Photos by Brian Goddard Larry Greene

A nascent art community has formed in south Scottsdale, turning an old lumberyard into a den of creativity.

In New York City in the 1960s, artists migrated to cheap warehouses in SoHo to set up studios. A similar scene, albeit on a smaller scale, is evolving at a lumberyard in south Scottsdale.

From Thomas Road, the “Ponderosa Lumber Co.” sign offers no clue that a nascent art compound is buzzing on the back lot of this historic Scottsdale property. But just past the piles of wood, windows and discarded aluminum scrap near 64th Street, nearly 20 artists and craftspeople are making everything from metal art to meaningful wood carvings in large, warehouse-style spaces with roll-down doors that rent for $500 to $700 a month.

The smells of paint, stains and freshly sawed wood fill the air where these creative types are content to have escaped the cramped cubicles of corporate life. They work like people who have never lost their passion for play. 

The sounds of sawing, sanding and drills emerge from industrial spaces, competing with classical music blasting from Dominic Ferrara’s studio. The Phoenix resident makes finely crafted architectural wood furniture and designs. “It’s a strange, wonderful cacophony of sounds,” says Ferrara, 63, a former New York set builder for film and television who helped create the hidden artistic community at 6425 E. Thomas Road.

“I encouraged the landlord to bring in creative people,” says Ferrara, a tenant for 17 years. “It’s so cool. I had the same situation in Brooklyn. It’s good for artists to be around each other to exchange ideas. We all speak the same aesthetic language.”

Dominic Ferrara

Nearby is Peter Skidd Fine Art Metal, represented by LKG Contemporary gallery in Old Town Scottsdale and the Renee Taylor Gallery in Sedona’s Tlaquepaque Village. When Skidd, 34, isn’t creating contemporary steel sculptures, he scoots around in a custom-made cart, building a rapport with other artists.

The Scottsdale resident discovered his studio two years ago on Craigslist. “It is where the nitty gritty happens,” says Skidd, who is surrounded by his artistic toys: a welder, generator, plasma cutter and more.

Ponderosa Lumber Co. (formerly McFarland Lumber) was purchased by A.C. Mason in 1965. The 3-acre property originally housed a hardware and door shop, as well as the lumberyard. When a recession hit in the early ’90s, only Ponderosa Lumber Co. survived, and the back area was rented out. 

“Rents were affordable, and it just so happened that everyone we rented to was an artist or craftsman,” says Joe Bushard, 31, of Phoenix, who helps manage the property. “They all work together back there.” 

Larry Greene, 41, of CODA Furniture Design and Fabrication, has had opportunities to leave the lumberyard, but he says the synergy and community is not something that would be easy to duplicate elsewhere.

“People come by the shop during the day and see what I’m working on, and I go by their shop and see what they’re doing. It’s a pretty cool place to work,” says the Scottsdale resident. “I could never find another place like this if I moved.”

The public can visit the artist space, but call ahead (480-656-4600) since hours vary. There was no vacancy for aspiring tenants at press time, but as proof that this creative space works, Skidd’s creations will be on display at the Celebration of Fine Art event in north Scottsdale through March 27.