The buildings, homes, castles, and camps that make up what we now know as the Three Ardens are a collective in many senses of the word. As a community by design, the Arden homes and community buildings were constructed with an eye toward their societal ideals and economic resources. The architecture of Arden tells stories of the development of a community dream; a hearkening to a simpler, earlier era; the cultivation of close social ties; a return to nature; and finally, the embrace of whimsy and fantasy.