National

Mountain home for sale spans a ‘dramatic canyon’ in Arizona. See it nestled in rocks

A house in the Arizona desert is drawing some attention thanks to its unique look and style. But be warned — to live in the cool-looking residence, you have to be pro-rock.

And not the music genre.

“Landmark architectural wonder, first home in Arizona to bridge a dramatic canyon, built by Gerry Jones, the ‘Dean of Rock Engineering’’ and for 17 years, a Taliesin instructor of extreme terrain architecture,” the listing of the Carefree estate describes.

The four-bedroom, three-bathroom home is listed for $4.5 million.

Called the Slingman House, the residence is next to the Carefree founders’ homes, and it even has a major Hollywood connection.

“It was a favorite rental of actor Orson Welles and film director John Huston who started filming the sequel to Citizen Kane on the property,” the listing says.

“In a famous incident,” the two “started filming party scenes from the sequel to Citizen Kane called ’The Other Side of the Wind’, but this filming violated the lease agreement and Welles was evicted.”

Welles directed and Huston starred in the film, which was released in 2018 years after both had died.

While impressive, it’s not the only special aspect about the home. Jones said the plot of land was undesirable because anyone who bought the lot would have get rid of the boulders at an “extraordinary excavation cost,” so he ended up bridging the house over the giant rocks and even used some for “bearing in lieu of a standard foundation,” the listing notes.

Features of the 2,463-square-foot home include:

  • Balcony

  • Private pool

  • Outdoor bar area

  • Guest house

  • Hot tub

  • Views

The listing is held by Preston Westmoreland of Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty.

Carefree is 35 miles north of Phoenix.

A home that was made to “bridge a dramatic canyon” lands on the real estate market in Carefree, Arizona, for $4.5 million.
A home that was made to “bridge a dramatic canyon” lands on the real estate market in Carefree, Arizona, for $4.5 million. Preston Westmoreland/Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty
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This story was originally published June 15, 2023 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Mountain home for sale spans a ‘dramatic canyon’ in Arizona. See it nestled in rocks."

TJ Macias
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
TJ Macías is a Real-Time national sports reporter for McClatchy based out of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Formerly, TJ covered the Dallas Mavericks and Texas Rangers beat for numerous media outlets including 24/7 Sports and Mavs Maven (Sports Illustrated). Twitter: @TayloredSiren
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