32 MAY 2026 By Michael P. Murphy On 40th Street just north of the canal, painted letters on a large flat rock read Cudia City Estates . It has been a single- family home community since 1974, but once upon a time Cudia City existed as a studio for movie and TV westerns before closing in the early 1960s. Then, in 1963, a church parish moved in. Those parishioners gradually grew into Christ Church of the Ascension. In 1965 they bought 8.5 acres of land on Lincoln Boulevard, half of which was donated by the Margaret “Peggy” Goldwater Trust. The first building, now used as the office, saw completion in November 1967. A new sanctuary followed in 1975. Other additions, including the Parish Hall, Ascension Chapel and a school, were added to the campus later on. This January, the church campus had the honor of receiving the Town of Paradise Valley’s Historic Property Recognition Award. The Reverend Father Rod Hurst is keenly aware of the church’s history and played an active role in receiving the award. “One of our members is on the Paradise Valley Historical Advisory Committee and suggested it,” he said. “We started the application process last November and submitted materials and photos. We also provided information on the age of the property because one of the qualifiers is that it must be 50 years old.” Architectural style and connection were also important. Famed architect Bennie Gonzales designed the entire campus in his trademark Southwest Regional Modernism style, reflecting traditional Native American and Mexican structures. Even though the campus was constructed over several years, it looks as though it came about at the same time. “Another important part of our campus is what we call the Memorial Garden and Columbarium,” Hurst said. “It’s the largest I’ve ever seen, with 3,000 niches and 1,000 occupied. It’s in the center of our campus and has the best view of Camelback Mountain.” An affiliation with Senator Barry Goldwater was an important part of the historical designation, as he was once a member of the church. He and his first wife are interred in the memorial garden. His home still sits atop Scorpion Hill, overlooking the campus. “After the application process I gave a presentation to the Paradise Valley Historical Advisory Committee. They asked questions about the architectural style as a part of Gonzales’ greater work.” Gonzales died in 2008. His son Barney offered the committee insights to his father’s work as it related to the church. At age 14, he had even helped with the construction. With the approval of the historical recognition, Mayor Mark Stanton delivered a proclamation and presented a brass plate to an attending church delegation. The plaque will be installed at the sanctuary entryway of Christ Church of the Ascension, a fitting tribute to the parishioners that first met at Cudia City and the enduring legacy of the church’s presence in the Paradise Valley community. A historic honor for PV’s Christ Church of the Ascension Christ Church of the Ascension was honored with the Town of Paradise Valley’s Historic Property Recognition Award. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRIST CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION Valley Historical Advisory Committee and suggested it,” he said. “We started the application process “Another important part of our campus is what we call the Memorial Garden and Columbarium,” Hurst said. “It’s the largest I’ve ever seen, By Mallory Gleich Arcadian Lisa Binsfeld’s path to publication wasn’t exactly linear. A self-proclaimed ‘quiet’ kid, she loved to read and retreat to imaginary worlds. While she considered herself more of an artist growing up, she pursued a degree in marketing and advertising to combine writing and visual creativity in a career. “I held a couple of different marketing positions that required writing and graphic design. Then I got married and decided to ‘stay home’ with my kids, never imagining that my school volunteer jobs would turn out to be the bulk of my resume,” Lisa said. “I started working part time in the Ingleside library in 2010. I absolutely fell in love with that job – those awkward tweens reminded me of me – and that’s when I started dabbling in fiction writing again.” Over the next several years, Lisa honed her craft, completing three novels before her debut novel, Little Pink Houses , was published in March. Her first book was more experimental, her second showed significant improvement but didn’t land with publishers, and the third – her Belize story – became the book she was determined to share. “I felt early on that Little Pink Houses I would publish first, regardless of how I had to make it happen,” she said. The inspiration for the novel came from a real source. On her first trip to Ambergris Caye in January 2022, Lisa stumbled upon an abandoned resort unlike anything she’d seen before: “Grecian columns, angels and animal statuary, little pink casitas, all guarded by a 20-foot-long Jonah’s whale,” she said. “This being Belize, people actually live there, kind of like full-time camping. I did some research, and the history (what little exists) is every bit as bizarre as the place itself.” Intrigued, she studied the property and immediately imagined a story centered around it. To add dramatic tension, she paired two very different characters: a hardened, childless female executive and a precocious orphan boy. The setting itself – a rumored Y2K prepper colony – added the perfect element of mystery and adventure. Lisa approached writing differently this time. After “pantsing” her first two novels – writing by the seat of her pants – she decided to outline Little Pink Houses in March 2024. She allowed the characters to evolve naturally. “For women’s fiction, especially for book clubs, the reader has to get immersed in the characters,” she said. “And to do that, I have to be immersed, too.” The process included multiple rounds of edits and revisions, allowing her to truly inhabit the world she was creating. While the protagonist shares the author’s fear of the ocean and germophobia, the little boy is inspired by her younger son. The story balances authentic color with the imaginative elements that she hopes make it a fun, engaging read. For Lisa, publishing this novel is a milestone in her personal and professional journey. Approaching her 59th birthday, she reflects on the lessons learned along the way: “If there’s something you always dreamed of doing, go for it, no matter your age, no matter how scary it seems,” she said. “The only thing worse than failing is knowing you gave up too easily.” Lisa is welcoming the public to her book signing on May 9 at 10 a.m. at the Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale. Little Pink Houses is available at bookshop.org, lisalisa.com or on Amazon. Author brings Belize to life in new fiction novel Lisa Binfeld “Grecian columns, angels and animal statuary, little pink casitas, all guarded by a 20-foot-long Jonah’s whale,” she said. “This being Belize, people actually live there, kind of like full-time camping. I did some research, and very different characters: a hardened, childless female multiple rounds of edits and revisions, allowing her to truly inhabit the world she was creating. of the ocean and germophobia, the little boy is inspired by her younger son. The story balances authentic color with the imaginative elements that she hopes make it a fun, engaging read. For Lisa, publishing this novel is a milestone in her personal and professional journey. Approaching her 59th birthday, she reflects on the lessons learned along the way: “If there’s something you always dreamed of doing, go for it, no matter your age, no matter how scary it seems,” she said. “The only thing Reverend Father Rod Hurst with the plaque that will eventually hang at the entryway.