[Source: Ari Cohn, Tribune] -- More than 70 years ago, a group of Yaqui Indians and Mexican immigrants raised a Catholic mission near the fields of citrus and cotton they picked in south Scottsdale. Over the years, the city grew up around the Old Adobe Mission while the church eventually fell into disrepair. But some local residents are working to restore the old mission and the history it holds. The first phase of its remake is being celebrated this week. “When I first came here in 2001, I made it my mission to restore the mission,” said Nick Rayder, a former professor of psychology and statistics at the University of California, Berkeley.
At the time, the interior had been gutted and weeds had colonized the back storage rooms. The adobe structure, crafted from handmade clay bricks, had become unstable, Rayder said. “The tower was falling over,” he said. About 10,000 people have visited the mission — 3821 N. Brown Ave., at the corner of First Street in Old Town — since it reopened 18 months ago, he said. Rayder estimated the total cost to renovate the mission at $600,000. The first phase was to stabilize the building and replace some bricks and adobe, he said. On Tuesday, a group of mission supporters gathered to show off their work so far. “We’re through phase one of the restoration and we’re trying to celebrate people who have contributed,” Rayder said. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
