Housing will rise on Upton home site

A renowned Valley architect has designed a new downtown Scottsdale contemporary living project with a little history in mind.

Will Bruder’s Upton project lifts its name — and inspiration for the project’s courtyard and fire feature — from the former winter residence of washing machine innovator Louis Upton.

The 10-unit project at 7228 E. Shoeman Lane will feature four flats and six duplexes on the site of Upton’s orange grove.

It will sit about 400 feet to the west of the Upton home, which was constructed about 1950 and torn down in the early 1970s, Bruder said.

Upton and his brother created the Upton Machine Co. in 1911 to produce electric washing machines. Later, the machines were sold to Sears, Roebuck and Co. and the company later became known as the Whirlpool Corp.

At Upton, residents will enter into the common courtyard and then take an elevator or staircase to a courtyard deck.

Each home will have its own exterior entry and private balconies and patios. A living bamboo perimeter landscape fence is planned, with a living ocotillo fence poolside.

And like the Upton home, there will be a “floating-flame” fire feature.

Bruder said he remembers the unique entrance to the Upton house, where visitors think they are entering an inside space but really are still outside.

“This overscaled beautiful glass door would open and you suddenly realized you were not in the house, but in a garden,” Bruder said.

This is Bruder’s second residential venture into downtown Scottsdale, following the Loloma 5 town home project southeast of Second Street and Marshall Way.

Like Loloma 5, Upton will be one of the smaller urban town home projects in downtown Scottsdale, where larger projects such as Scottsdale Waterfront, Optima Camelview and Safari Drive have been more common.

The Upton project, at 7228 E. Shoeman Lane, is just north of the Galleria Corporate Center. A Scottsdale Waterfront tower to the west just across Scottsdale Road and the new W Hotel are under construction about a half-block to the east.

The Upton project will be three stories high with underground parking. There will be one top-floor “penthouse” unit. The units will range from about 1,640 to 2,445 square feet, said Stuart Thomas of Jarson and Jarson Real Estate, which is handling the sales of the units. Prices are expected to start around $1 million, Thomas said.

Construction is scheduled to start in October and be completed by the end of 2008.

Bruder said when he was shown the site for the project, he realized it was near the original Upton house designed by famed architect Paul Schweikher, Bruder’s friend and mentor. After learning it was on the Upton property, Bruder decided to incorporate the historical house into his design.

“It does have authenticity,” Bruder said.

Bruder is also known for designing the Burton Barr Central Library in Phoenix and is currently designing the new Dial headquarters and condos at One Scottsdale, a planned mixed-use development at Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road. He is also involved with cbd101, a planned development in the West Valley near University of Phoenix Stadium and Jobing.com Arena that will feature a 40-story tower.