After dinner at Barrio Queen in Old Town Scottsdale, we decided to walk along the Arizona Canal and over the Solstice Bridge. This is the only bridge designed by Paolo Soleri that was ever built. Paolo, you may recall, lived nearby at Cosanti and spent a lot of his time and money working on his utopian housing project, Arcosanti.
As we crossed the bridge, I noticed a set of panels behind the supporting towers at the far end. I’m sure they’ve been there for quite a while, I just never noticed. The panels were designed by Soleri and constructed out of desert soil reinforced by cement; prototypes for Arcosanti.
After a closer inspection of the panels, I turned to look back across the bridge. Surprise number two! In an alcove behind one of the bridge supports is a huge Soleri bell!
Whattaya know?
