"Arcosanti, an experimental town in the high desert of Arizona, 70 miles north of metropolitan Phoenix. Started in the 1970s, designed to house 5,000."

 

Progress is slow going. I last visited this place over 5 year ago so I was curious what has been built since. Arcosanti is the vision of Paolo Soleri, who studied directly under one Frank Lloyd Wright. Soleri is an architect, artist, and dreamer. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times. Little, bald, Italian guy with big ideas. He gave a lecture on his "Linear City" which was and is very ambitious. To learn more: http://www.arcosanti.org/

 

To support Arcosanti, buy some very cool and manly windbells, http://www.cosanti.com/

 

 

 

Arcosanti is right off the highway exit, except there's a 2.5 mile dirt, bumpy driveway to maneuver.

 

 

Watch out for wild animals.

 

 

2.5 miles later, we arrived.

 

 

The tour starts at the back of the main buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the back end of the residential area for people that work and live here. I think these are new, I don't remember seeing them 5 yrs ago.

 

 

 

These are what pay the bills.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An interesting landscape with decent views.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of many workshops where they make the various windbells, art, etc.

 

 

There are a small row of hotel rooms below the main buildings and right below this pool. Cheap rates, $25-$40.

 

 

There are organized tours, but we missed it so we wondered around.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roof line of some more residential living areas.

 

 

 

 

Another group of resident homes (front).

 

 

 

A place to entertain.

 

 

A place to play.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spectacular landscape, and I love the geometric shapes & designs.

I remember reading about this place nad the architect who conceived it. I'm glad they are moving forward in he construction.

Great photos.

Wow. Looks like a place where residents would be giving their money to the "leader".

How crowded is that place? From your photos, one can assume its a ghost town :P

Wow.

Wow is right.  I am suprised this is still going on. 

 

This is sort of an outgrowth of that megastructure movement of the 1960s, but with a sort of utopian, countercultural aspect to it.  It got a lot of press during the 1970s, but then dropped from view.