Downtown/Old Town Scottsdale

We took a tour of the downtown/Old Town area. The downtown area is divided into several districts: Arts, Civic Center Park, Fifth Avenue Shopping, Scottsdale Fashion Square, Brown & Stetson, Entertainment, Historic Old Town, Scottsdale Waterfront & Southbridge.

We started our tour at the Bronze Horse Fountain in the Fifth Avenue Shopping District.

The statue is near the canal, currently featuring "Canal Convergence," a water/art/light display. This was "Re-Cyclone," a 20-foot structure made from 5000 plastic water bottles.

View of the Arizona Canal.

"Floatus"--12 aluminum lotus sculptures which shoot flames in the air as part of a "fire show."

"Light Flutter"--30 mechanotronic butterflies which are illuminated at night.

"Arizona"--a hand crocheted lace ribbon that stretches 600 feet along the Arizona canal. The ribbon was crocheted by over 100 volunteers.

"Infinity Crystal" uses form, light and mirrors to create the illusion of infinity. During the day, it reflects the landscape but at night, it creates projections on the surrounding trees 

"Luminous Cactus"--interactive audio/visual installation with 8 cacti. Visitors create musical light patterns by rotating drums.

Kids even got into the act by decorating recycle bins.

"Iceberg"--14 illuminated metallic arches that create sounds and lights when people walk through it.

Looking back through the "Iceberg" is the Soleri Bridge. The 2 steel pylons create a shaft of light, marking the time of day.

A permanent display with a view of the McDowell Mountains in the distance.

Another permanent display "Passing the Legacy"--a bronze sculpture depicting a vintage Pony Express rider and a contemporary Hashknife Pony Express rider handing off the mail to show the "Old West" meeting the "New West."

"The Doors"--another permanent display. 28-foot tall mirrored panels give a kaleidoscopic view inside.

We then ventured to the Historic Old Town area. If you don't want to walk the 1/2 mile, there's a free trolley that travels throughout the downtown area. It comes every 15 minutes and operates from 10am-9:25pm.

Christmas in Arizona is decorating cacti.

"The Yearlings"--a monument to wild horses. It is an icon of the free spirit of the American West.

Pick up the Historic Old Town Scottsdale self-guided walking tour and start at the "Little Red Schoolhouse." It's now home of the Scottsdale Historical Museum, which is free to tour.

Next stop is the Mexican Imports Shop. It was built in 1923 and served as Johnny Rose's Pool Hall, which doubled as a silent movie theater on Saturday nights. Kids who had no nickel for the admission could get in for free by helping to pump the player piano. In 1928, a Chinese family acquired the building and opened a grocery store. In the 1950s, they turned it into a Mexican import store.

Saba's Department Store sells western boots. It started as a pharmacy in 1921.

Remnants of the "Old West."

Mission Church was built with volunteer labor and donated materials in 1933. 

Cavalliere's Blacksmith Shop is still owned by the Cavalliere's, the original family that built this adobe structure in 1920.

"Love" by Robert Indiana. There are numerous sculptures all over the country. The original was made in 1970 and is displayed at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

"Windows to the West"--formally titled "Atmosphere & Environments XVIII" was dedicated in 1973.  

"Imagination Gives Us Wings" is displayed at the Scottsdale Public Library entrance. It has 3 parts--an oculus in the form of a bird so that when the sun moves across, the bird is seen to fly across the entry. The 2nd part is the feather which is floating toward an inkwell.

The granite inkwell--the 3rd part--on the lower level of the library, is inscribed with a line of poetry by Emily Dickinson, “So many possibilities; let imagination give us wings.”

2018 11 10