The Arizona Cancer Center Chapel, also known as the Soleri Chapel, or the De Bonis Chapel, is an architectural landmark located within the University of Arizona Cancer Center at 1515 North Campbell Avenue in Tucson, Arizona. It was designed by the Italian-American architect Paolo Soleri.[1]
Completed in 1986, the chapel was constructed in honor of Soleri’s wife, Colly, who died of cancer.[5] That same year, the chapel’s design was highlighted during a touring exhibition organized by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, titled The Architectural Visions of Paolo Soleri.
Funding
In the early 1980s, Titular Bishop Donato De Bonis, who served as the Secretary General of the Vatican Bank (Institute for the Works of Religion), sought cancer treatment in Tucson, Arizona at the Arizona Cancer Center. In 1983, Dr. Alberts traveled to the Vatican for a meeting with Bishop De Bonis resulting in the exchange of "mementos" as gifts for the Cancer Center staff upon his return. During this period, Bishop De Bonis frequently visited Tucson due to his close relationship with Sydney Salmo and as a gesture of appreciation for the medical treatment he received. Bishop De Bonis funded the Chapel Project at the Cancer Center. The Chapel was dedicated in memory of his mother.[citation needed]
Design and features
The chapel's design is characterized by sand-cast barrel-vaulted concrete ceilings with embedded botanical graphics, intended to reflect the natural environment.[6][7] The chapel consists of 10 ceiling panels, a wall sculpture, decorative bells, and a stained glass window.[5]
Preservation efforts
When the Arizona Cancer Center was expanded, the patient area where the chapel is located was reorganized into research spaces and offices. The change effectively closed the chapel to the public. It was later opened to the public as part of Tucson Modernism Week in 2013. The chapel was featured in the 2017 book Holy Modern and named a "Modern Architectural Classic" by the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation in 2018.[citation needed]
Demolition attempt
In October 2023, the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation discovered the University of Arizona's plans to demolish the chapel, harvesting and relocating artistic elements to decorate a new "meditation hallway" in the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. The plan was led by the University of Arizona Planning Department and the architecture firm Line and Space.[8]
The plan included sending the right side of the barrel-vault to the Cosanti Foundation and installing the remnant pieces in a concrete block hallway. Advocates, including Jim McPherson with the Arizona Preservation Foundation, Demion Clinco with Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation, and elected leaders, including Pima County Supervisor Matt Heinz, Arizona State Representatives, Christopher Mathis and Betty Villegas appealed to University of Arizona president Robert C. Robbins to prevent the destruction and pursue an alternative approach that would save the chapel. In December 2023, the University of Arizona Planning Department announced its intent to proceed with the destruction of the space.[9]
In December 2023, the chapel was added to Arizona's Most Endangered Places list by the Arizona Preservation Foundation.[6] The Tucson-Pima County Historical Commission unanimously passed a resolution asking for the preservation of the chapel, emphasizing the importance of adhering to Arizona Revised Statute 41-864 and underscoring the responsibility of entities like the University of Arizona in preserving historical and cultural resources.[10]
In January 2024, the University of Arizona put the plans to demolish the chapel on "indefinite pause."[11] At the January 2024 Pima County Board of Supervisors Meeting, Matt Heinz proposed a resolution admonishing the university's decision to ignore the Arizona State Historic Preservation Act.[12]
As of January 2024, the chapel remains closed to the public.
12Arizona Contractor & Community, Arizona Cancer Center Chapel by Architect Paolo Soleri, Named One of Arizona's Most Endangered Places, 12 December 2023.
↑Dianna M. Náñez and Carolina Cuellar, Arizona Luminaria, UA plans to dismantle iconic architect Paolo Soleri's hidden-gem chapel in Tucson, 9 December 2023
↑Mark Brodie, KJZZ, Preservationists are trying to save a University of Arizona chapel designed by Paolo Soleri, 19 December 2023
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