The invitation suggested themed attire, 1960s style: Laugh-In, Woodstock, Mad Men. I went with the closest I had to retro: a shirt printed with hula dancers and a pair of white suede sneakers, hoping I wouldn’t stand out in the crowd as some kind of square. The soiree was an homage to the era in which Scottsdale North CityHomes was born, setting the high bar for swanky Sonoran living. And the denizens of what is still one of our toniest developments were dressed to the nines in everything from floral caftans to love beads to mid-20th-century hipster couture.

In addition to “esprit de townhome,” the true reason for celebration was the property’s January 2023 induction into the National Register of Historic Places. As our hosts unveiled a commemorative plaque and detailed the complicated road to this significant designation, I looked around the gathering and, admittedly, got a little choked up. The love for and pride in this community was palpable, which can be rare when many neighborhoods have become impersonal, where interaction happens only when necessary and neighbors don’t even know each other’s names.

I had probably driven by Scottsdale North thousands of times in the last 25 years, intrigued by its cool and stately vibe. Last year I decided to finally take a peek beyond the entrance and was blown away by what a jewel box this little province is. With my first foray, the idea for a Phoenix Home & Garden pictorial was born. I soon learned that the residents are as singular and welcoming as their enclave. They opened their homes to our creative team and shared their tales of how they came to call this slice of heaven home.

You may have noticed that we have a thing for homes, buildings and communities that have stories to tell. We believe that they deserve our respect and should be treated with care and reverence. To that end, it is our great pleasure to bring you this issue, brimming with if-these-walls-could-talk features.

We dedicate these pages to those who work tirelessly to preserve the great Arizona structures that were here, in many cases, long before many of us were, and to those who seek out these sanctuaries as settings for their personal histories.

John Roark
Editor in Chief