Established in 1982, the High Desert Museum celebrates the natural and cultural development of the region. Walker Macy was a key member of the original design team and has provided a variety of services for this facility since its inception, including site planning and design, plan updates to address safety and circulation, a new entrance, parking, and wayfinding. Integration with the regional landscape—the focus of the museum—is crucial to providing a public understanding of the space. The museum’s grounds include restored Ponderosa Pine forest and educational landscapes such as a constructed creek that supports local wildlife. The museum campus restored a previously impacted site to a native High Desert forest condition, offering visitors immersion in high-quality native habitat and a window into the restoration, management, and stewardship of an exemplary local landscape.
Walker Macy’s work with the museum has continued in recent years, including a master planning effort focused on incorporating new facilities, exhibits, and experiences that will support a vision for the museum to expand beyond the regional high desert habitat and become a center for education, art, and discussion related to the High Desert of the West.
John Kyle