Ranked fifth among fastest-growing small metro areas according to its Chamber of Commerce, Prescott, AZ has a particular propensity for producing abundant and eloquent examples of Master Masonry.

In the quest to quench the arid landscape’s thirst for grotesque eyesores, the posterity of establishments that term themselves home builders blooms profusely in Prescott like the lemon-yellow blossoms of the prickly pear.

Although the population, while growing, remains low, house-building abounds in the small town. A handful of transplants from beauteous Phoenix, as well as one or two expatriots of chilly climes, retreat to custom-built “dream-homes” such as those built by Master Masons in superlative subdivisions such as The Ranch at Prescott.

Pictured above is a premium plot for sale with an exceptional view of the Bradshaw Mountains. The 823 sign stands as an indication that once this plot sells, an achievement in Master Masonry will bedeck it.

The sign, interred in the earth at the head of a somber parcel, resembles a headstone for good reason:

It marks the death of the landscape.

But death is not only an end; it is also a beginning. The faux-adobe house destined to grace this plot, loaded with amenities such as a new beige carpet that outgasses toxic chemicals that will be soaked up by the lungs and skins of two retired, hopeful, and unsuspecting overspenders, will soon tower majestically in architectural splendor.

As 2012 is the new 2011, Prescott is the new Tombstone, home to its own kind of beautiful massacre.

In the year to come, six hundred thousand grave sites will be graced by resplendent purple dream-homes built by Master Masons with the finest and most distinguished skills and taste.