Crocker Art Museum to Transform 12,000 sqm into Public Park

The Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California, has announced a $40 million project to convert over 12,000 square meters of land surrounding the museum into a public park called Crocker Park. The museum, founded in 1872 and originally housed in a private residence built in 1868 for Judge Edwin B. Crocker, has undergone several expansions, the most recent in 2000 when Gwathmey Siegel & Associates designed a pavilion that tripled its size. Now, architecture firm Olson Kundig and landscape architecture firm SURFACEDESIGN will lead the ambitious development, creating multifunctional spaces that blend nature and culture. The park will include a multi-level parking structure, a gallery, and event spaces, integrating with existing buildings to complete the museum campus. The project is part of a larger urban development plan for Sacramento, positioning the museum campus as a civic hub. Randy Sater, president of the Crocker Art Museum Association Board, stated the goal is to energize the public space for 18 hours a day, seven days a week. James A. Lord of SURFACEDESIGN emphasized the opportunity to mix people, places, and culture, while Alan Maskin of Olson Kundig expressed excitement about creating a new icon for Sacramento that fuses art, architecture, and nature, collaborating with local artists and artisans. The park is slated to open in autumn 2020.