Arizona recently witnessed yet another hallmark listing: a $2 million, 5-acre parcel in Scottsdale near Pinnacle Peak that seeps with history and pristine Sonoran Desert landscape.
The remarkable piece of land was originally purchased in the 1930s by legendary land developer K.T. Palmer who co-founded the town of Carefree, Ariz. Of the thousands of acres that Palmer explored long before any developments made the area one of the most desirable in the American Southwest, he chose this specific 5-acre parcel to raise his family and call home. The five acres of land boasted unique natural features, unlike anything Palmer had ever seen and served as his favorite retreat long into his final days.
Today, the parcel borders the fourth hole and lake of the world-famous Estancia golf course with stunning views of Pinnacle Peak in the distance. At the time, Palmer’s closest neighbors were over five miles away. While residential communities have been established nearby since then, the property still offers the same natural beauty and solitude that Palmer first experienced nearly a century ago.
Best defined by its distinctive natural features, the parcel boasts a huge monolith that juts out of the middle of the parcel and creates small waterfalls when it rains, as well as ancient, weathered boulders and myriad saguaros peppered throughout. When cleared, the nearby cliffs, canyons and crevices would make trails that would rival any recreation area, while the parcel’s large flat area would allow for a fantastic spot to build a luxury home and live amidst the stunning desert surroundings that attracted Palmer to first buy the land.
“I selected land on the Western slope of a northern outpost of the McDowell Range called Pinnacle Peak, the sight is gorgeous to behold. And on this particular piece of land were the largest and healthiest saguaros I had ever seen,” Palmer later writes in his autobiography “For Land’s Sake.” Legend has it that Palmer loved this piece of land so much that he made a point of seeing the last sunset of his life on it in 1976.
The property is listed for $2 million by Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty Agents Preston and Nancy Westmoreland. To learn more about the parcel’s history and view drone footage of the land, click here.
Photos courtesy Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty
