Work

A museum with a modern facade and prominently lit signage is shown at dusk. Two people stand near the entrance, and light trails from passing vehicles are visible in the foreground.

Chandler Museum

A Community Museum, Reimagined

Weddle Gilmore worked extensively with the staff of the Chandler Museum in renovating and reimagining the institution’s original 3,300-square-foot Price House (on the National Register of Historic Places) and creating a new 11,000-square-foot community museum. The goal is to update and restore the 1938 residence while designing and implementing a new multi-functional facility sensitive to the institution’s budgetary requirements. In addition to new gallery space and storage areas, the new design includes a classroom for school groups and an entry court between the old and new buildings that function as a kind of “outdoor living room” where community events and visitor gatherings, both public and private, can be held.

A modern building with geometric canopy, large windows, and seating area. A person sits on a bench near a cactus in the foreground, under a twilight sky.
Aerial site plan showing the new museum, Price House, various courtyards, and parking areas. Surrounding elements include trees, pathways, and adjacent roadways.
A grayscale architectural section drawing of a building, showing labeled areas for classrooms, an interior courtyard, an office, and collection storage. Small human figures are depicted for scale.
A modern museum corridor with photo displays on the left wall, two people walking in the distance, and large windows on the right filling the space with natural light.
A modern living area with brown leather seating, a fireplace, and several framed artworks on the walls, decorated with red and blue rugs.
A modern exhibition hall with various displays, informational panels, and two seated people. The ceiling is adorned with hanging art pieces made from multicolored strips.
A modern building with a rust-colored exterior and vertical lines displaying the word “Chandler” stands in a desert landscape with cacti and sparse vegetation under a clear sky.
Two people walk along a pathway beside a modern building with rust-colored panels and vertical gray fins. Surrounding the pathway are desert plants and cacti. The sky is clear and blue.
A person exits a building with the number 300 on the wall, under a lantern-style light fixture. The surrounding area includes trees and a path in an outdoor setting.
A ceiling structure composed of repeating, curved white panels against a backdrop of blue sky.
Sign reading “chandler MUSEUM” mounted on a building exterior with a patterned shadow overlay.
Two people walk on a path near a modern building entrance with a lattice-style canopy, desert plants, and cacti under a clear blue sky.

Project Information

Location

Chandler, Arizona

Collaborators

DLR Group, Historic Preservation Architect, MEP Engineer, Lighting Designer

Colwell Shelor Landscape Architecture, Landscape Architect

Jeff Zischke, Public Art

Awards and Recognition

AIA Western Mountain Region, Merit Award

AIA Arizona, Citation Award

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