O'Connor House Project Announced for Tempe Papago Park
Home to have new life as Center for civic discourse PHOENIX, May 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The adobe home of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and John O'Connor will be moved from Paradise Valley, Arizona and relocated to Papago Park in Tempe where it will be ready for use in the spring of 2009 and where it will serve as a center for civic discourse concerning issues affecting Arizona. For 25 years the house witnessed much of Arizona's history. Sandra Day O'Connor served in the Arizona State Senate and was elected majority leader in 1972, the first woman to hold such an office anywhere in the U.S. She brought many people home to discuss issues and reach consensus, often by crossing party lines. Many Senate bills were written in the house and international luminaries were treated to western hospitality. With its relocation, the house will continue as a center for people to gather and come together on issues of current concern.
"Our home was a place where people got to know each other, have fun and eat Mexican food that I loved to cook. Being in the house made it possible to meet in a casual and social environment and talk as colleagues and friends. I was very pleased that we were able to help people form friendships that moved this state forward. And I am thrilled that the house will be able to continue to serve this purpose," said Justice O'Connor. The project was spearheaded by Barbara Barrett and Gay Wray who learned that the house was going to be demolished and wanted to preserve this piece of Arizona history. They launched the O'Connor House project, which is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations. Mayor Hugh Hallman and the Tempe City Council offered to have the house relocated to Papago Park in Tempe, a major urban open space in the metropolitan area. "We feel this house, with its many stories to tell, belongs in this park, adjacent to the Arizona Historical Society Museum. The mud for the adobes was quarried in Tempe. We are delighted to welcome this house-home," said the Tempe Mayor.
Justice O'Connor grew up in an adobe house on the Lazy-B Ranch in southeastern Arizona and felt that adobe was the best choice for the house she and her husband John wanted to build. They hired D.K. Taylor as the architect and purchased adobe bricks from George Ellis whose daughter Janie is in charge of moving the house. During construction, Sandra O'Connor helped smooth the adobe mud and they sprayed it with skim milk to seal the exterior walls. According to Ellis, the roof will be moved in several sections and the house will be reassembled block-by-block on the new site. A "Supreme Evening of Music" to benefit The O'Connor House project will be held Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at the Tempe Center for the Arts. Mayor Hugh Hallman will be Master of Ceremonies. Classical and jazz music will be featured. For ticket information, contact Kim Sterling-Heflin at 602-253-2618 or Kim@OConnorHouse.org. To contribute to the O'Connor House project, visit http://www.oconnorhouse.org/. or to learn more about the project, visit First Call Analyst:
CONTACT: Pam Hait, pam@strategies-az.com, or Martha Hunter, both of Web site: http://www.oconnorhouse.org/
2008-05-05 19:02:33 0353173 PRNEWSWIRE
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