The Turnkey Sculpture

The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation has initiated a formal discussion regarding the condition and stewardship of the Turnkey Sculpture by Charles Alfred Clement, what was once a significant site-specific public artwork in Tucson.

The 16 part Turnkey Sculpture was commissioned in the late 1969 and installed in 1970 as part of the Turnkey public housing program, a federally supported initiative to deliver rapidly constructed housing through a developer-led model. The project was designed by the architectural firm of Edson and Goldblatt, The work consisted of multiple cast concrete elements distributed throughout the housing site, conceived as a single, site specific composition tied to the architecture, circulation, and landscape.

Between 1995 and 2006, during redevelopment of the South Park public housing area, the sculpture were removed without consultation with the Clement Estate or family and without following the City’s adopted public art processes. No documentation has been produced demonstrating that required procedures for relocation or deaccession were followed. The unified work was then fragmented and dispersed into three groupings at unrelated sites, without attribution or context. 3 sculptural elements are missing and considered lost, 1 has been hit by a car and is in rubble on the ground, they have been painted, damaged and abandoned.

This action is based on documented findings that the works have sustained substantial damage over time. The Foundation’s survey identified a consistent pattern of treatment that does not align with the City of Tucson’s adopted policies governing the care, maintenance, and deaccession of public art.

These conditions include the relocation of sculptural elements to multiple sites without adherence to required City policies for public art relocation and review, and without consultation with the artist’s estate; the loss of sculptural elements; the destruction of individual components; prolonged lack of maintenance; and clear evidence of abandonment.

Additionally, the surviving elements have been altered through the application of non-original painted finishes to the concrete surfaces which have materially changed their appearance and obscuring original material qualities. In the multiple locations, the sculpture is presented without proper artist attribution, resulting in a loss of authorship and cultural context. Taken together, these conditions represent a serious and significant erosion of the integrity of the Turnkey Sculpture, affecting its design, materials, workmanship, and setting.

In July 2025, the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation alerted the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona to the condition of the Turnkey Sculpture and initiated a formal discussion to establish a clear and documented path forward aligned with adopted public art policies, recognized preservation standards, and appropriate stewardship practices.

This action followed the THPF’s discovery that another major public work by Charles Alfred Clement, Noah’s Ark, owned by the City of Tucson and formerly housed at the Reid Park Zoo, had been removed from storage and “discarded” by 2020. To date, no information has been provided by the City demonstrating that its established procedures for the deaccession or disposition of public art were followed, including required review, consultation, and documentation. The final disposition of the work remains unknown. The City has not produced documentation establishing what occurred, nor evidence of the processes that led to the sculpture’s removal and loss.

Over the past five years, the Foundation has assembled, though gifts of the Clement Estate, Clement Family and others the most complete collection of Clement’s work and archival material, including original artworks, photographs, architectural drawings, and associated intellectual property. This collection has established the Foundation as the primary institutional steward of Clement’s legacy and has provided the basis for a methodical and evidence-based preservation effort.

In 2025, the Foundation expanded this work through the acquisition and full restoration of the Bondante House, designed by Clement. The restoration created a stable and appropriate setting for the study and interpretation of his work and initiated a broader survey of Clement’s public and architecturally integrated artworks across Tucson.

Through this survey, the Foundation identified the serious concerns regarding the condition and treatment of the Turnkey Sculpture. Originally conceived as a unified, site-specific installation, the sculpture has been removed, fragmented, and dispersed. Surviving elements have been repainted, modified, and relocated without preservation oversight. Several components remain unaccounted for.

The current condition of the Turnkey Sculpture reflects a significant loss of integrity across multiple measures, including design, materials, workmanship, and setting. The absence of a clear inventory, documentation, and coordinated oversight has resulted in both physical degradation and the erosion of the works’ cultural significance. The Clement Estate determined that, as a result of missing, altered, and damaged components, the sculpture no longer meet the threshold to be considered intact works by Charles Alfred Clement.

In response, the Clement Estate and Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation has requested that the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona facilitate the transfer of all surviving elements of the Turnkey Sculpture to the Foundation for permeant installation at the Bondante House.

This request is grounded in a defined preservation framework. The Foundation proposes to recover and consolidate the remaining elements, undertake a detailed condition assessment, and implement a conservation plan based on archival documentation. The long-term objective is to restore the sculpture to the extent feasible and to reinstall them within an appropriate and protected setting, where their original intent can be understood and maintained.

The request is based on documented conditions, established preservation standards, and the Foundation’s demonstrated capacity to steward complex historic and artistic resources. The goal is clear: to ensure that the Turnkey Sculpture is preserved, interpreted, and maintained in a manner consistent with their significance and with the intent of the artist.

Despite formal notice provided by the Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation regarding active damage to the Turnkey Sculpture, including elements that appear to have been struck by a vehicle, the affected components have remained unsecured and scattered on the ground without intervention. In December 2025, it was further disclosed that the City of Tucson Real Estate Department was preparing to list the site for sale, with eight surviving sculptural elements in place, prior to the end of the year. That process was paused only after the Foundation initiated formal review and engagement.

July 2025
The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation formally notified the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona of the documented condition of the Turnkey Sculpture, including loss, damage, alteration, and lack of compliance with adopted public art policies. A formal discussion was initiated to establish a clear, policy-aligned path forward.

December 11, 2025
The Relocation and Deaccession Subcommittee of the Public Art & Community Design Committee convened its first meeting to review the condition, status, and potential disposition of the sculpture.

January 26, 2026
The Relocation and Deaccession Subcommittee held a second meeting. During this meeting, it was formally requested that the Tucson Pima County Historical Commission provide an independent evaluation and recommendation regarding the significance and integrity of the sculpture.

March 25, 2026
The Historic Landscapes Subcommittee of the Tucson Pima County Historical Commission convened to evaluate the Turnkey Sculpture. In a formal letter issued by the Chair, the Subcommittee concluded that while the sculptures retain significance as the work of a master sculptor and as part of the integration of art within a public housing project, the group no longer retains integrity of location, setting, design, or feeling. Only materials, workmanship, and a limited degree of association remain.

Based on this analysis, a motion was introduced and seconded recommending that, given the diminished integrity of the ensemble and the significance of the work, the remaining sculptures would be best served by relocation to the Bondante House for appropriate maintenance and public access. The motion passed unanimously, 5–0.

March 26, 2026
The Tucson Historic Preservation Foundation Plans Review Subcommittee discussed the matter. No formal action was taken.

April 8, 2026 Public Art & Community Design Committee. No formal action was taken.

April 20, 2026 Relocation and Deaccession Subcommittee meeting.

We are asking you to contact the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona and their Public Art and Community Design Committee Relocation and Deaccession Subcommittee today and urge immediate action to secure what remains of this work.

Email: wylwyn@artsfoundtucson.org
General: info@artsfoundtucson.org

Let us know if you take action.

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