The demolition is considered one of the county's most significant preservation mistakes and diminished the culture heritage of Southern Arizona and American modern architecture.
In his role, he hosted numerous world premieres including Ben Hur and walked the red carpet with Marilyn Monroe for Some Like It Hot.
[1] The house and its 7.3 acres were purchased in 1987 by Pima County with $225,000.00 UDS of voter-approved bond funding with the intention of demolishing it and revegetating the area to expand Tucson Mountain Park.
The University of Arizona College of Architecture Dean Robert Hershberger sent an appeal to Pima County asking that demolition be reconsidered.
[2] Hershberger stated that the house was "the finest example of what's called critical regionalism" and "If your jobs are to protect nature, this is probably the best example of how human beings can protect nature, this is singly a very historical resource in the community" and provided numerous adaptive reuse proposals including turning over the house to the college and allowing it to be used for student learning and visiting guests.
[4] The Tucson Citizen reported that Pima County Officials called the house a "concrete bunker" and "the biggest eyesore on Gatets Pass Road.
It is ironic that an effort involving so much thought, care, and compassion could become the victim of a public agency that should be concerned with seeking and encouraging any ideas about human habitation that makes the places where we live more harmonious with our parks; a continuation of park land like the Blackwell house, which uses the surrounding mountains and rocks as the final walls of the living area.
Architects including Will Bruder, ASU professor Jeffery Cook, and Sunset Magazine editor William E. Crosby weighed in on the importance of saving this house.
[9] Despite the unanimous vote to save the building, Pima County Parks and Recreation abandoned the house, stalled the finalization of a management agreement with the University of Arizona, did not secure the property, and allowed extensive vandalization.
[12] A group led by noted designer and UA architecture student, Rameen Ahmed, asked the Board of Supervisors for a 180-day stay of demolition.
by July 1995 detractors including Carol Klamerus president of the Tucson Mountains Association speaking to reporters said, "We feel it’s better to get rid of this eyesore before someone ends up getting killed out there."
"[16] In August 1995 the Tucson Citizen editorial board led by C. Donald Hatfield, Mark Kimble, Jill Blondin, and Richardo Pimentel published a scathing opinion calling the house a toilet and advocating for its destruction.
[17] Pima County, though total and systemic neglect, had from the time of purchase stopped all maintenance and security of the site allowing it to be damaged and extensively vandalized.
The demolition served as a metaphor for regressive 20th-century views and treatment of women and female professionals, eradication of LGBTQ+ cultural contributions, and a disregard for modern architecture.
After a year in Cambridge, Massachusetts, she accepted a position with Eero Saarinen and Associates in Connecticut where she worked on projects including Cummings Diesel in Darlington England and the international terminal for the TWA Flight Center at John F. Kennedy Airport.