Thursday, October 22, 2009

O'Connor House Papago Park

Last evening the League hosted their annual Membership Open House featuring guest speaker Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Afterward, Justice O'Connor cut the ribbon on the museum's new exhibit, "Sandra Day O'Connor, A Citizen for All Seasons." Attendees were then encouraged to tour the O'Connor's adobe house, moved from its Paradise Valley location and now situated adjacent to the Arizona Historical Society Museum on park grounds.

Justice O'Connor and her husband, John, lived in their adobe house for over 25 years, leaving it when they moved to Washington D.C. following her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Here are some interesting excerpts from the house brochure:


"To make good adobes, you need a compound with quite a bit of clay in it to hold its shape, and you also have to a bit of straw and other things to make it all hold together.

"We [she and her husband, John,] decided to get the adobe for our house from a pit in the Salt River bed.

"We hosted many dinners -- for family and friends, colleagues, foreign visitors, members of Congress, and other distinguished people.

"In every instance, a bit of food and drink on our patio helped bridge any tension and helped the conversation."