Left to right Jonathan Marshall publisher of The Scottsdale Progress Gonzales and Jerry McElfresh Progress SCA Grand Opening 1975. Photo: Scottsdale Public Library
In the late 1960s at Saguaro High School, Gonzales gave a presentation on Career Day in the auditorium. “I knew who he was, much from architectural publications that featured his work, such as the Nogales Public Library from 1961.”
“I want a western feel to my buildings –– but not one that is cowboy western,” Gonzales once said. “I try for one that is elegant and simple, like the old buildings, one that exemplifies the regional qualities of climate and heritage of this part of the country.”
Southwest Organic is perhaps the best characterization, merging Modernism with Regionalism, focusing on building public and private structures true to the local culture and using materials, massing and designs suited for the Southwest desert.
“My father believed that good design should evolve from the environment and its surroundings,” says Barney ‘B.J.’ Gonzales, his son, a Scottsdale resident and Realtor®.
At the same time, he was forward looking: “My father always was trying to adapt his design to the newer technologies that where coming forward. He loved the use of newer materials and tried to adapt his design to them,” he adds.
“The architectural ’style’ Bennie introduced at the Scottsdale Civic Center provided a new perspective on regional architecture,” says architect Robert Frankeberger, who was among the first graduates awarded the bachelor of Architecture degree from ASU’s School of Architecture under its founding dean, James Elmore, in 1961. Elmore had “discovered” Gonzales in the crew building his house; the contractor was Bennie’s older brother, he adds.
“It was thoughtful and innovative, even poetic in its response to place — eschewing the more academic standardized approaches, such as Mission Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Pueblo Revival,” adds Frankeberger, well known for his award-wining Lath House, 1979, in Heritage Square, downtown Phoenix. An associate of Gonzales, he notes, “His style resonated with ‘Mexican Modernists’ such as Ricardo Legorreta and Luis Barragon.”
Another Arizona architect, David Ortega, a University of Arizona School of Architecture graduate who completed his internship with Gonzales & Associates, says, “Bennie’s remarkable design for the Scottsdale Mall buildings, with their deep-set openings and Southwest abstract flare, stand for Scottsdale itself.” A Scottsdale resident, he was the first Latino elected to Scottsdale City Council in 2000.
Former city councilwoman and mayor, Sam Campana, says, “Our city hall is an architectural work of art. Working there was inspiring, calming; it evoked a sense of history and a close tie to the native people who lived there, cultivated and honored the land.” She adds that Gonzales passionately advocated for the city percent-for-art ordinance enacted almost 40 years ago.
Current Mayor W.J. ‘Jim’ Lane, says: “Bennie Gonzales left an indelible imprint on the architecture and culture of Scottsdale. His distinctive, free-form buildings on the Civic Center Mall . . . capture the Southwest’s spirit of openness and conservation.
“He envisioned these civic structures anchoring a unique community gathering spot. Today, the Civic Center Mall is just that. Bennie Gonzales’ architecture was bold, strong and innovative, and it mirrored the city Scottsdale would become.”
