Walking Box Ranch
The relatively intact Spanish Colonial ranch house was once the desert home of silent film stars Clara Bow and Rex Bell. The ranch is currently owned by the Bureau of Land Management, which has partnered with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to develop the property as an academic facility for its desert studies program. ARG assisted in developing the design for both the historic ranch and the new facilities. The Master Planning effort included assessments of the cultural landscape, architecture, biosystems, history, and condition of the 160-acre ranch, program development, and an extensive series of stakeholder Visioning Workshops.
DID YOU KNOW?
Walking Box Ranch was once the desert home of silent film stars Clara Bow and Rex Bell. The 1931 ranch is owned by the Bureau of Land Management, which partnered with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to utilize the property as an academic facility for its desert studies program. ARG developed the Master Plan for the site, including the new academic field station and rehabilitation and interpretation of the Spanish Colonial ranchhouse and barn.
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ARG designed the new campus buildings to maintain the simplicity and scale of the original agricultural structures and sited them to preserve the sensitive landscape and the views of the historic ranch and surrounding desert.
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An extensive series of stakeholder workshops was held to address the program needs and environmental concerns of the BLM, the University, the County and nearby community, Native American and funding organizations, and easement holders.
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The entire 160 acre site, will be surrounded by ‘tortoise fencing’ to protect the habitat of the endangered Desert Tortoise.
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ARG prepared the Ranch’s successful listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
