The Superior Chamber of Commerce will be presenting its 14th annual Home and Building Tour on January 29-30, along with a free antique show at the recently restored Magma Club. In addition, the activity-packed weekend will feature live music, guided hikes, a pancake breakfast, handmade pottery for sale from the Mexican village of Mata Ortiz and historian speakers who will bring the former mining town’s past to life.
A popular event among locals and visitors alike, the Home and Building Tour will showcase Superior’s unique, historic architecture, ranging from completely renovated homes and buildings many would have bulldozed to a “falling down” motel recently converted to single apartments. Tour attendees will be able to explore such structures as a home built in 1929, with its architectural details preserved - including the original doors with glass doorknobs; the two-story Alvy Building from 1930, one of the town’s few still-standing adobes; and the original Superior High School, which the town recently bought and plans to repurpose as a multi-generational facility that will feature wellness spaces such as a dance room and gym, Town Hall operations, the Superior Enterprise Center, and the town’s senior center and library. While visiting the homes on the tour, attendees may even glean some decorative inspiration for their own properties.
Continuing on to the Magma Club – a community center that once hosted dinners, dancing, swimming and boxing matches for Magma Mine workers – visitors can enjoy a free antique show. The show will feature a selection of quality antiques for sale, as well as live music on the club’s spacious veranda.
In addition to intriguing buildings, the tour will feature captivating stories about Superior’s past told by professional historians. Acclaimed performer Wyatt Earp, a relative of the legendary Wyatt Earp, will present a short play called “Life on the Frontier.” Stories of Mattie Earp, the elder Wyatt’s common law wife, will be shared; Mattie is buried in Superior. A lifelong Superior resident will also share folklore and interesting information about the town’s history. For an even more up-close view of Superior and its past, there will be guided hikes to the old tunnel.
Another popular feature of the tour is the selection of exquisite, handcrafted pottery from the village of Mata Ortiz in Mexico. The artists themselves will be displaying their wares – and, weather permitting, will fire pieces in an open flame to demonstrate how the pottery is made.
The self-guided Home and Building Tour, which begins at the Chamber of Commerce office at 165 W. Main St., will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 29 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, January 30. Each year, tour attendees enjoy learning about Superior’s fascinating history while observing how the town has been forging a unique new identity. Pre-sale tickets for the tour are $15 at https://www.eventbrite.com/d/united-states--arizona/superior-home-and-building-tour/. Ticket sales at the door are $18.
All ticket holders receive 2-for-1 tickets to the Renaissance Festival and Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Please bring a mask, as some building owners may require them for entry. For more information please call the Superior Chamber of Commerce at 520-689-0200.
