Las Saetas

Last updated

Post Trader's Store and Riallito House
Tucson - 5425 East Fort Lowell Road - 1.jpg
The building in 2013
USA Arizona location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location5425 E. Fort Lowell Rd., Tucson, Arizona
Coordinates 32°15′38″N110°52′37″W / 32.26056°N 110.87694°W / 32.26056; -110.87694 (Post Trader's Store and Riallito House)
Area1.1 acres (0.45 ha)
Built1873 (1873)
Architect Charles Bolsius (1934 reconstruction)
Architectural styleSonoran, Pueblo Revival
MPS Fort Lowell MRA
NRHP reference No. 78003367 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 13, 1978

Las Saetas is one of the great examples of Pueblo Revival architecture in the American Southwest. Rebuilt in 1935 from the ruins of the 1873 Post Traders Store [2] the design-build project was led by Dutch-born artist Charles Bolsius, with Nan and Pete Bolsius. The project included hand-carved doors, exposed beams, carved corbels, adobe fireplaces, hand-hammered tin, and a heightened sense of romanticism. [3] The property and its transformation over a 150-year-span reflect the changing culture and economic milieu of Southern Arizona and the American West.

Contents

Las Saetas was originally built as the Fort Lowell Post Traders Store in 1870 from unstabilized mud adobe in a territorial style. The building served as a store, saloon, and gambling hall. After the closure and decommissioning of the Fort, the property had successive owners and uses including a farm headquarters and tuberculous sanatorium - health ranch before falling to ruin. The rambling property was purchased by the Bolsius Family in 1934. Nan and Pete Bolsius and Artist Charles Bolsius reimagined the property as a Pueblo Revival hacienda and hand reconfigured and reconstructed the building. Las Saetas is located in the Fort Lowell Historic District in east-central Tucson, Arizona.

History

Las Saetas, Interior, Fort Lowell, Tucson, Arizon Las Saetas, Interior, Fort Lowell, Tucson, Arizona.png
Las Saetas, Interior, Fort Lowell, Tucson, Arizon

Las Saetas, was originally built by Post-Trader, Gen. John B. “Pie” Allen at the entrance to the new Camp Lowell, six and a half miles northeast of Tucson in 1873. The rambling large sun-dried mud adobe complex was constructed as the installation's Post-Trader's Store or Sutler's Store to supply general merchandise to the officers and enlisted men stationed at the camp. [4] The building was demised into two uses: public rooms to the east and the post trader's private residence, store rooms, and corrals to the west. The two zones were separated by a large arched open breezeway that extended through the building from north to south. At the time of construction, the building looked north across the fertile desert floodplain, over the dense green bosque hugging the banks of the Rillito River to the expansive views of the Santa Catalina Mountain Range.

The south facade of Las Saetas is the principal public view of the property. The facade is characterized by large irregular geometric massing of mud adobe walls rendered in lime plaster. The 1873 building was originally an exposed adobe structure with a flat roof and parapet. The simple territorial design featured a front portál (veranda/porch) with a wood shingle roof and mill-sawn posts that extended along the eastern half of the facade and wrapped the building to the east. Elongated metal canales funneled water off the roof across the veranda. The facade had minimal ornamental detailing but included carved decorative cross beams on the veranda. The windows were trimmed in wood and included the territorial style triangular-shaped pedimented lintel, featuring either a plain fascia or one augmented by combinations of moldings. The primary entryway to the building was an open arched zaguán which served as a central entry hall / breezeway which connected to the large public rooms. West of this program were private living quarters and service, storage, and farm rooms.

Las Saetas, Old Fort Lowell, Tucson, Arizona, Zaguan Las Saetas, Old Fort Lowell, Tucson, Arizona.jpg
Las Saetas, Old Fort Lowell, Tucson, Arizona, Zaguan

By the 1930s the building had been stuccoed in lime plaster. When the building was reconstructed in the mid-1930s, the Bolsius trio used the adobe shell which lent itself to the Pueblo Revival idiom. Having spent time in New Mexico they took inspiration from the romanticized architectural traditions of the southwest and infused a high artistic style into the project which elevated it into an extraordinary example of regional design. As part of the transformation, they continued the lime plaster stucco treatment which softened and rounded edges and installed beautifully hand-carved wood doors, hand-carved corbels, vigas, and lintels. They used the extant territorial windows painted blue and enclosed the zaguán into a sala (living room). As part of the reconstruction, they used numerous conventions typical of Spanish colonial and pueblo revival architecture in the Southwest including adding alacena (cupboards built into an interior adobe wall), bancos (adobe benches built at the base of a wall), nichos (niche in interior adobe wall used for display of santos and artworks) and redesigned and installed fogon (comer fireplaces). [5] As part of the redesign they retained the original south facade volume and basic detailing including the retention of the south-facing portion of original portál. A wall was added connecting the main house with the gatehouse punctuated by a decorative carved gate topped with an espadana and bell.

The Bolsius used the house to host cultural events, programs, art exhibits and served as the locus of the Fort Lowell art colony. [6]

Las Saetas was designated a contributing property to the Pima County Fort Lowell Historic District in 1976 and was individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places under the Fort Lowell Multi-Cultural District in April 1978. [7] The property is today included in the City of Tucson Fort Lowell Historic Preservation Zone, designated in 1981. [8]

Ownership

In 1974, the house was purchased from Pete Bolsius by New Yorkers Peggy and Ben Sackheim. They undertook a major renovation of the property which included additions and alterations. The major changes included the enclosure of the portál into an entrada and galleria, the addition of a master bathroom on the northeast corner of the house, the addition of the dining room, which more substantially connected the west wing to the main house, the enlargement of the west wing rooms to the north, and the addition of a three-bay carport behind the connecting wall and original gate open towards the gatehouse. On the interior, they removed the living room fireplace and banco and added lofts to two rooms. The changes maintained the pueblo revival character.

In June 2022, Josie and Douglas G. Smith, founders of Korakia and Sparrows Lodge in Palm Springs, purchased the property, where they undertook numerous deleterious alterations. The Smiths removed the heirloom cactus gardens, cut down protected saguaro cacti, and were cited by the City of Tucson for conducting construction work without the necessary permits. [9] Ultimately, they sold the property at a financial loss in 2023 to Nancy and Thomas Allin who have made further modifications.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pueblo Revival architecture</span> Architectural movement

The Pueblo Revival style or Santa Fe style is a regional architectural style of the Southwestern United States, which draws its inspiration from Santa Fe de Nuevo México's traditional Pueblo architecture, the Spanish missions, and Territorial Style. The style developed at the beginning of the 20th century and reached its greatest popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, though it is still commonly used for new buildings. Pueblo style architecture is most prevalent in the state of New Mexico; it is often blended with Territorial Revival architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Estherwood (Dobbs Ferry, New York)</span> Historic house in New York, United States

Estherwood is a late 19th-century mansion located on the campus of The Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, New York, United States. It was the home of industrial tycoon James Jennings McComb, who supported Masters financially in its early years when his daughters attended. The house's octagonal library was the first section built. It had been attached to McComb's previous home, but he had felt it deserved a house more in keeping with its style and so had architect Albert Buchman design Estherwood built around it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodge-Greenleaf House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Dodge-Greenleaf House is on NY 211 in Otisville, New York, United States. It was built circa 1855 in the Gothic Revival style. The architect is unknown but it exemplifies contemporary trends in home design popularized by the writings and pattern books of Andrew Jackson Downing of nearby Newburgh, as articulated in the Picturesque mode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Bolsius</span> Dutch American painter (1907–1983)

Charles William Bolsius was a Dutch-born American painter. He was born in 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, the youngest in an upper-middle-class bourgeoisie family. His father ran the regional Gas Works and Bolsius formally studied art in The Hague before emigrating to the United States and moving to New Mexico in the early 1930s. He quickly assimilated into the art communities of Albuquerque and Santa Fe showing with the significant artist of the period. Bolsius had artistically matured within Dutch - German Expressionism. His woodblock handprints, using subject matter from the American West, capitalized on flat, bold, stark patterns and rough-hewn effects that were hallmarks of the expressionist woodblock tradition. His heavy light-filled moody paintings with cloudy brooding skies combined expressionistic influences with expansive western landscapes and the optimism of American impressionism. His work was critically recognized and exhibited at major museums and galleries throughout New Mexico and Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Lowell (Tucson, Arizona)</span> United States Army post

Fort Lowell was a United States Army post active from 1873 to 1891 on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona. Fort Lowell was the successor to Camp Lowell, an earlier Army installation. The Army chose a location just south of the confluence of the Tanque Verde and Pantano creeks, at the point where they form the Rillito River, due to the year-round supply of water during that period. The Hohokam natives had chosen the site centuries earlier, presumably for the same reason. To this day, shards of Hohokam pottery can still be found in the area. The Army claimed a military reservation that encompassed approximately eighty square miles and extended east toward the Rincon Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Merchant House</span> Historic house in New York, United States

The Walter Merchant House, on Washington Avenue in Albany, New York, United States, is a brick-and-stone townhouse in the Italianate architectural style, with some Renaissance Revival elements. Built in the mid-19th century, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Territorial Revival architecture</span> Architectural style

Territorial Revival architecture describes the style of architecture developed in the U.S. state of New Mexico in the 1930s. It derived from New Mexico vernacular Territorial Style, an original style from Santa Fe de Nuevo México following the founding of Albuquerque in 1706. Territorial Revival incorporated elements of traditional regional building techniques with higher style elements. The style was intended to recall the Territorial Style and was extensively employed for New Mexico state government buildings in Santa Fe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Pedro Chapel</span> United States historic place

San Pedro Chapel, located in the Fort Lowell area of Tucson, Arizona, is a historic and iconic architectural site with deep roots in the local community, dating back to the early 20th century. The adobe chapel was established by Mexican and Sicilian immigrants who settled in the area after the abandonment of Fort Lowell by the U.S. military. The center of a small settlement known as "El Fuerte," this area grew into village with rich cultural traditions. The chapel served as a cornerstone of community life and together with the Fort Lowell School House, the 1917 adobe Fort Lowell Union Church, and nearby small adobe houses made up the informal plaza and center of the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley National Bank Building (Tucson, Arizona)</span> Skyscraper in Tucson, Arizona

The Valley National Bank Building is the oldest skyscraper in Tucson, Arizona. It was built in 1929 by Percy A. Eisen (1885–1946) and Albert R. Walker (1881–1958). It has housed administrative offices on the second floor. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since September 12, 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinjockity Ranch</span> Historic house in Arizona, United States

Kinjockity Ranch, also known as Lanteen Ranch, is a Pueblo Revival style residence in Cochise County, Arizona, originally built in 1939-1940 for Rufus Riddlesbarger, a wealthy Chicago businessman. It is a notable example of Pueblo Revival style, executed in adobe with richly detailed interiors and hand-made hardware. The house was designed by Edward C. Morgan, an architect from Phoenix who specialized in what he called "the Mexican style." The interiors were decorated and embellished by illustrator and sculptor Raymond Phillips Sanderson, who had collaborated with Morgan on previous commissions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry M. and Annie V. Trueheart House</span> United States historic place

The Henry M. and Annie V. Trueheart House is a residence of historic significance located in the town of Fort Davis, the seat and largest town of Jeff Davis County in the U.S. state of Texas. The house was built in 1898 and, along with the surrounding property, was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1996. The Trueheart House has also been distinguished as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) since 1964.

El Pueblo, also called Fort Pueblo, was a trading post and fort near the present-day city of Pueblo in Pueblo County, Colorado. It operated from 1842 until 1854, selling goods, livestock, and produce. It was attacked in 1854, killing up to 19 men and capturing three people. A recreation of the fort is located at the El Pueblo History Museum at the site of the original fort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Zaguan</span> United States historic place

El Zaguan, at 545 Canyon Rd. in Santa Fe, New Mexico, is a historic complex started in 1854. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. The listing included two contributing buildings, three contributing structures, two contributing objects, and a contributing site on 1.8 acres (0.73 ha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Douglas House</span> United States historic place

The Walter Douglas House, in Bisbee, Arizona, was built for Walter Douglas in 1908, who was the general manager for the Phelps-Dodge Company. It was the first house built in what was then Warren, Arizona, which was Arizona's first planned community, and was the largest home in the community. Designed by the architectural firm, Trost and Trost, it is a Crafts/Mission Revival Style house. The house has 11 bedrooms, a library, a billiards room, a basement, several school rooms, six fireplaces with Grueby tile, leaded-glass windowns and maple flooring. It also has three apartments ; and 10,000 square feet (930 m2) of patio space. Throughout the years, the house has served several different purposes. Initially it was a private residence for Douglas. Then it was carved into apartments and at one point served as a lodge. In the late 1900s it was renovated as a private residence once again.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Bolsius House</span> United States historic place

Charles Bolsius House, also called "Casa Bienvenidos", is a significant example of the architectural work of artist and designer Charles Bolsius and an important example of Territorial Revival design in the American Southwest. It is located in the City of Tucson, Arizona within the Old Fort Lowell Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Cuartel Viejo</span> United States historic place

El Cuartel Viejo is a significant and important example of Pueblo Revival architecture in the American Southwest. Rebuilt starting in 1942 from the ruins of the 1870s Fort Lowell Quartermaster and Commissary Storehouse the design-build project was led by Dutch-born artist Charles Bolsius, with brother and sister-in-law Nan and Pete Bolsius. The project, a series of five residences, included distinctive hand-carved Bolsius doors, exposed beams, carved corbels, adobe fireplaces, hand-hammered tin, and a heightened sense of romanticism. The property like Las Saetas to the west and its transformation over a 150-year-span reflect the changing culture and economic milieu of Southern Arizona and the American West.

LeaChar House is an architectural landmark, exemplifying late 20th century Arizona Territorial Revival architecture style and serving as the final masterpiece of the architectural designer and artist, Charles Bolsius. Situated on the eastern outskirts of Tucson, Arizona, within the historically significant Tanque Verde, Arizona village area, off "Tanque Verde Loop" the LeaChar House occupies a tranquil setting amidst verdant mesquite trees part of a bosque along the banks of Tanque Verde Creek. This natural environment evokes the charm and rural landscapes surrounding Fort Lowell, where Bolsius resided prior to the urban expansion of Tucson in the mid-20th century.

El Callejón is a narrow dirt road in the heart of the Old Fort Lowell neighborhood and historic district in Tucson, Arizona, United States. This narrow lane was part of the post Fort "El Fuerte" village that was established in the 1890s and continued through the 1940s. The little road holds significant cultural, environmental, and ecological history, intertwined with the region's heritage and the families who called this place home in the 20th century. Private footpaths lead to an Acequia, an irrigation canal, called the Corbett Irrigation Ditch, which dates back to 1850s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juan Xavier House</span> Building in Tucson, Arizona

Juan Xavier House, is a two-room adobe building located along El Callejón, on the edge of a mesquite bosque within the Fort Lowell Historic Preservation Zone in Tucson, Arizona. Built in the early to mid-20th century, the house exemplifies late traditional Sonoran farmhouse or ranch architecture, a vernacular style prevalent in Northern Mexico and Southern Arizona. The house is closely associated with its namesake, Juan Xavier, a noted member of the Tohono O'odham tribal council and a figure involved in Tucson's cultural and artistic communities.

References

  1. "National Register Information System  (#78003367)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  2. McKenney, J. Wilson. “Just an Old Army Canteen,” The Desert Magazine, El Centro California, May 1938, 23.
  3. Wadsworth, Beula M. La Saetas, A Home Integrated with Creative Arts and Crafts. School Arts, Stanford University, Mar. 1944, 229.
  4. Anonymous, Seagram Spotlight, They Turned a Deserted Ruin into a Beautiful Home, Jan. 1944.
  5. Wadsworth, Beula, “A Colorful Tucson Desert Home,” The Magazine Tucson, Oct. 1950 vol. 3. no 8, 20.
  6. Arizona Daily Star, “300 Tucsonans Gather at Tea Las Saetas Scene of Gala Pioneer Tea Given by Woman’s Club,” Feb. 1, 1938, 7.
  7. "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Post Trader's Store and Riallito House". National Park Service . Retrieved August 7, 2022. With accompanying pictures
  8. City of Tucson, Unified Development Code 5.8.9 Fort Lowell History
  9. City of Tucson, Unified Development Code 5.8.9 Code Enforcement