A Phoenix home that used to be a railroad depot — and was repurposed by a former Arizona Highways editor — is now on the market for just north of $1 million.
In 1962, as The Arizona Republic reported recently, author and editor Don Dedera purchased a shuttered train depot, built in 1898, in Mayer, located north of Phoenix and just southeast of Prescott. He then had the 750-square-foot depot trucked down the freeway — a trip that included getting permission to haul it across a Deer Valley Airport runway to avoid telephone lines.
Two huge cranes then hauled the depot up a mountain near State Route 51 and Northern Avenue, near what today is the Phoenix Mountains Preserve. It became the centerpiece of a nearly 2,700-square-foot house, designed by architect Fred Guirey in 1963, that has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a rock-wall fireplace and other amenities.
The home was renovated in 2010 and 2011 but still includes fir hardwood and other materials from the depot, The Republic reported. It's been put on the market for $1.05 million. To see the listing and more photos, visit this link.
Dedera was Arizona Highways' editor from 1983 to 1985. He's written more than 20 books on a variety of topics, plus thousands of journal and newspaper articles. To learn more about Dedera, click here.