Turkey Time

The Hinman family turns an old turkey farm into a swanky ranch house.

Filed under: Renovation, Remodeling

In 1992, the Hinman family bought a beautiful ranch house in Tucson, Ariz., that was once a turkey farm more than half a century ago. Frank and Jill Hinman toyed with the idea of turning the buildings into an office or guesthouse, until one day Warner Brothers studios asked them if they could use the buildings for shooting the Boys on the Side on location. During this time they put together a plan for renovation.

Frank and his three sons did all of the work themselves during the arduous yearlong conversion, but the end result is amazing. A building once photographed in the Arizona Daily Star behind a gaggle of turkeys is now an impressive home. The Hinmans’ main ranch house, built in 1932 for Governor Robert Bass, is being put on the National Historic Registry.