Who could this dream house have belonged to.Sometimes appearances can be misleading…
A man of the future, an up-to-date, chrome plated product of the new frontier of the Far West, where life is lived with verve and efficiency, and the stale customs of the East are ignored. Here the pace of life is fast, and this kind of house, the dream house is planned for an individual with every intention of keeping up with it.
—In the senate, Goldwater was a strong supporter of the environment. By the 1980s, with Ronald Reagan as president and the growing involvement of the religious right in conservative politics, Goldwater strongly advocated his libertarian views on personal issues. Goldwater viewed abortion as a matter of personal choice, not intended for government intervention. He saw the religious right’s views as an encroachment on personal privacy and individual liberties. In 1981, gave a speech on how he was angry about the bullying of American politicians by religious organizations, and would “fight them every step of the way”. When Moral Majority founder Jerry Falwell expressed opposition to the nomination of Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court, (Falwell had said, “Every good Christian should be concerned”), Goldwater said: “Every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass.” (According to John Dean, Goldwater actually suggested that good Christians ought to kick Falwell in the “nuts”, but the news media “changed the anatomical reference.”)—click image for source…
A house for this type of man could only be built for someone totally unafraid to admit that he cares about aesthetics; it proclaims an owner who likes Modern and doesn’t mind who knows it. It not only must have had an architect but an architect of more than passing acquaintance with the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Inside, an all-white living room and a den done in chic veneer. You can visualize this person as being almost a sharp dresser, with Madison Avenue spectacles.
—Last residence. National politician. Former AZ Senator and presidential candidate. Famous quote: “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”—click image for source…
The ideas of a man of this residence? Well, one would expect a man with a place like this might be as advanced in his ideas as in his architectural tastes, but don’t bet the farm on it….
ADDENDUM:
(see link at end)…The couple had been looking for a new home for two years when they toured the Goldwater home in December.
”This is an absolutely premier site with a 360-degree view,” Bob Hobbs said. ”We had looked at nearly everything in Paradise Valley, at all the properties on Mummy and Camelback mountains, and this felt just right. The fact that it was Barry’s home made it ideal.”
The asking price was $4.5 million. They made a $4.1 million cash offer, which was accepted without counter. Profits from the sale go to a Goldwater family partnership.
The deal was contingent, however, on approval of a lot split. The buyers asked to divide the land to permit a second home to be built on 1.1 acres at a lower elevation. The town council approved the request last month.
Goldwater, who died in 1998 at 89, built the ranch-style home in 1957 and named it ”Be-nun-i-kin,” Navajo for ”house on top of a hill.” It’s designed in the shape of an arrowhead and constructed with sandstone from the Navajo Reservation.
A signature feature was a ham radio shack where Goldwater talked with people around the world and connected Arizona soldiers with their families during the Vietnam War. The radios, his black leather chair and other things from the room have been given to the Arizona Historical Society Museum.Read More:http://www.azcentral.com/specials/special25/articles/0524goldwater.html
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