Located in downtown on the banks of the Santa Cruz River at the birthplace of the city in downtown Tucson, Tucson Origins Heritage Park is a significant cultural destination. As part of a larger revitalization strategy for Rio Nuevo, this brownfield site is transformed into a public park and cultural destination, infusing the district with new life, and providing a framework for redevelopment to occur. The Arizona State Museum, The Arizona Historical Society, Children’s Museum, Arizona University Science Museum, mission gardens and festival area converge to create a cultural destination for residents and visitors alike. Rain water is collected from across the site, stored in cisterns, and redistributed as irrigation water. This system is constructed on the very site where water distribution systems were conceived and constructed by ancient inhabitants millennia before.
A key component of the project is an area dedicated to honoring the native people, named S-cuk son, the orginal namesake of Tucson. Extensive coordination with native people guided the programming and design for this part of the project.
The master planning process included extensive community and stakeholder outreach. Upon completion of the master plan, construction documents were prepared for the first phase of the project, including the cultural plaza, festival space and restoration of the mission and mission gardens sites.
Office: EDAW/AECOM
Client: City of Tucson
Contributions: Master planning, design, project management, construction documents
Awards
2006 EDAW Innovation Award, Tucson Origins Heritage Park Water Management Strategy
