Arcosanti

Ick! Rude people. Filthy bathroom. Hugely expensive bell. Road from hell to get there. Too many other choices to waste time here.

This beautiful visionary utopian complex of a «live and work» place is decaying. The place is not vibrant and less so than it use to be. It is not a bad idea, just a bad location and a dated design. This idea of work and home being close together have always existed. You can find them in Mesa Verde, Hill towns of Italy, countless villages and tiny towns all over the world. Apple is building the apple complex, by Norman Foster. It is 2.8 million square feet and can accommodate 12,000 staff members. (So many just to make a few iphones and ipads? Lol) It does not have living quarters but the idea of a single mega complex is envisioned here. A visionary idea powered by one of the biggest company in the world, Apple.
Google have their own facility, with free chef cooked gormet meals, and a campus of unrestrained research. (only if they think your idea will be profitable in the future) Two great companies building mega complexes for the work place.
Downtownl Los Angeles is reviving as a live and work community. Closer to Soleri’s idea but not of his architectural vision or ecological ideals.
Soleri’s vision looks like a dated sci-​fi movie set from the eighties. In addition, do people want to live in the boon dogs in Arizona? It may be more attractive if it had a beautiful view and situated in Sedona. Being in Corde Junction is not a plus.
Never the less if you are interested in architecture this place is well worth a visit. Also consider going to Cosancti in Phoenix which is much more vibrant.

Eh…
I didn’t quite understand this place and compared to the photos I saw on Google Images, I was rather underwhelmed.
We didn’t actually do the tour, we just did a little exploring ourselves. The concept «arcology» (architecture + ecology, in harmony) is pretty interesting, as is the architect Paolo Soleri. However, the town itself is a bit grey and if I can be frank, dull. Maybe we were just there on a quiet, uneventful day. I don’t know.
Also, the road out to the town is a gravel path that isn’t well-​maintained so we had quite the bumpy ride in our tiny rental car.

How can this place get less than 5 stars? It’s either «5» or «1,» perhaps: Utterly fascinating to those of us who love architecture and urban planning and sociology. (And the 1970s!) But maybe not-​so-​interesting/​kinda weird and dirty if you aren’t.

There’s is nothing negative about this place, and anyone that has anything negative to say about it, doesn’t see the true light of positivity. I find in my many travels, there is the good, and the bad. But here at Arcosanti, you need to take it all in. If you don’t understand the community on a first instinct, then take time to see the free video of Arcosanti, here it’s mantra and vision… Then, you’ll truly get it.

Learned about this from another guest who was staying at the same hotel as us in Sedona. He was well-​informed on Arcosanti, and shared with us enough information at the wine hour that we had to check it out for ourselves. Heading home, we stopped here and were blown away. We only visited the café and gift shop, as time was pressed, but we definitely cannot wait to go back!
If visiting the giftshop, ask the cashier if you are able to watch the 13 minute video that they play every day. It is a great little video with lots of information on the whole idea and concepts behind this place. The bells are all of excellent quality and very reasonably priced! We bought a beautiful one to bring home!
The café had phenomenal food. It was a buffet-​style kitchen, with spectacular views and phenomenal vegetable curry!!! Everything was great and we were thrilled that we stopped! We are DEFINITELY looking forward to going back for more tours of the place!!!

What is Arcosanti and what does it offer? A lot of things! Interesting and quirky architecture, a beautiful desert landscape and dining /​shopping experiences. It’s an experimental community about 70 miles north of Phoenix which was founded over 40 years ago by Italian architect Paolo Soleri, who had apprenticed with Frank Lloyd Wright. Tours are offered daily and there are accommodations for overnight stays, a café and a gift shop.

I did a workshop a decade ago
Was so geeked up that I thought it would be completed by now but I was just a young idealistic college student who did not know better. A recent visit left me a little bummed that progress was well minimal.
That said ARCOSANTI is still the coolest place in the area and well worth a visit.
It is a niche project and it is not for everyone… The scenery is magical and its a great place to un– plug from the world for a few days
Understand, if you are going to visit this place the day to day operations are run mostly by volunteer college aged 20 somethings,.Many do not have real world work experience.
Complaints about service does not surprise me, but its not intentional. Arcosanti is and always has been a somewhat anarchistic left leaning project, Go in with low expectations and you will find yourself pleasantly surprised, and make sure you buy a couple of bells.

Just stayed in the sky suite with my husband & 2 daughters 10 & 12 (who like the Kardashians). and they loved it. Amazing buildings. wonderful atmosphere. Felt safe and warm. The one bedroom was a bit airless and hot but the pool was amazing. The kids did not love the food but it was real food and it is wonderful to be able to go and make yourself a cup of tea throughout the day hang in the café and play on a beautiful hand made chess table. If you want the Marriot go to the Marriot, if you want something a bit more raw but interesting and welcoming come here. While I appreciate Soleri’s vision the craft, artistry and design are what enthrall me. I love that many residents and student leave a bit of themselves, whether it is a doodle in a concrete paver or a great rain grate. I would highly recommend staying so you are given a bit more reign to wander (respectfully! as people are living there). I wish it many years of continued growth

Definitely go hiking and stay the night here. It’s a good affordable hotel spot Pre-​Burning Man FYI.
Side note: We took a private recycling tour of the facility operations and what is called CAMP. Arco’s resourceful attitude is really an example to America’s potential.
Food is organic, mostly local, with vegan options

I enjoy going here to all the special events, been coming for years and bringing newbies along with me so they can see it. One thing that bothers me is: We can never get a room here to stay the night! We’ve been trying for over 10 years and NOTHING! We are told to make a reservation by email or calling. So i call, Nobody picks up the phone. I’ve emailed, told i have the room. Call to confirm beore driving all that way and am told that the room is reserved for a resident that lives there. WTH? Why would they need the sky suite since they live there? I’ve been trying to get that for over 10 years and am always told the same thing?

It is honorable to appreciate another mans dream. I recently visited Paolo Soleri’s dream many unfinished ideas. From a visitor perspective that is pretty much it– your a visitor entering into his ideal theory of environment and nature coexisting.
I didn’t feel welcomed into the space.
Your not allowed to meandor on the premises so all your invited to do is eat in the café and take a tour spend a night if you wish.
I cannot totally explain what is lacking here in terms of a quality experience but before you visit set your expectation low.
The residence were very gracious. But it was the Bells that spoke the loudest and that I found to be the most interesting part of the entire visit. Paolo’s concept even the landscape echos a lack luster and stagnate dreams uncompleted.
However, walking Paolo’s bridge design on the Waterfront in Scottsdale I found to be a more enjoyable and personal experience enticed to embrace a moment with nature even though surrounded by the busyness of the city.
I understand Paolo didn’t speak the language of fundraising but it may benefit the community now to acquire those skills

For a really interesting day trip about an hour drive north of Phoenix (exit 263 on I-​17), come to this is unique community which is Paolo Soleri’s experiment in marrying architecture and ecology. The community is a work in progress, has been that way for decades, and it seems it will be that way for decades to come. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and the walkways wind between the residential and work areas of varying architectural styles where cubic and arc themes predominate. The guides are friendly and very informative and the views outside of the campus are beautiful.

I was oblivious to the innovative works of art of many architects in Arizona. Most people know about Frank Lloyd Wright but I had never heard about Arcosanti and Paolo Soleri. Call me crazy but I had to have a boyfriend point out the beauty of architecture and this place left me at a loss for words.
We were on our way to Prescott and he kept saying that we were going somewhere really cool. Once we pulled up, I knew I was going to experience something amazing. This place was designed to have people live there and utilize the concepts of arcology while taking advantage of natural resources found in the desert. I remember the tour guide something on the tour about how smart Soleri was and he knew that here was a water supply in the middle of the desert. They grow their own food, have schools there, amphitheater for art and music, and serve dinner to the guest as well.
We stayed for a live concert that night and the beating drums seemed like they were going through my body. There was also a light show as well and it was super romantic. I feel sad that this was in Arizona the whole time and I was just finding out about it. Apparently he tried to book a room that sits on top building and the roof is open so you can see the sky at night. I heard it is booked up well in advance so plan ahead if you want to take the romance up a notch. There were some cottages not too far from there that you can stay at if you want to be close. If you are making the trip up north, make the stop in Mayer as you will not regret it. I am planning to go back when I get the chance.

Let’s call this a 5 for the intent, vision and tour at Arcosanti and a 3 for actually staying there a night and negotiating the reality. I AM a fan of Arcosanti, but a troubled one. It is unclear to me if there is any momentum on this project other than stalled.
We took an Arcosanti tour early in the week on a Monday and we were the only people on the tour, conducted very capably by Melissa. If you somehow have any attitude about donating $ 10 for a tour here, think of it as the best $ 25 tour you ever got for $ 10. There is a short video before the tour that is interesting, as well as I would recommend getting there about a half hour early (they start on the hour) and walk through the visitor area with books on Soleri’s work and posters, bells etc. Plus add in extra time to FIND any place at Arcosanti, more on that later.
Arcosanti IS a construction site, and work in progress so you need to be very careful that you wear «sensible shoes», but seriously there are a LOT of stairs here and walking, no elevators in sight. It can be very hot and windy, some swampcoolers in the visitor area and I think the cafeteria, but otherwise fans and some very hearty desert breezes. If you have any balance, or stair tripping issues, you may just want to stay in the visitor area and enjoy the swampcooler, books and bells. There is a LOT of concrete here, the beauty of that is subjective.
Arcosanti is a fascinating idea, and the cultural anthropologist in me wants to just quit all my other work and just join Arcosanti and begin a dissertation on the 40 plus years of the Arcosanti subcultures. On the tour you will see some of the plans Soleri had for Arcosanti, tour bell making foundries and pass apartments where volunteers/​students/​workers live. We didn’t see many people at Arcosanti, I think there are somewhere between 70 – 100 currently, and Soleri’s dream was that this community could be built, finished and support 5000.
So the tour, do it if you are physically able, it’s not that difficult just remember it is a construction project. And if you look around you will see some pretty unfinished projects. Cosanti in Phoenix is another smaller finished option. Do the Visitor trail after your tour, great view of Arcosanti.
Now the most interesting part of our Arcosanti «tour» was staying overnight.
We stayed one night in the «sky room», $ 100 includes two breakfasts, which were fine by the way, and cheaper than our reasonably priced King at Sky Ranch in Sedona. There are smaller rooms ranging $ 40 – 65. Ok, it’s 100° often here in September, but there is a nice breeze and it really cools off nicely at night. GORGEOUS night sky free of much of the light pollution at home, fantastic sky theater including concrete seats built in (ask on your tour).
We had dinner also, stayed veggie and it was a deal at around $ 6. What community you are going to see you will probably observe best in the cafeteria which has some gorgeous 180° desert viewing.
Pros (just do it, really interesting).
Good food
GREAT night sky viewing and hiking
Great, Interesting people, it takes a village to find your parking space & room
Our room was fine, gorgeous view, would sleep 4 easily, kitchen & frig.
Immerse yourself in this unique culture for 24 hours
Support Arcosanti, they need volunteers and feedback
Cons
Stairs and trip factor HIGH, no elevators, little AC
Pool was supposed to be open, it was closed
Useless maps, very flaky directions & room details, rough roads
A LOT of nekid concrete, just sayin
Do it NOW. Arcosanti is likely about one law suit or sponsor dying away from being donated and absorbed by a University.
PS I have known about Arcosanti since the 80’s as an enthusiastic early student of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work and his students, including those he didn’t get along with like Paolo Soleri. Wright did some interesting work in community developments, but never cohousing, not enough money there for him probably.
Not many people know about Wright’s larger scale «community» Usonian projects in Usonia, NY, or Florida Southern College. I digress, but a lot to learn at an also excellent tour at Taliesen West in Scottsdale, AZ, about an hour South.

One of the most captivating and unique places I’ve visited. It must be seen by anyone who is interested in alternative and sustainable ways of reorganizing society. I truly hope that Paolo Soleri’s vision gets the recognition it deserves someday.

I recommend making a day out of visiting some sites in Arizona. Either stop here before checking out another great site Montezuma’s Castle or like we did, on the way back! The place closes at 5 pm and the last tour is at 4 pm, so plan accordingly. It’s great to take the tour because you’ll get to see parts of the property that only tour guides can take you on. Plus, if you get Conrad as your tour guide then you’ll be able to learn so much more about the history of Arcosanti! He was an awesome tour guide that explained everything so well. Also, keep in mind that people are still actually living or renting a room at the hotel portion on the site so many parts of it are off limits unless supervised.
Also be aware that most of the property requires walking or climbing up and down stairs. There are no elevators. My uncle is disabled and requires crutches, he is able to get down to the site because they do have an ADA ramp to get you down from the parking lot to the entrance but after that there are no other ADA ramps. He has been able to go on part of the tour but a majority of the tour would be too difficult for his mobility.
The maintenance of the grounds are very organic, the upkeep depends on who is living on the property or maintaining the property at the time. Just FYI don’t expect a super clean site, mind you the property is in the middle of an open plane and built into the earth next to a ravine. Overall, the space is maintained pretty well.
The history of the site is interesting. If you are into architecture and sustainability this is a place you should visit if it’s not too far out of your way. Also, FYI there is no A/​C in the parts we had access to on the tour, they have engineered ways to make parts cooler than others but it will definitely not be as strong as an A/​C unit. Be prepared if it’s a super hot day in AZ.
Overall, I enjoyed our visit at Arcosanti.
Restrooms: They do have different locations on site. The only one that I used was down 2 flights of stairs under the café. The bathrooms are separate for men and women.

I’m confused about the reviews for this. I get what the intentions were of Arcosanti 40 years ago but I don’t think it is working out very well for them. The high populations in the 70’s is for obvious reasons but in 2014 they’ve lost the majority of their residents for whatever reasons.
When we first got there we didn’t know where to go. Finally we made it to the top level and I asked the cashier what we supposed to do. She was quite rude and told us the tour started and pointed to the corner where a video was playing. Then we went on our walk.
The tour guide had been a resident since the 90’s but moved away for several years then came back. I didn’t ask her where she went or why. She said she was there for social reasons. Given that they have such a low population I can see why they haven’t completed the place and have suffered being self sufficient. It also looks a bit run down.
She was explaining that we could pay for a five week workshop which is basically an evaluation to see if you like them and they like you. If you live there you work there and that is basically your life. She commented on their leadership council of 6 and they’re basically mediators because they do have problems with residents getting along. I’ll end there.
Well, I was unimpressed and given that I have been watching the TV show «The Following» I was a little skeptical about the place in general. I’m not a big architectural buff but can appreciate a good structure and I did not see anything spectacular.
But if you want, they have rooms if you want to stay the night!

The many reviews detailed the place really well so I will just add my 0.02. We arrived after 1:30pm so missed lunch but enjoyed the tour and looking about the bell shop. It really is an amazing concept which continues as a bell making organization. If you are interested in futurology or architecture it is definitely worth a stop. In addition, while the bells are expensive they really are great examples of hand-​made craftsmanship and they ship them out so you don’t have to lug them if you don’t want to. The views are really neat as well.

So you are thinking about buying a bell for your city apartment patio? Do you want a ceramic one or a metal one? How small? How big? Have I got a place for you that has every conceivable size, price and design.
But don’t come to Arcosanti just to buy a bell; you can get one of those at the Cosanti Foundation in Scottsdale. No need to travel up I-​17 to exit 272 and then 2 miles on a washboard dirt road. No need to breathe in the dust of a hundred other vehicles (oh, wait, we were the only car on the dirt road!).
But if you want to step into the future (or was it the past? the 60’s?) you absolutely must see Arcosanti. You can see photos on the web, but to really experience the goosebumps of stepping out of your environment into the mind of an architectural genius, you must visit the small village of Arcosanti. Paolo Soleri is the genius from whose mind and concept this extraordinary place emerged.
Arcosanti is run by the Cosanti Foundation today. You can spend time there in the small hotel, attend one of their scheduled events for 2013 — (Vivaldi Festival, Hi-​Country Bluegrass Festival, Indian Spring Fest, Juneteenth Festival, or the Italian Night in July), or just do the tour, eat in the café, and visit the shop that helps support the research and work that happens at Arcosanti. Oh, yeah, you can buy a bell or two there also! I’ve been told the sound of the bell in the night will always bring you back to Arcosanti.

«Utopia» is a word that got kicked around a few times while we were there.
«Utopia» is Greek for «no place;» it doesn’t exist.
All those things that other reviewers are preaching that Arcosanti is not… well, that’s the impression some people get — that it’s a hippie commune, a cult, all those things. You’ve got your charismatic leader with a vision (who’s actually in Scottsdale selling bells), your group of overly optimistic people who’ve bought into the dream and maintaining a compound you need to take a washboard-​like dirt road to reach. And the whole operation supposedly survives off the $ 200 windbell sales.
I don’t believe they are a cult (they’re definitely no Jonestown), but the commune side of it… h’ooooh yeah. Our sweet tourguide was telling us about her roommates (I think it was like 6 or 7 other women in a small place). It’s like a concrete hostel in the Mediterranean what with how many young hipsters were about and the cypress and olive trees blowing in the breeze.
If you wish to see Arcosanti you MUST take a tour. There’s no self-​guided walk, unless you want to hike half an hour in the dirt to photograph it from afar. Tours are hourly, but there’s no noon tour. Show up at 11:15 like we did and you’re stuck waiting a couple hours for the 1 p.m. tour to roll around.
After you’re charged the $ 10 «donation» (it’s not optional, unless you’ve got a student ID to flash to pay the discounted «donation» of $ 5), you’re directed to watch a short film on Paolo Soleri, then you go by where they make the bells, the amphitheater, a couple sets of stairs, more bell-​making areas, a common area with abandoned children’s toys outlining the site, more bell-​making spots, and more stairs. Other than the main structure with the cafeteria and gift shop, you don’t go in any buildings.
In the end, this is Arizona roadside gold to the level of Biosphere 2. People’s hearts are in the right places, but it’s not quite working out as planned more than as a curiosity that a university might pick up one day.