Acclaimed pianist Van Cliburn had a house in Tucson

Acclaimed classical pianist Van Cliburn owned an almost-5,000-square-foot house for 32 years in Tucson, selling it in 1993.


The home, on a dirt road called North Indian House Road, was on a large lot north of what is now Park Place.
 Early news clips indicate Cliburn, like so many others, came to Tucson at least partly for his health. In 1958, it was to recover from a bronchial infection; in 1959, it was for two months of "rest and relaxation." That same year, the young pianist also had some dental work done in the Old Pueblo.
 During the late '50s and all through the '60s, Cliburn performed in Tucson, everywhere from the Tucson Symphony Orchestra to the living room of the Rev. Newton H. White.
 The two men also dined at the Cliff House on North Oracle Road near Rudasill, where the pianist reportedly downed three bowls of turtle soup.

Cliburn died Feb. 27, 2013, at his home in Fort Worth, Texas at the age of 78.