Southwest Departure
The design for a Scottsdale retreat pays tribute to Mexican modernist architecture.
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Peter Magee admits that for much of his life, "I was a suit." An MBA in finance and an undergraduate degree in economics propelled him into a high-powered corporate consulting career, for which he traveled the world. "I saw a lot of good and bad architecture," he recalls. But almost unconsciously, he became enamored of the modern Mexican style pioneered by José Villagrán Garcia in the 1920s and honed to minimalist perfection by Luis Barrágan, Juan O. Gorman and Ricardo Legorreta, among others. "I kept encountering it without knowing what it was for many years," says Magee. "I fell in love with the Hotel Camino Real in Mexico City, which was Legorreta’s masterpiece."; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Architect Peter Magee relied on a synthesis of International
Style and modern Mexican architecture. (Click image to enlarge) So when he retired to Scottsdale and found himself restless, Magee decided to teach himself the basics of a computer design program and, by outsourcing the drawing, construction and structural engineering work, founded Magee Custom Homes six years ago. The company’s signature aesthetic is a synthesis of International Style and modern Mexican architecture. "I felt that people would get tired of the Southwest look, and that there was going to be a demand for more contemporary architecture."
Magee’s instincts were right on. Today his bold contemporary design statements are taking shape at Desert Mountain, an 8,000-acre luxury community on the northern edge of the Scottsdale city limit that backs up against the Tonto National Forest and Continental Mountains. About 1,300 of the master plan’s 2,700 homes have been built amid six Jack Nicklaus–designed golf courses and five clubhouses. While not quite wilderness, it is not unusual to see grazing mule deer or hear reports of stray mountain lions and bobcats slinking into town for a look-see.
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Magee uses geometric wall cut-outs to create patterns
of light and frame views. (Click image to enlarge)
And who could blame them? Homes like this contemporary hacienda provide a gorgeous eyeful. Here, Magee experimented with the Mexican courtyard home concept, surrounding a sparkling 12-by-40-foot pool on three sides with the main house—and on the fourth with a detached structure accommodating two guest bedrooms connected by a breezeway. The 5,145 square feet of living space is balanced by a 4,000-square-foot patio, all of it sitting on just over an acre. The sales price of $2.95 million includes the deferred equity golf membership ($325,000), which provides access to all courses and clubhouses, as well as concierge member services, in case you need to make reservations at a downtown restaurant or book a dirt bike camping tour of the surrounding desert.
Magee Custom Homes
480.488.0090
Dawn Dickinson
Exclusive Properties of Arizona
480.363.0175
www.eprealtors.com
