‘Legendary cowboy artist’ built this wild Arizona home. Take a look at the listing
The adobe home built by legendary cowboy-turned-painter Alonzo “Lon” Megargee has hit the real estate market in Paradise Valley, Arizona, for $3.5 million.
The four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom property, which Megargee named Casa del Sol, is unique from all angles and, according to Realtor.com, still vibrates with the presence of the artist.
“The front doors themselves are just the first showstopper, because they’re wooden with glass panes. If you look at the front, you notice there’s no lock, so you can’t use a key on those front doors,” listing agent Marianne Bazan said to Realtor.
“When you close it from the inside, there’s an iron bar that hangs from one of the doors and fits over a loop on the other door to secure it.”
Could that mean the house is, perhaps, haunted by the cowboy? Well, not this property per se.
Megaree also built the nearby Casa Hermosa, which has seen been converted into a hotel named the Hermosa Inn and folks have said that the painter still walks the hallways of that property.
However, there are some odd things that occur in this particular 4,061-square-foot house, Bazan said to Realtor.
“The current owner [of Casa del Sol] says he hasn’t seen any apparitions, but he has heard classical music playing and what sounds like a one note, like a violin string,” she said.
Features of the home include:
Thick walls
Stunning views
Carved wooden doors
Stone courtyard
Terrace
BBQ area
Water fountain
Fruit trees
Cactus garden
Megargee moved to Arizona when he was only 13-years-old after his father died in order to work on his uncle’s cattle ranch. He was known as a “man of mystery” according to AZ Central and started painting as a hobby. One of his most known projects was a series of 15 paintings that portray early Arizona, the Arizona Memory Project reports.
“Although he was successful as an artist, Megargee’s wild cowboy lifestyle usually led him to financial crisis,” the Arizona Memory Project says. “His success in art was often accompanied with bankruptcy and pleas to friends and supporters for more money.”
He passed away in 1960.
Paradise Valley is about 3 miles northwest of Scottsdale.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 2:00 PM with the headline "‘Legendary cowboy artist’ built this wild Arizona home. Take a look at the listing."