In the early 1970s, Kitchell helped transform a stretch of ranchland northeast of Scottsdale into one of Arizona’s most recognizable communities: Fountain Hills. The land—20 square miles on the east side of the McDowell Mountains—had been one of the state’s largest cattle ranches until Robert McCulloch Sr., founder of McCulloch Oil Corporation (today MCO Realty), purchased it in 1965. His vision called for a master-planned community with ambition and scale. Today, Fountain Hills is home to approximately 24,000 residents.

Cornelius “C.V.” Wood Jr., McCulloch’s president, brought both vision and experience. Before overseeing the creation of Fountain Hills’ centerpiece in 1970, he had played a central role in developing Walt Disney’s original Disneyland in Anaheim, California, completed in 1954.

At the center of the new community stood a landmark—and Kitchell was the builder that made it possible. In 1971, Kitchell constructed the Fountain of Fountain Hills, which for more than a decade was the tallest fountain in the world and today remains the third tallest globally. Anchored in a 30-acre lake, the structure relied on pumps capable of sending more than 2,000 gallons of water nearly 600 feet into the Arizona sky. At night, under bright spotlights, the fountain became a defining feature of the landscape and a source of identity for the emerging community.

For Kitchell, the fountain was more than a project—it was proof of the company’s ability to deliver complex, first-of-its-kind work. More than five decades later, it continues to define the town’s skyline and stands as a lasting example of Kitchell’s craft.

And Kitchell’s role in Fountain Hills is far from finished. Today, the company is providing Construction Management Services on the Shea Boulevard Widening Project, a critical infrastructure improvement between Palisades Boulevard and Fountain Hills Boulevard. The project will add a new eastbound lane along one of the town’s busiest commuter corridors, which supports more than 2,000 vehicles daily. Once complete, the improvements will ease congestion, improve safety, and strengthen mobility for residents, commuters, and businesses alike. See the project site from above in the aerial image below.

Just as the fountain once marked the bold beginning of Fountain Hills, Shea Boulevard now represents its future—modern infrastructure built to carry the community forward.