Porphyry paving is used throughout this expansive outdoor area in Santa Fe. Named for Edwina and Charles Milner, supporters of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, Milner Plaza anchors four world class museums at the top of a hill just outside downtown Santa Fe. Four world-class museums that present the art, history and culture of the Native American Southwest, the Spanish colonial past, and folk traditions from around the world. The plaza is host to many events such a live music and outdoor exhibits.
Taken as a whole, Museum Hill is a wonderland of architecture, design, landscape architecture and sculpture. All of that before you even begin to look at the extensive collections inside the buildings. From the 1931 structure, Laboratory of Anthropology designed by John Gaw Meem to more contemporary work by Lloyd and Tryk Architect Alan T. Baer, to the work of visual artist Randy Getty, the beauty found on Museum Hill is exhilarating.
The Plaza itself is the design of landscape architect G. Robert Johns. Porphyry is used in various sizes and configurations throughout the plaza. Here are fan details and banding to show some of the work.
The Museums Surrounding the Plaza:
Museum of Spanish Colonial Art The Museum of Spanish Colonial Art features objects from throughout the Spanish Colonial world, housed in a historical building designed by John Gaw Meem.
Museum of Indian Arts & Culture
At the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, encounter Native cultures and artifacts of the Southwest from ancestral to contemporary times in exhibitions from the collection of more than 70,000 works of art and material culture.
Museum of International Folk Art
Experience the color and excitement of the world’s cultures, and see an unparalleled collection of toys, textiles, miniatures and folk art from over 100 countries in Alexander Girard’s exhibition Multiple Visions: A Common Bond.
Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
New Mexico’s oldest private non-profit museum, the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian, emphasizes important Native American art in an eight-sided building inspired by a traditional Navajo hooghan. When Mary Wheelwright established the House of Navajo Religion (now the Wheelwright Museum), her purpose was to create a repository for materials that fostered the study and practice of Navajo ceremonialism. Assisted by Hastiin Klah and numerous scholars, artists, and collectors, Wheelwright filled her museum with weaving, artworks, archives, and other items selected to document and preserve one of the world’s great religious traditions. But Mary Wheelwright had other interests as well, and was a key figure in the development of Santa Fe’s renowned arts community. Her collections of Native American and Spanish Colonial arts enrich museums throughout the region. In 2012 the Wheelwright Museum celebrates its 75th anniversary. with A Certain Fire: Mary Cabot Wheelwright Collects the Southwest, an exhibition featuring exquisite textiles, metal work, wood carving, and pottery from Santa Fe’s premier institutions including the School for Advanced Research, the Museum of International Folk Art, and the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art.
Porphyry’s composition determines its high compression strength, resistance to stains, slip resistance, and high freeze/thaw ratings. The stone is the most popular paver in Europe, and is favored for its flexibility in design, beauty, durability and low maintenance requirements. ADA Compliant Porphyry pavers are also adaptable to a permeable paving set. The stone is by far one of the most durable pavers in the world. These beautiful materials are available from Milestone Imports. Milestone supports the creativity of architects, planners and designers. Porphyry offers surfaces of various finishes and mixed colorings, tending towards tones of grey, gold, violet and red, depending on where it is extracted. – www.milestoneimports.com
