While manufactured homes may be the norm in many areas of Tempe, one neighborhood is breaking the mold.
More accurately, they're trimming the grout all up in their tiles!
Local artist John Nelson helped to organize a community art project in Date Palm Manor, the neighborhood he and his family have lived in since 1995. The project began with a simple plan, Nelson said. They were going to build a wall around the neighborhood "just as a sound barrier" because it is located just off of Broadway Rd. and Mill Ave. - an area with heavy traffic.
But Nelson didn't stop there.
The wall is now adorned with several metal sculptures and ceramic tiles with the life stories of the residents printed on them. Rather than putting the tiles up in their entirety, they are broken into fragments so that you can only catch a glimpse of the residents' lives. Many of the tiles don't even contain complete sentences, just fragments like "not afraid to go next door and borrow."
But that simple phrase paints a picture of the community. It harkens back to a time when neighbors depended on each other. The homes are unique and actually have yards, and the residents take the time to get to know each other.
Nelson said they have an annual block party and neighbors often throw impromptu celebrations.
"You get to know people at these parties," he said.
Several of the ladies in Date Palm Manor have started a weekly knitting group, and at one of the parties some of the guys decided to start a band - but they have yet to make their debut.
The most amazing thing is that this neighborhood exists here and now, right in Tempe, right down the road from our houses.
Nelson said some of them have been there since the '50s, and their enthusiasm has caught on with the younger residents. Nelson credits the idea for the wall to the residents who have been there the longest. He added that the project might have fizzled in other neighborhoods.
"I don't think there's as much cooperation. I don't know if people know each other well enough ... in the new neighborhoods," he said.
And that attitude could explain why many of the newer, cookie-cutter neighborhoods have no distinct identities. The result is more than just look-alike homes and cheesy geckos on the freeways that pass for art - people stop caring about each other.
Not to be cheesy, but Tempe needs more neighborhoods like Date Palm Manor to help combat the industrialization of our city. It's good to know that somewhere people aren't afraid to go next door when they need a cup of sugar.
