Cruising down I-17, windows down, flat out, music up, pure heaven. The interstate snakes its way through some of Arizona’s most iconic destinations. Iconic? Tourist Trap? Who knows these things. Definitions for someone more discerning than me, at any rate, the trip is always a grand tour of central Arizona. Traveling from the low Sonoran desert to the largest standing forest of Ponderosa Pines in the world, Coconino National Forest, within a couple of hours really puts the lid on stress and worry. You feel lighter, and the trouble fades into wonder. The Verde River, Montezuma’s Castle, Sedona, and then there’s Arcosanti. An architectural marvel in its own right, Arcosanti is a commune of sorts both socially and ecologically. The building blends with the desert as if it were the remnants of humankind at its height, left for the desert to take it back. Inhabited by the survivors of a generation, still keeping the fire burning.

In the late 1960s, visionary Palo Soleri sought to change the idea of what a city could be. He wanted a walkable city. Not dependent on fossil fuels. Combine this with the idea that you can lead a prosperous life without many material possessions. Much of the site is one continuous building, which harkens back to the idea of not needing a vehicle to get around the city.You come to a large amphitheater that can hold around a 600- to 700-person audience.

Soleri’s Italian heritage and his apprenticeship under Frank Lloyd Wright come through strongly, with much of the building resembling a retro-futuristic version of an ancient coastal Roman village. Many of the spaces outside the building utilize stepped terraces for planting gardens and also as seating space. The walls covered in Italian-style frescos and dome-shaped ceiling structures serve as shelter for workers pouring molten iron used to make wind bells for sale in the gift shop.

At the center of the complex, two large archways known as The Vaults, built on-site and fitted together, were the first structures constructed. The purpose of the archways was to provide shade for volunteers as they worked on construction for the rest of the project.

Arcosanti has approximately 40 residential apartments ranging from single-room studios to four-bedroom living spaces. In order to become a resident of Arcosanti, you must first apply and become employed with the Arcosanti Foundation. Much of the day-to-day decision-making is made by the residents. The Arcosanti Foundation’s board members are utilized to make decisions regarding legal and financial matters.

The Arcosanti project hasn’t changed since the early days of construction. The project suffered from a sort of “founders syndrome,” said Kate Bemesderfer, the director of development and communication. Bemesderfer explained that Solaris was part of the project for 43 years until his death, and Arcosanti ran a bit like a dictatorship considering its non-profit status. She said only recently has the Arcosanti board of directors made shifts to distribute power to the project’s community. Bemesderfer said that this was a learning curve for the community to start making decisions. As for the community during the last year’s COVID outbreak,  life at Arcosanti hasn’t changed much being in such isolation; the project shut down for the first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic and began slowly opening up during the year.

Arcosanti’s future is ever-evolving, and the principles of the project have begun to be implemented in other cities across the world. Members are excited to see the ideas of arcology, meaning ecology and architecture, grow. While many of the principles of Arcosanti are based on ecological and social betterment, Bemesderfer said, “Truly it is an architectural project and a social, and like all projects, we have to keep learning with each iteration.” Informally she said with an excited smile, “It’s a concrete castle in the desert unlike anything else on the planet.”

Those seeking more information on the Arcosanti project or wishing to visit can go to https://www.arcosanti.org/ for contact information, tour schedule, and history about the project.

Chad Walker