The McCullough-Price House is a part of the City of Chandler’s Museum Division. This house is part of the Chandler Museum campus and features changing exhibits in the Price Gallery. It is also home of the East Valley History Center for researchers, open Thursdays 2-5pm and by appointment.
This 1938 Pueblo Revival style home was donated to the City by the Price-Propstra family, renovated and opened to the public in 2007.
A Short History of the McCullough-Price House
The house was built in 1938 by William D. McCullough, a Detroit resident who wintered at the San Marcos Hotel in the mid 1930s. Designed by well-known architects Lescher and Mahoney, the home had four bedrooms, maid's quarters, a roof patio, and built-in barbecue in the back yard. The house sat in the middle of 350 acres of alfalfa and cotton fields, placed half a mile from Price Road. The home eventually was purchased by the Lockhead family, managers of the Pecos Valley Milling Company, located at Pecos Road and the railroad tracks east of Arizona Avenue. When the home was vacant for several years, the San Marcos Hotel rented the home to visitors.
Click here to see the original Architectural Plans of the McCullough-Price House.
Click here to see Photos of the McCullough-Price House.
In 1950, the Lockhead family sold the home to Arthur and Louise Price. Arthur had lived in Chandler since 1913, working closely with Dr. A.J. Chandler as a lawyer. By 1930 he had branched out into farming and land development. Arthur was instrumental in drafting Chandler's constitution and by-laws as the first City Attorney. He also became the first Justice of the Peace. Louise, another long-time resident, was the niece of A.J. Chandler, and her father, Harry, was a pioneer resident of Mesa.
The two lived in the home until the early 1970s. After the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Price, the family rented the house out. The land surrounding the Price House remained agricultural until the 1980s, when the Valley-wide housing boom expanded into Chandler's once rural areas. Pulte Homes purchased a large amount of land just west of the Price House and constructed the Hearthstone Subdivision. Retail and subdivision development continued. The house, with its distinctive southwestern flair that contrasted with other traditional farmhouses scattered about Chandler, has remained almost unchanged over time.
Architectural Features of the McCullough-Price House
Front door: The door “surround” is made from granite and includes replicas of petroglyphs, and a stone Neoclassical pediment engraved with a thunderbird design. The door itself is Art Deco in design.
Vigas: Roughly distressed logs that extend through the front walls and serve as support beams, part of the Pueblo Revival design.
Latillas: hand-split sticks or small beams layered on top of the vigas. These are found on the back porch and the front exterior walkway between the kitchen and the former garage.
Scupper: Found on the front and back of the house and serves to drain water off the flat roofs typically found on Pueblo Revival buildings.
Columns: Find the Neoclassical Tuscan columns on the front and back walkways. The column includes a capital made from wood, with curved edges. The back patio columns are unique in that the capital almost appears to float on the concrete column.
Lintels: Each window includes a concrete lintel, which is a Neoclassical concept. Interestingly, the design on the lintel is Art Deco with a southwestern flair.
Rounded corners: Notice the corners on the top of the house and on the chimney. This is characteristic of the Pueblo Revival style. The outdoor barbecue in the courtyard also displays this feature.
Wooden beams inside the house: In the main reception area, once the living room, you can see the large southwestern beams with the Neoclassical designed cornices on each end. Step into the East Valley History Center to view the unique log beams that are both decorative and structural, tied together with leather straps.
Wood paneling: In the former study, the top of the walls features a design of the wood paneling, which mirrors columns and capitals, but with a southwestern design.
Fireplace: One can see that the restored fireplace surround matches the granite of the front door surround,
and the simple wood mantle complements the Pueblo Revival style of the home.