Photo © Mark Klett

history continued

In 2004, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum undertook plans to build an entirely new complex including classrooms and an auditorium that would allow the museum to extend its education outreach. Recognizing the role of the tree in telling the story of the Sonoran region, museum officials and consultants, BVZ Architects, devised an architectural plan that would make the Desert Ironwood Tree the centerpiece of the new education complex. Extensive planning allowed the tree to stay in place during construction and, in spring 2007, the new Warden Oasis Theater and Baldwin Education Building opened with the tree preserved and protected.

Today, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a private, nonprofit organization encompassing 100 acres, including a zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden which are collectively dedicated to the conservation of the Sonoran Desert. The Desert Ironwood Tree, likely between 75 and 100 years old, has a canopy that extends over thirty feet in diameter and rises fifteen feet high. For thousands of annual visitors, the tree stands as a living representation of the museum’s mission to inspire people to live in harmony with the natural world by fostering love, appreciation, and understanding of the Sonoran Desert.