Riordan Mansion State Historic Park

Five Day Schedule: This park is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The park is open 8:30 am – 5:00 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, & Mondays. Read Press Release about this Park's five day schedule.

Step back in time and experience a great example of Arts and Crafts style architecture at Riordan Mansion.

Built in 1904 for two Riordan families, Riordan Mansion is an impressive reminder of gracious living in a small, territorial logging town. The historic building is an Arizona treasure — a remarkable example of Arts and Crafts style architecture featuring a rustic exterior of log-slab siding, volcanic stone arches, and hand-split wooden shingles. The expansive home has forty rooms, over 13,000 square-feet of living area, and servant's quarters. The Riordan residence was designed by the creator of Grand Canyon's El Tovar Hotel, Charles Whittlesey.

Mansion Tours

Guided tours of the Mansion given daily, at the top of the hour. Tours begin at 9 am. Tour size is limited and reservations are highly recommended. Reservations are made by calling the Park at (928) 779-4395. Your guide will lead you through a pristine historic home filled with original artifacts, handcrafted furniture, and personal mementos of the Riordan families. The impressive home contains an exceptional collection of Craftsman furnishings with appointments by Edison, Stickley, Ellis, and Steinway. The first floor of the West Wing is included as part of the tour and provides displays about the family, the Arts and Crafts movement, and other local interests.

Video Introduction

Watch a short video clip that introduces the Riordan brothers starting out in the lumber business in the 1880s in Flagstaff. ( MOV) The video originally aired on the show Horizon on PBS 8, a member-supported service of Arizona State University. Quicktime Player is required.

Park Calendar

2009 Brown Bag Lunch Lectures

On the second Tuesday of each month at 12:15 pm on the front veranda of the historic 1904 Riordan Mansion we present a different lecture as part of our Brown Bag Lunch Series. Stop by with lunch for an interesting presentation. Read complete descriptions on the calendar of events page. (Look for the Brown Bag Lunch symbol.)

Mar 10: En Vogue: 90 Years of Riordan Women’s Fashion
Apr 14: Browsing the Bookshelves at Riordan Mansion: Topics and Titles from the Early Years
May 12: Arizona’s Amazing Women
Jun 9: Victorian Fashions in Arizona Territory
Aug 11: Salt & Soap: A True Canine Story of Friendship and Adventure at Grand Canyon
Sept 8: Homesteads of Oak Creek Canyon
Oct 12: (Monday) Studying our Feathered Friends with Rod Villemaire, Avian Specialist
Nov 9: (Monday) “Mark Twain in the American West”
Dec 7: (Monday) Lindbergh’s Trains & Planes: The First Transcontinental Flight Route

2009 Evening Slide Presentation Series

Our evening Slide Presentation Series presents a wide ranging of topics. Presentations are held at 7 pm. Programs are free but reservations are recommended due to limited availability. Please call (928) 779-4395. Read complete descriptions on the calendar of events page. (Look for the Slide symbol.)

Mar 7: Protecting Historic Sites during Wildland Fires
Mar 28: Protecting the Archaeology and Petroglyphs of Picture Canyon
Apr 18: Stone Landmarks: Flagstaff’s Historic Buildings and Geologic Landscapes
May 2: Arizona's War Town: Flagstaff and World War II
Jun 20: "Louis Akin's Lost Bride: The Photos, Poems and Adventures of Mai Richie Reed
Jun 27: "Arizona Mineral Belt Railroad"
Jul 11: Two Guns and Route 66
Aug 29: “Ain’t it Purty”: Tourist Impressions of Grand Canyon
Nov 7: The Great Southwest of the Santa Fe Railway
Nov 14: Lava Dams on the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers

2009 Flagstaff Festival of Science Events

Presentations are held at 7 pm. For more information visit scifest.org

Sep 26: Was Wukoki a 12th Century Astronomical Observatory?
Sept 27: The Lowell Expedition to Arizona, 1894
Oct 3: Stories Among the Aspen: An Archeologist's Perspective on the Ranching History of the North Rim and North Kaibab
Oct 4: John Wesley Powell: The Man, The Myth, The Mystery

Holiday Tours in December

In December only, Holiday Tours are offered at Riordan Mansion. The Mansion is festively decorated in turn-of-the-century style with wreaths, garlands, greenery and a towering fir tree trimmed with old-fashioned ornaments. Guided tours include glimpses of folklore and traditions of Christmas, both past and present. Reservations are recommended.

Timothy and Michael Riordan in 1928.

The Families

Timothy and Michael Riordan were prominent pioneer Flagstaff businessmen who developed a successful logging business, the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company. Moreover, the two brothers were known for their contributions which were essential to the development of the social and economic structure of Flagstaff and Northern Arizona. Tim and Mike married the Metz sisters, Caroline and Elizabeth. The women were cousins of the Babbitt brothers, another influential Flagstaff family. Tim and Caroline had two daughters; Mike and Elizabeth had six children. The two close-knit families built a large mansion comprised of two separate homes connected by a common area known as the billiard room.

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