White Rock Visitor Center

By Edith Cherry and James See – October 13, 2021

Address: 115 NM State Road 4, White Rock, NM  87547

Access: 505-672-3183. Web Page   

The White Rock Visitor Center provides a gateway for visitors to near by national monuments and preserves, accessed by shuttle in the busy season. The site design places the building near State Road 4 and locates the necessary amount of parking behind landscaping. The site features a demonstration garden for low-water use plants, and a grassed area for outdoor presentations. A rainwater collection cistern helps water the grass.

The exterior materials of the building include stone-clad sections that recall the bluff to the north of the building, and the horizontal siding is a reference to materials used by many mountain cabins. The interior wood beams reach out to the spectacular views of the Sangre de Christo and Jemez Mountains.

The interior features a massive plastered wall that contains nichos for exhibiting items. The tongue-and-groove wood ceiling rests on wood beams that make a dramatic sweep through the front windows, emphasizing the surrounding views.

Completed:  2013
Architect:  Mullen Heller Architecture P.C.
Landscape Architects:  Consensus Planning    
Contractor:  Gerald Martin, General Contractor

Awards:
AIA NM Special Recognition (2013)
Engineering News Record, Best Projects: Award of Merit: Cultural/Worship Category (2013)

10/13/21