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Paradise Palms Entry Wall at Spencer Street & Seneca Dr/Nahatan Way |
One of the hallmarks of Paradise
Palms architecture is the use of decorative concrete screen block found
throughout the community. Used to delineate breezeways, carports, sunscreens
and to dress up otherwise plain concrete block walls, the use of decorative
concrete screen block is a defining character of the neighborhood. Mostly found on the
Palmer
& Krisel-designed homes,
Tropical
Estates homes,
Fontainebleau
Estates homes and various custom homes throughout the community there are
approximately two-dozen different patterns of decorative concrete block found in
Paradise Palms. The
Americana
homes and
Stellar
Greens homes used other materials – mainly brick and stone – for accents,
while only one of the Miranti Models – the
Monterey
– featured decorative concrete screen block in the carport design.
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Champagne Bubble decorative concrete screen block |
Several block patterns were used
more than others – the champagne bubble block, the concentric ‘La Fiesta’, the ‘La
Costa’ and the eight-pointed star design are a few of the more popular designs.
Other patterns – the fleur-de-lis, the
diamond-X block, waves, diamonds and simple diagonals can be found in Tropical
Estates – Pawnee Drive, Seneca Lane, Algonquin Drive, Ottawa Drive and Commanche
Drive offer some of the more unique and rare decorative concrete screen block
patterns. Paradise Palms’ first tract, the
Palmer & Krisel-designed
Unit
1 offers some of the more dramatic, full-façade screen block designs which
can be seen from Aztec Way, Cayuga Parkway, Pawnee Drive, Chickasaw Way,
Seminole Circle and Arapahoe Circle.
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Eight-pointed star decorative concrete screen block |
Over time tree roots, soil subsidence
and exterior renovations have reduced the amount of Paradise Palms’ signature
decorative concrete screen blocks.
Finding local resources other than Craigslist can be taxing; luckily
there are a few resources in nearby Arizona and California that still produce a
very limited selection of screen block.
Superlite in Phoenix offers
three designs while
Orco Block –
with locations in Riverside and Indio – offers a slightly more expanded collection
which can be obtained by contacting local block supplier
Allied Building Materials. If you still can’t get enough decorative
concrete screen block, our friend Jack LeVine at
Very
Vintage Vegas has a great visual database of over 50 designs on his
website, and personally has one of the most comprehensive physical collections
we’ve ever seen. Here’s a look at some
of the trademark Paradise Palms decorative concrete screen block designs that
help define our community:
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Square decorative concrete screen block found on Palmer & Krisel homes |
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Square decorative concrete screen block found on Palmer & Krisel homes |
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Square decorative concrete screen block found on Palmer & Krisel homes |
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Square decorative concrete screen block found on Palmer & Krisel homes |
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Square/cross decorative concrete screen block found on a Palmer & Krisel home |
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Square/cross decorative concrete screen block found on a Palmer & Krisel home |
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Square/cross decorative concrete screen block found on a Palmer & Krisel home |
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Champagne Bubble decorative concrete screen block |
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Champagne Bubble decorative concrete screen block |
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Champagne Bubble decorative concrete screen block |
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Full-decorative concrete screen block wall found in Unit 1 |
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Decorative concrete screen block wall found on a Palmer & Krisel home |
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Full-decorative concrete screen block wall found in Unit 1 |
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Full-decorative concrete screen block wall found in Unit 1 |
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Full-decorative concrete screen block wall found in Unit 1 |
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Full-decorative Fleur-de-lis concrete screen block wall found in Unit 1 |
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Full-decorative concrete screen block wall found in Unit 1 |
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Full-decorative concrete screen block wall found in Unit 1 |
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Full-decorative concrete screen block wall found in Unit 1. For those that have lived in Paradise Palms a few years, you'll remember that this wall is actually a replacement of the original which had deteriorated - for those with a keen eye this is the 'Cordova' block from Orco |
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Decorative concrete screen block on a Miranti Monterey home |