Living a few hours from Palm Springs, I’m no stranger to mid-century design. There’s an entire week in February, in fact, devoted to the architecture and design style.

What’s been termed “one of the best-preserved mid-century hotels in the country,” however, is in Scottsdale Arizona: The Hotel Valley Ho.
 

Built in 1956, the Valley Ho was immediately successful, and primed Scottsdale for decades of future growth. The property quickly attracted Hollywood stars: Robert Wagner and Natalie Wood threw a wedding reception at the Valley Ho; Jimmy Durante played the piano in the lounge when he couldn’t sleep. The list goes on: Bette Davis, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Humphrey Bogart, Betty Grable, Janet Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Cary Grant and others all checked into the chic new digs in the desert.

Ramada bought the property in 1973 and covered some of the “outdated” 1950s design. After a few more decades, the property slipped into disrepair, and closed in 2001. No one wanted to buy the relic. The bulldozers circled.

But so did the preservation buffs.
 

A fashion show at the Valley Ho in the 1950s

The building was placed in the Scottsdale Historic Register. Business partners Scott Lyon and Bill Nassikas of Westroc Hotels bought the site, meticulously returning it to its mid-century origins at a cost of $80 million.

The Valley Ho reopened in late 2005, 49 years after its first grand opening – to repeat immediate success. And it again spurred Scottsdale’s business and tourist growth. It’s hard to now imagine the city without the Valley Ho.
 

The arrival of the hit series Mad Men premiered two years later in 2007, helping to amp the interest in mid-century architecture, design, art, fashion and culture.

One of Valley Ho’s inherent strengths: the property tends to appeal to all age groups. Who is not familiar with, and doesn’t respond to the clean and elegant lines and look of mid-century design?

Frank Lloyd Wright student Edward L. Varney designed the minimalist building, extending wings out from a central pool and lounge. He placed red, cast concrete blocks that resemble abstract arrowheads around roof edges. The 2001-2005 makeover made use of other Varney techniques (masonry, cast and poured concrete, natural stone, and lots of glass) to marry the building to the landscape.

Scottsdale-based Allen+Philip finessed the renovation, adding a seven-story guest tower based on blueprints found in original designs. All is built and designed to mid-century style – it’s hard to determine where the original building leaves off. Even the new elevator is mid-century dated.

Moreover, the hotel retains the sense of home and comfort that Robert and Evelyn Foehl, who first conceived the property, so carefully cultivated.  A retro American restaurant, ZuZu, was also added, mimicking the property’s jet-age design.   

Guest rooms range from tower suite, two-bedroom suite, and loft suite to standard, studio, cabana, terrace and executive suites. The entire interior was gutted during the renovation, turning the rooms into 21st-century versions of their former selves. The only off-putting design element in the suite I occupied were overhead IKEA halogen string lights, which seemed relics from the 1990s.

The spa and fitness center includes eight private treatment rooms, a spa deck, and 24-hour hi tech fitness center.

Stroll over to downtown Scottsdale

The west end of downtown Scottsdale is a mere block from the Valley Ho. Parking, it should be noted, is free and behind the hotel, but it was great to leave the wheels behind and just walk.

Old Town Scottsdale mimics a vintage western town, and a free trolley will ferry you around to the arts district, shops along Fifth Avenue, the Fashion Square and the waterfront.

A Thursday night Art Walk winds through scores of galleries. Scottsdale has one of the country’s best public art programs. Highlights include the Paolo Soleri Bridge and Plaza, the Doors and Sound Passage, which is much like climbing inside a kaleidoscope, and the Horseshoe Falls – among many others.

Superb hiking along the Cholla trail to Camelback Mountain’s eastern side is a few minutes drive from Valley Ho. It’s a 1.6-mile moderate climb with an elevation gain of about 1200 feet.  There’s no parking near the trailhead on Cholla Lane. Park instead on Invergordon Rd. and walk up Cholla Lane to the trailhead – just follow the hikers heading up the lane and you’ll spot the entrance.  

For other ways to explore the Sonoran Desert, check out this guide, or consider this Scottsdale tourism site that details off-road tours, horseback riding, a hot air balloon adventure or water sports along the Salt and Verde rivers.

Other sites in Scottsdale worth a visit: Desert Botanical Garden, the American Indian riches of the Heard Museum, Frank Lloyd Wright’s summer home, Taliesin West and Paolo Soleri’s Cosanti, which yet operates a foundry turning out the designer’s signature bells and chimes.

Savor Scottsdale

Scottsdale has about 600 restaurants dishing up everything from the requisite Southwestern to Asian fusion. A great place to start is True Food Kitchen, in the hip and friendly Scottsdale Quarter. The locally and regionally sourced menu is based on Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet. The oversized, central room has a lot of buzz, and is backed by an open kitchen. I stopped for lunch and sipped a Medicine Man antioxidant blast, saving room for an eggplant pizza.

The Old Town’s Mission serves up modern Latin cuisine, starting with guacamole mixed from a cart right at your table. The food is succulent – I had the Pollo A La Brasa, and for dessert: the signature Pumpkin Bread Pudding – a four-day recipe (it’s soaked overnight in Scotch) that, turns out, has a whole Yelp page devoted to its ambrosial wonder. I’m not surprised.

There are back and front patios, the latter with fireplace and fountain. The interior, dark room is warmed and brightened by a wall built of Himalayan rock salt blocks (tequila drinkers purportedly lick it).

Popular happy hour hangouts include the Culinary Dropout, Brio Tuscan Grille, Roaring Fork, and the Citizen Public House, among others. Also - read my review of Citizen Public House.

•  Fortunate for tourists, Scottsdale has a top-rate convention and visitor’s bureau, its website broken down into near endless choices and niche markets, a great tool when planning a visit.

•  Vist this site for more information about Scottsdale’s Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired architecture, as well as tours.

•  Ninety minute architectural tours of Hotel Valley Ho are available by appointment through the Ultimate Art & Cultural Tours of Scottsdale.

 

One of Scottsdale Four Seasons’ charms is that at times it becomes downright invisible. Designed by HKS architects, the property’s adobe hacienda style blends effortlessly with the Sonoran desert landscape. The emphasis is clearly placed where it’s most needed – on the land.

Tan stepped walls front patios and alcoves crowned by rough-hewn arbors. The minimalist design is an optimal match for the ruddy earth that towers with iconic saguaro cactus – and above, blue skies 300+ days a year darkening to rose and purple as stars emerge. There are, in fact, telescopes in all 22 suites. Plus, there’s complimentary stargazing each Friday night at 2,651 feet above sea level.

The property’s 40 acres harbor 210 guest rooms, and some suites have outdoor garden showers, private plunge pools, indoor fireplaces and outdoor kiva fireplaces. At night there’s the sumptuous smell of wood smoke from potbelly stoves placed around the grounds.

The requisite pool (6,000 square-feet), underwent a $1 million restoration in 2010. And nearby: two on-site Nova Pro tennis courts, and a 12,000-square-foot spa and fitness center with 14 treatment rooms.

The lobby and and front desk are decked in a tweaked Southwestern style, splashed with bold and neon prints. A design standout is the tapestry-like front curtains with Huichol-beaded accents flowing to three tiers of torn fringe.

The resort’s signature restaurant is Talavera, a steakhouse with views so vast it’s hard to concentrate on the food.  But perhaps more impressive is Proof, a home-style canteen with a comfort level that will make it damn hard to get out and enjoy all that gorgeous desert scenery.

Proof canteen

The Four Seasons recently renovated the space at a cost of $2.5 million and it shows. The eclectic décor starts with a recessed railroad track that traverses the central floor, anchored by wheeled tables. There’s country store ornamentation, and even a soda jerk. The food starts with addictive pretzel knots. For breakfast try the chocolate bacon waffles or smoked brisket hash, and for lunch or dinner: fried green tomatoes, lobster roll, chicken and waffles, and grilled peach with arugula salad, among others.

And yes, the sous chef drives a 1957 Ford pick-up.

You don’t need to wander far from Four Seasons for a great night out and meal – Sassi is just around the corner. You could even walk – in fact it’s advisable if you lack a designated driver. Arizona has one of the toughest DUI/DWI laws on the books, with mandatory jail times for even first time offenders.

Sassi has a darkly romantic feel, starting with the moodily lit stone and wood exterior – old world architecture inspired by Southern Italy. The interior nearly looks like a set piece, with near endless rooms and dining alcoves. The menu is extensive. My favorite: butternut squash risotto and the pan seared sea scallops. There’s also a family style “Little Italy” dinner available that starts with antipasti and ends with gelato.

Desert Adventures

Golf is a huge draw in these parts, and Four Seasons guests have priority use of the Pinnacle and Monument championship courses at Troon North, including run of the 37,000-square-foot clubhouse. That helped Four Seasons Scottsdale earn the 2011 ranking of “75 Best Golf Resorts in North America,” by Golf Digest magazine. There are 51 golf courses, citywide.

An avid hiker and mountain biker, I took to rockier courses. Much of the Four Seasons’ property surveys Pinnacle Peak and its 150-acre park. In fact there’s a trail leading straight from the property up to the peak. The 1.75-mile trail is a moderate, up-and-back hike with an elevation gain of about 1,300 feet.

The McDowell Sonoran Preserve is a 15-minute drive away and features 100 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. I took a three-hour mountain bike journey, expertly guided by Arizona Outback Adventures. You can hire a guide, or just rent a bike from AOA.

We packed a comb and tweezers in case of a cactus crash – and even duct tape, used to remove smaller spines. Despite some speedy downhill descents, the kit was gratefully not needed. Still, the Sonoran Desert is harsh as well as stunningly beautiful. The terrain is alien, otherworldly: oversized saguaro cactus stand like mute sentinels; jumping cholla cactus glow with morning light that fills innumerable long, hollow spines.

A rare rain had fallen the night before, so my 7 a.m. ride was rife with the smell of creosote, that burnt-smoky odor so common to Arizona deserts. Although the trails are well marked, for my first journey, I was happy to have a guide.

Guides can also be hired for hiking tours and adventures on the Salt and Verde rivers (AOA and Mild to Wild Rafting.) The Grand Canyon is about three and one-half miles away; Sedona about two hours; and Lake Powell, about four and one-half hours.

Also available in Scottsdale: rock climbing, off-road tours, horseback riding and hot air ballooning via Hot Air Expeditions or Rainbow Ryders.

Architecture from A to Z

Frank Lloyd Wright made Scottsdale his winter home, partly because of health issues. He termed the area his “grand garden,” drawn to the rough landscape and stark views. His keen interest helped spur decades of cutting-edge design that continues today.

Wright built Taliesin West on the outskirts of Scottsdale, occupying it during winters from 1937 until his death in 1959. The property now operates as the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and is open for public tours.

The home opens to the vast Paradise Valley. Built from desert rocks piled in wood forms and filled with concrete, the home’s rough style is finished (or was finished) by redwood beams. In the harsh heat, the redwood eventually retained dry rot, and in recent decades has been replaced by either Douglas fir or steel.

The home is at once beautiful, raw, harsh, stunning and at times just seems wrong (such as the redwood  choice, along with an emerald carpet of grass baking beneath the desert sun) – as well as arrogantly, stubbornly very much Wright.  Lesson: Damn the critics. Build your vision. Public tours range from one to three hours long.

Former Wright student Paolo Soleri’s studio can also be toured. Cosanti, a jumble of Hobbit-like structures, was built nearly sixty years ago. It yet operates as a foundry, producing hundreds of Soleri’s popular ceramic and bronze wind bells. You can watch workers out back as they smash steaming molds to release the finished bells.

The Soleri Bridge and Plaza that spans the ancient Arizona canal is a highlight among numerous public work projects. The smokestack-like pylons are dramatically lit at night, tilted back and straining against steel cables that support the bridge.

Another Wright apprentice, Edward L. Varney, designed the mid-century modern landmark Hotel Valley Ho in 1956. The hotel was meticulously restored in 2005 at a cost of $80 million, and has been termed the finest example of authentic mid-century modern design found in a hotel today.

The impression of other Wright students –John Gardiner, Hiram Hudson Benedict and Vernon Swaback – can be found in spas, resorts, and ranches. Peruse Scottsdale’s architecture site for more information on tours and locations.

Central Scottsdale

Scottsdale is small enough (225,000) to grasp, especially given its sprawling Big Brother Phoenix to the southwest. But it packs plenty in its 184 square miles.

In brief, here are my recommendations: Desert Botanical Garden, the Arts District and Thursday night Art Walk, public art (Scottsdale has one of the best public art programs in the U.S.), the American Indian riches of the Heard Museum, and the Downtown Trolley that will ferry you for free to many central sites, including Old Town Scottsdale.

Fortunate for tourists, Scottsdale has a top-rate convention and visitor’s bureau, its website broken down into near endless choices and niche markets, a great tool when planning a visit.

Also, peruse the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North website.

Scottsdale Arizona has about 600 restaurants, ranging from the requisite Southwestern cuisine to Asian fusion. Among the best is the somewhat non-descript (except for the food) Citizen Public House.

The restaurant serves up craft beers and what its PR materials call “award-winning gastropub cuisine to a clientele hungry for exceptional food, provocative drink and new-fashioned fun.”

That sounds about right, although I dined solo so I no doubt missed out on the new-fashioned fun.

 

The restaurant’s interior is masculine, with a high cathedral ceiling lined with wood beams. Tables wreath a central bar, and family photos line walls. Named among "Best New Restaurants" by Esquire Magazine, the restaurant is in Old Town Scottsdale. 

I started with the Pork Belly Pastrami ($12), which my waiter Sam described as a deconstructed Rueben sandwich: pork belly, rye spaetzle, Brussels sprout sauerkraut, mustard jus . . .  I had remembered reading the appetizer had become somewhat of a legend – the creation of executive chef and owner Bernie Kantak. 

In truth, pork belly is in itself scrumptious, but nicely dusted as well with pastrami spices, followed by the spaetzle variation - it was smoky-good.

 

I continued with the Original Chopped Salad ($12) purely because it has its own Facebook page.  Ingredients:  corn, couscous, smoked salmon, asiago, pepitas, tomatoes, arugula & currants – all lined up side by side like somebody forgot to toss it. The dressing: a “sassy” buttermilk pesto.  It was the right side of light, and wholly addictive.

The meal finished with Porcini Filet Mignon ($32) – porcini rub, smashed new potatoes, sautéed greens, white beech mushrooms, demi-glace, black garlic butter.

I had asked Sam, the waiter for recommendations on the main course as well – he pointed to two dishes, the Filet, which I chose, and the Pan Seared Scallops, which I had also eyed. I’ll need to return for the scallops, but the Filet Mignon was both tender and earthy-rich - the perfect finish, struck with all the right notes.

• Citizen Public House: 7111 E. 5th Ave Ste. E, Scottsdale, AZ 85251

• Citizen Public House reservations.

• View the full menu.