Architects : Poster Mirto McDonald
SOUTHERN ARIZONA HERITAGE AND VISITOR CENTER
Located in the Historic Pima County Courthouse, the Southern Arizona Heritage & Visitor Center is the starting point to learn and discover all that Southern Arizona and the Sonoran Desert have to offer. The visitors center showcases exhibits designed in collaboration with Ralph Appelbaum Associates, a theater, gallery, and other features designed to introduce you to new places and provide inspiration to guide your journey in Tucson.
The UA Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum is housed in a wing of the Historic Pima County Courthouse. The Museum in on the street level, alongside the restored colonnades and plaza. The Museum features a 12,000 sf exhibition hall showcasing the magnificent gems and many outstanding original mineral specimens, Visitors can stroll through galleries of gemstones and jewelry, minerals, meteorites, and fossils. Many displays will be rotating annually with constantly changing content. The lower level of the of the Courthouse will house the UA Geosciences Department, along with extensive laboratories and expanded programs. Gemologists and mineral collectors will be able to access state-of the art technologies. PMM is designing repurposed contemporary interiors and collaborating with Ralph Appelbaum Associates to assist in the design of exhibits, galleries, and visitor attractions.