An Arts & Crafts Landmark Struggles To Remain Open

Can a bake sale help save an Arts & Crafts icon?

In 1904 lumber baron brothers Timothy and Michael Riordan, who had recently married the attractive Metz sisters, commissioned architect Charles Whittlesey (El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon) to undertake an unusual project: designing the country’s largest Arts & Crafts duplex home in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The 13,000-square-foot, forty-room, three-story Riordan Mansion which the two families shared features a fieldstone, wood shingle and hewn log exterior, along with an exposed beam and Arts & Crafts interior. The two residences were connected by a grand recreation room. The original furnishings included works by Gustav Stickley, Harvey Ellis, L. & J. G. Stickley and Louis Comfort Tiffany.

After being donated to the state of Arizona, the home, original Arts & Crafts furnishings and five acres of grounds became the Riordan Mansion State Historic Park. But when budget shortfalls befell the state legislature, government officials announced that the Riordan Mansion would be closed on February 22, 2010.

A group of dedicated activists recently formed the Riordan Action Network (RAN). Their efforts have opened the door for a possible agreement under which the Arizona Historical Society would lease the park from the Arizona State Park authority for a series of three-year terms. A temporary reprieve was granted while RAN sought to raise the $50,000 necessary to cover just the basic costs. To date slightly more than $33,000 has been raised by RAN through donations, pledges, concerts, fundraising events and a bake sale by a group of 5th graders.

Marilyn Ruggles, RAN spokesperson, reports that cash donations and pledges have been made by more than 100 individuals from across Arizona and the U.S., as well as from several businesses and nonprofit organizations. "We are two-thirds of the way to our target of $50,000, which was set by the State Parks Board," said Mrs. Ruggles. "We're grateful for this outpouring of support, but we are still short of our goal."

Arts & Crafts supporters across the country can make tax-deductible donations a number of ways. Checks made payable to "Northern Arizona Pioneers’ Historical Society," with “Riordan Mansion” written on the "notes" section of the check, can be mailed to Riordan Action Network, PMB 190, 2532 North 4th Street, Flagstaff, AZ 86004.

Additional information on the fundraising effort and the Riordan Mansion, including a seven-minute video, can be found on the Riordan Mansion's new website, www.riordanmansion.org. Weekly updates are also being posted there.

In addition, RAN has established an email address at riordanactionnet@aol.com. The Facebook group "Save Riordan Mansion" also offers information and posted memories of the Riordan Mansion.

For details on the plight of the Arizona State Parks overall, see www.azstateparks.com.

-bj