What happened to the olive? Was it killed by a disease which would preclude planting another one?

Seems like the perfect place for an olive tree. What happened to the old one?

Desert Willow. It should be native to you. Pretty foliage, lovely flowers.

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Do you love it ?I see lots of issues with the house itself so IMO deal with the house then figure out if you want to keep the planter . I think it takes up a lot of space that you could use for a nice seating and outdoor space . I bet all the concrete killed of the tree so if keeping the planter I would just fill with good soil and plant a nice collection of perennials that grow in your area so that what ever killed the tree does not kill the new plants. Dig out the stump dig down at least a foot or two put in a liner before planting anything else .

Fire pit?

Hi. I should have said: there center stump was dead when we moved in. I don't think it was a disease that killed it, because  suckers had continued to grow out of it, apparently for decades. When we moved in, it looked like this:

How sad. My vote is for a LIVE olive tree.

Me too. That courtyard looks as if it needs greenery and shade. The previous tree was beautiful. I see suckers so I would not dig out the stump. I’d let them grow. If you really want to start with a new tree I would replenish the soil so it reaches the top of the planter.

The rootcrown of the tree looks to be below the rim of the otherwise empty planter and pretty likely to be level with the brick paving - the tree was pre-existing and these other two features were built over it. With the paving eventually causing the tree to decline. A tree that probably dates back to an olive grove, with the house and paving being part of redevelopment of the site. So that all that needs to be done now is cut the tree off near the existing soil level at the bottom of the planter, fill with suitable soil mix to near the top of the planter and install new plant(s).

If you haven't settled on a new type of tree, and don't want to go with an olive tree again, I'd recommend a mastic tree "Pistacia lentiscus" (not to be confused with a chinese pistache nor with a pistachio nut tree). The mastic tree has small dark evergreen leaves, if you want pretty foliage when during the mild winter outdoor weather. It is native to the hottest parts of the Mediterranean. They eventually reach the size of a mature olive or live oak. Virtually no litter. Friends have one by their pool where it is flourishing in violent reflected light and heat. I've had one in a 4x4 foot pot for about five years, and it is doing well. I got mine at Mesquite Valley, but other nurseries are likely carrying them by now too. If you haven't yet replaced the tree, it might be worth taking a look at this tree to see if you like it. I think we will be seeing more of them in the Tucson area as people learn about this fairly new introduction.

Good luck find the right tree (or tending the tree you may already have chosen).

I did not say the concrete kied the tree but no water is getting to the roots that are way under the concrete . Even too many layers of lanscape fabric kill trees since water does not make it to the roots .When the OP moved in it looked fine so what happened between then and now .

A: Suckering from the base can be a sign of a lack of water in some trees, but olive trees also sucker from the base and along the trunk easily. If you look at the base of olive trees, you will see some knots or swellings attached to the lower trunk, trunk limbs and root flares as they get older.

There can be so many of them that the tree becomes disfigured. It gives olive trees a great deal of character in their old age.

These swellings along the trunk and limbs develop from clusters of immature buds embedded in woody growth. Suckers can originate from these knots. These knots or “burls” can get quite massive in older trees.