Courtesy of Friends of the Scenic Drive
May 2012
In February 1999, Mayor Campana announced that the Scottsdale Scenic Drive was one of the twenty-two first place winners of the “Scottsdale Places” program. The goal of the program was to identify and celebrate the places that give the city its unique character and its special sense of place. The prestigious 5-person jury composed of architects, historians and educators received more than 200 nominations. As juror Vernon Swaback, architect and former apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright, put it “… the jury was charged with identifying three kinds of places: places that make you feel good when you are there; places that speak to the city’s history; places that we will not build more of but we should restore and keep; and places that could be models, ones we would like to emulate.” The awards booklet states “The Desert Foothills Scenic Drive represents the visual appearance that many people associate with Scottsdale and the dedication of Scottsdale residents to preserve their environment.” In 2013, when the Scottsdale Desert Foothills Scenic Drive (Scenic Drive) turns 50, The City of Scottsdale should once again recognize the Scenic Drive by adding it to Scottsdale’s Historic Register.
The Scenic Drive is an important part of Scottsdale’s cultural heritage and supports many of the things that Scottsdale values the most: preservation, desert awareness, tourism, business, and community service.
Preservation
The Scenic Drive was created to preserve and showcase species of native Sonoran roadside flora. It was one of the first roads, if not the first, in Maricopa County to have a scenic setback established. The goal was to create a special road that could be enjoyed by current and future generations. It was a forerunner of scenic corridor programs in the Valley of the Sun and its supporters were strong advocates for such programs. Today, Scottsdale has a system of scenic corridors that is the envy of many communities. Adding the Scenic Drive to the register will add to the prestige of Scottsdale and its beautiful roads.
Desert Awareness
The Scenic Drive is a Scottsdale educational asset. The fact that Scottsdale has celebrated a scenic section of its signature highway by adding it to its historic register makes an emphatic statement about the importance of preserving our community’s environment.
Tourists and residents want to learn about the desert. Since its creation, the Scenic Drive has offered a convenient way for visitors to see and identify a variety of desert plants from the comfort of their automobiles. Redwood signs with white letters identify more than twenty plant species found in the foothills. During the 1990s, the Scenic Drive’s park on Scottsdale Road was enhanced by the city and residents to provide information about Scenic Drive history and Sonoran Desert’ flora, fauna, and climate. The small park was the forerunner of similar exhibits that are now found in Scottsdale and neighboring communities.
Tourism
Tourism is Scottsdale’s most important industry. Designating the Scenic Drive as “historic,” adds appeal and draws attention to the area’s long-standing interest in desert preservation and tourism.
The Scenic Drive was created to encourage tourism. In addition to roadside plant exhibits, a small park with picnic tables and restrooms was established by Maricopa County for visitors “doing the drive.” The Scenic Drives was publicized in travel magazines and with postcards in the 1970s. During 1970s, 80s, and 90s, tour busses routinely stopped at its park on Scottsdale Road. Visitors still come to the park and enjoy its exhibits and desert ambiance.
Business
Inclusion in the register will strengthen the appeal Scottsdale real estate and businesses along the northern reaches of Scottsdale Road. It will enable Scottsdale to further differentiate itself from cities and destinations that it competes with for tourism and business investment.
Early supporters of the Scenic Drive, including K.T. Palmer and Tom Darlington, founders of Carefree, argued it would help businesses and increase property values. Today, the Scenic Drive links Scottsdale retail centers, neighborhoods, and tourist destinations including, the Heard Museum North, el Pedregal and The Boulders Resort and Golden Spa, and MacDonald’s Ranch, and others.
Community Service
Scottsdale is respected throughout Arizona and beyond for the quality of its government, robust citizen participation, and enviable quality of life. Most buildings designated as “historic” have survived change. The Scenic Drive is different! It hasn’t only survived change, change has been enabled by government-supported community service. It’s a credit to our community that the Scenic Drive has survived five decades of change. Designating it as “historic” provides a way to draw attention the Scenic Drive’s unique story of community involvement.
A 1966 Maricopa County report stressed the regional importance of the Scenic Drive in linking tourist amenities. The report stated “… this report was conceived with the thought .. that it might serve as an inspiration to other communities to take ACTION IN THE PRESERVATION OF natural beauties in their areas … this is truly an example of a community doing things for itself with a minimum of government assistance.” Scottsdale’s residents have “taken action,” implementing projects to preserve and enhance the Scenic Drive. Residents passed Scottsdale’s only successful improvement district, voting to tax themselves to bury utility lines along the Scenic Drive’s route. Creating and maintaining the Scenic Drive has required thousands of volunteer hours and the steadfast commitment of local governments.
A Tip of the Hat
North Scottsdale did not exist when the Scenic Drive was conceived. The idea for the Scenic Drive was Corki Cockburn’s. She wrote, “It was a moonlit evening in 1963. My husband and I and another couple were making the lonely, quiet drive home through the tall saguaro and thickets of jumping cholla. We spoke of our fear that the roadside would become lined with neon-lit gas stations and motels like Apache Boulevard in Mesa where we had been earlier in the day. Creating the Scenic Drive was our way of preserving the desert.” Recognizing the Scenic Drive as historic recognizes the far-sighted vision of our neighbors to the north. It also recognizes the residents and government staff of Carefree, Cave Creek, and Scottsdale for their efforts over almost five decades.
A Historic Scottsdale Opportunity
In 2000, Scottsdale voters passed the $31.5 million Bond 2000 program for enhancement of Scottsdale Road and the Scottsdale Road Scenic Corridor. The intention was to have Scottsdale Road enhancements serve as examples for other scenic corridors. As the Scenic Drive’s 50th birthday nears, approximately $7 million is available for further beautification of the Scenic Drive; the rest of the bond money has been spent.
Possible enhancements include, re-vegetating corners, selective strengthening of roadside vegetation, burying remaining above ground utility lines and poles, and further enhancing the Scenic Drive’s park. Recognizing the Scenic Drive as “historic” will enhance Scottsdale’s image and demonstrate its support of preservation, desert awareness, tourism, business, and community service.
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