SCOTTSDALE RENAISSANCE

Riverwalk.  Rodeo Drive.  The French Quarter. 
SoHo.  South Beach. 

Instantly recognizable, each of these iconic districts stands alone as a world-class destination. Even more importantly, each fuels the vitality of the city in which it makes its home. And now, Scottsdale has a renaissance of its own.

 Scottsdale Waterfront Residences and SouthBridge 

Scottsdale Waterfront Residences, SouthBridge and the Arizona Canal are at the center of Scottsdale's redevelopment that has seen $2 billion in private investment downtown over the past three years, according to city officials. Completion of the Scottsdale Waterfront, the new 3-acre SouthBridge development and the influx of residents in both communities will bring a noticeable change to downtown. John Little, Scottsdale's downtown administrator, says, "The social dynamics begin to change in a fundamental way and that really begins to transform downtown into another neighborhood. I think it's extremely far-sighted. Downtown is trying to create a sense of place, something unique and original and special. It really is a departure from Anywhere, USA." SouthBridge also includes two office condos and two levels of free public parking. Scottsdale contributed $5 million for the underground parking garage and $11 million for the bridge and canal-bank improvements, Little said. Furthermore, the City of Scottsdale plans to spend an estimated $11 million in waterfront landscaping enhancements to include rich vegetation, tree-lined walkways, park benches, a pedestrian bridge and a Town Plaza.
 

WATERFRONT BRIDGE

At the request of City of Scottsdale officials and with SPA Board approval, the public art program has engaged Paolo Soleri to produce a design for a pedestrian bridge on the Arizona Canal; adjacent to Scottsdale Rd. Paolo is working with a design team in collaboration with Douglas Architecture and Planning.

Soleri envisions an engineered suspension bridge with two steel-clad, 64 foot pylons that create a light beam on the walking surface to mark solar events. The movement of the sun has been an important element in Soleri’s work; prominent here in the desert and essential to all life. In this bridge design, he calls attention to the unique and affirming connection of humans, environment, light, and architecture.

The bridge design will direct pedestrians, bicyclists, and horse riders through the plaza moving north and south along the canal system. The Sun Circle Trail – designated as part of the Arizona State Trails System in 1976 – will be highlighted across the plaza as it approaches along the southern bank of the canal.

The plaza will offer a unique opportunity for the city in the waterfront development area of Scottsdale at the Arizona Canal. It will contain areas with seating and shade and hold a second set of pylons and a bell tower. Shallow water pools will be found at the base of the pylons softly reflecting the geometrical shapes. The plaza will be a notable gathering spot for visitors and residents and provide a pedestrian link across the Arizona canal as well as a place for ceremony and performance.

Paolo Soleri has been a resident of Scottsdale since 1956, and a student of Arizona even earlier in 1946 when he came from Italy to pursue study with Frank Lloyd Wright. Soleri has dedicated his lifelong work to experimentation in urban planning; specifically what he calls “Arcology” – architecture in accordance with ecology. Soleri’s work has been included in worldwide exhibitions and he has received fellowships from the Graham and Guggenheim Foundations as well as three honorary doctorates and numerous international medals. He was the recipient of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.
 

SOUTHBRIDGE

The SouthBridge project will be a transition from the 13-story Scottsdale Waterfront, with its condos, stores and restaurants, to the lower profile shops and nationally recognized art galleries along Fifth Avenue and Marshall Way. A new canal bridge and a plaza with a cascading water feature will link the project that flanks the Arizona Canal, southwest of Camelback and Scottsdale roads. 

SouthBridge brings to fruition the vision of acclaimed developer Fred Unger. Ten years ago, Unger set out to create “a one-of-a-kind urban village that would bring together exclusive, high-fashion boutiques, independent shops, internationally renowned cuisine, lively cultural festivals, art, and the romantic charm of a waterfront park.” Shops and restaurants will center on bustling open-air European-style courtyards that will thrive with activity day and night. 

Comprising the retail component of SouthBridge will be The Mix – a three-building “food and fashion fusion” - comprised of stylish one-of-a-kind restaurants, trend-setting fashion boutiques and eclectic shops.

The three buildings of The Mix will comprise more than 30,000 square feet of retail space and each will be individually themed. The first building, Nest, will showcase home furnishings, linens, bath, baby, floral, and garden/patio shops with classic relaxing music setting the tone. The second and largest building, Live, will broadcast hip, high-energy music into an array of 25 shops including trend-setting couture from designers such as Stella McCartney and Chloe. Play, the third building, will feature a toy store and, for the creatively inclined, a scrap-booking and bead-making shop. Pop music will keep the atmosphere playful and light.

SouthBridge's expects to house several restaurants including locally recognized restaurateur Peter Kasperski’s Mexican Standoff and Digestif, an Italian restaurant specializing in rustic countryside cuisine.  Arizona's award-winning Executive Chef, Nobu Fukuda, will bring star power to two restaurants. Shell Shock will offer simply prepared seafood with a global influence and Sea Saw, the award-winning modern Japanese tapas wine bar, currently on Stetson in Old Town, will move over to SouthBridge. 

SouthBridge's residential component will be in the form of high-end residential lofts, upscale condominiums, two-story town homes and single level flats. Built along the lushly landscaped waterfront, they are scheduled to open in 2008 and will create a pedestrian-friendly, cosmopolitan village.

SouthBridge also includes two office condos and two levels of free public parking. The city of Scottsdale contributed $5 million for the underground parking garage.

W HOTEL SCOTTSDALE
 

The chillest place to stay in the sultry heat of stylish Scottsdale, W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences will truly be an oasis in the desert. W Scottsdale Hotel will feature 225 guestrooms, a gorgeous pool, spa and fitness center, signature restaurant and two destination bars. With spectacular water displays integrated into the hotel design, W Scottsdale will offer an experience full of style, soul and surprises. A February 2008 opening is planned.

HASHKNIFE PONY EXPRESS COMMEMORATIVE MONUMENT

Reaching back to grasp the passing legacy of the nation's original Pony Express, a modern-day horseman plunges forward into a new era. The hashknife itself has a diverse history. During the nineteenth century, it was a tool used by chuck wagon cooks to cut meat for hash, often fed to cowboys on the range. As a symbol, the Hashknife is the oldest recorded brand in the state of Arizona, registered to the Babbitt family. It is also the trademark name of Arizona's Hashknife Pony Express outfit, which holds a long-standing contract with the U.S. Postal Service. Annually since 1958, men on horseback have continued the horse delivered mail service by carrying mail bearing the prized "Via Pony Express" cachet along a 200-mile route from Holbrook to Scottsdale's downtown post office.

Passing the Legacy’s creator, noted western artist and member of the prestigious Cowboy Artists of America, Herb Mignery's work captures the true spirit of his subjects, making the people and events he depicts come alive. Through authentic detailing and explosive action, Scottsdale's new monument merges an American phenomenon of yesterday with the passion of the today's Hashknife Pony Express.

Dedication is planned to coincide with the Hashknife’s 50th Anniversary Ride in February 2008. Passing the Legacy will be located at the Marshall Way cul-de-sac, just south of Camelback Road on the north bank of the Arizona Canal, in downtown Scottsdale.
 

More Renaissance News… 

Developers are planning a 200-room, six-story, luxury hotel on 10-plus acres along the Arizona Canal banks in downtown Scottsdale.

The five-star urban inn would stretch for a half mile along the diagonal canal alignment, on the south bank, northeast of the intersection of Scottsdale and Camelback roads, said Scottsdale zoning attorney John Berry. 

More news to come.