Arizona Folklore Preserve

The New Folklore Center

He did it!

Dolan wrote a song about one of his heroes from Arizona history, Frank Murphy.  Frank Murphy symbolizes a trait of many Arizonans who made the state what it is today--determination to succeed in spite of naysayers.  Frank wanted to build the Bradshaw Mountain Railroad so the rich copper ore could be brought down the mountain, and everybody advised him it cuoldn't be done.   "He did it anyway, and in the passing, made millions of dollars."

Click to hear a sample of Frank Murphy's Impossible Bradshaw Mountain Railroad.

Back at the Moffett House Theater, Dolan used to tell the story of Frank Murphy as he introduced his song, and sometimes he'd drift off into a different mode and start saying things like: "It's too far from the metropolitan areas, nobody will come there, you'll never realize your dream."  That's what people told Dolan when he decided to go to Ramsey Canyon to begin with, and the thought of buiding a first-class folklore center there seemed outrageous.

Well, he did it anyway!  Frank Murphy made himself richer when he built the Bradshaw Mountain Railroad.  Dolan Ellis made himself poorer financially, while adding significantly to the cultural wealth of Arizona and its citizens.   

Dolan and Rose were able to contribute more than $40,000 toward the building fund from Moffett House proceeds--quite a remarkable feat for a little theater that seated only 30, and where the entry fee was only $6 at the beginning and was still only $8 five years later. To make that donation possible, the Ellis' paid many of the expenses themselves. As an example, there was a single utility bill for their home and the AFP.

There were some significant monetary and material and labor contributions. And there was a partnership with the University of Arizona South, who, through the UAS Foundation, were able to obtain a loan for the funds required to complete the new building.

The partnership with UAS also provides the means for the Arizona Folkore Preserve to survive far beyond Dolan's lifetime and that of his "assignee" (the person who will replace him on the Board of Directors). And it provides the means for archiving and for the use of the AFP facilities for cultural activities.

The New Folklore Center was wonderful and still is, 4 years later. The design was Dolan's concept, executed by Architect Brian Lockhart. The coordinator for the building project was Mike Rutherford (now President of the Board of Directors for the AFP) and largely responsible for getting donations from the various contractors who were involved. There was a long period of time when only the concrete slab indicated there would eventually be a building there, and the artist's rendering (show above) was on the AFP Web site for quite a while.  (Click on either the artist's rendering or the "as built" photo below to see larger images of both)

The building meanders, with few 90-degreee angles. The deck is a beautiful work of art, made of Arizona cedar. It connects the Center to the parking lot via an arched pedestrian bridge over Ramsey Canyon Creek. Dolan had to fight for the most significant architectural feature of the deck--the 250-year old Arizona Sycamore that shades it. The easier approach would have been to cut the tree down or to stop the deck short of the tree.

The lobby is spacious and airy, with ceilings that are 20 feet high or so. There is a massive  fireplace, which now has gas logs to warm up the winter days. The control room is state-of-the-art and has a connected recording studio, with proper soundproofing. The theater itself retained the rustic feel of the Moffett House, with a larger sized version of the same basic stage (much larger). The tables are still made of cable reels. A small balcony seats as many as 8 and is a great place for press or VIPs.

Click here to see New Folklore Center slide show.   Then perhaps you'd like to go on to learn about, and see photographs of, some of the guest artists who have appeared at the New Folklore Center.