim Foulds. John Alden Shaver (1918-2010) graduated with a degree in architecture from Kansas State University in 1941. He then did post-graduate work at Stanford. In 1945 he joined his father, Charles W. Shaver, in his Salina, Kansas architecture firm.  John grew the practice into one the largest educational design firms in the United States. There are six hyperbolic flower dome buildings on the campus. Source: Google Maps Montgomery Central High School in Cunningham, Tennessee was designed by John Shaver in 1970. Source: Modern Seeker I wonder how many kids  have been pushed into the water?  High School can be rough! Source: Tupelo Quarterly ...