Paolo Soleri / Scottsdale Bridge
Paolo Soleri Bridge and Plaza
Built in 2010, the 100-foot-long pedestrian bridge was designed by Soleri in collaboration with Douglas Architects. It also
includes a large plaza with a special assembly bell and several large sculpted wall panels.
The project was funded by the City of Scottsdale, The Scottsdale Public Art program and private donors.
It's adjacent to a high end mall and several new residential developments.
"Two 64-foot-high brushed steel pylons will create a light dagger on the bridge deck as the sun moves across the sky,
marking important seasonal solar events: the equinox, the solstice, and the cross-quarter dates. By marking and
celebrating the celestial events, the signature bridge and plaza unifies the past and the present—the site of this
ancient waterway with the legacy of current day cultures—of all humans living in the desert."
Text Source: Scottsdale Public Art
The bell assembly is from 1969 and all the components were made by the hand of Soleri. It is refereed to as the Goldwater bell
because it was initially purchased by the Goldwaters department store (started by Barry Goldwater's grandfather).
The bell hung in Scottsdale, then Tucson, until it made it's way back to Cosanti when the Goldwater company was sold.
It's great that the City of Scottsdale finally built a Soleri bridge but it's too bad it wasn't something more like one of his
classic designs.
Source: OBJECTS:USA
Paolo recently had a street named after him too.
Via Soleri Drive starts at the fish wall...
...and ends at the Nordstrom parking garage. This is near the canal path that leads to the Soleri bridge.
I guess this sort of mixed use development fits in with Soleri's Arcology concept, though I'm
sure if he had his say things would look a lot different in Downtown Scottsdale.
Source: Arcology by Paolo Soleri
Further north, near Acrosanti, Paolo Soleri contributed designs to a new highway project at the I-17 / Cordes Junction.
Source: ADOT
Source: ADOT