Address: 2127 Red Rose Way
Just 100 years ago, a group of Christian socialists decided that the Mesa would be the perfect site for their utopian commune. Headed by a minister named George Elmer Littlefield, the Fellowship Society purchased 87 acres on the northwest portion of the Mesa for their dream community in the fall of 1920. The commune lasted only a few years, but it left its mark on the street names in this area: Fellowship Road, Fellowship Lane, and Fellowship Circle. Westwood Drive is named for Littlefield’s hometown. Red Rose Way and Red Rose Lane are named for Littlefield’s publishing company — Red Rose Press.
Charles Christian has lived in the one-story, two-bedroom home at 2127 Red Rose Way for 44 years. He bought it in 1976 for $34,000. The price was low, even for that time, says Charles, because it was a fixer-upper and had been a rental that suffered from neglect. Over the decades, he has made many improvements inside and out, in keeping with the adobe’s original character to create a charming home. He showed me an old photo of the home before it had a front porch or garden wall.