Peek inside Arizona Humane Society’s new $52 million Papago Park campus

It’s been 10 years in the making, but on Wednesday, the Arizona Humane Society finally opened the doors to its new state-of-the-art resource and adoption complex, the Rob & Melanie Walton Papago Park Campus.

Situated on 5.5 acres on Van Buren Street just blocks from the Loop 202 and directly across the street from Papago Park, the new campus offers 72,000 square feet of medical and behavior rehabilitation space, kennels, adoption facilities, classrooms and much more. It will expand and enhance the care AHS already provides through its Sunnyslope and Nina Mason Pulliam South Mountain campuses as well as its Healthy Tails Mobile Veterinary Clinic.

“A lot of time and effort was put into the design of this space,” AHS President and CEO Dr. Steven Hansen said. “We visited at least 50 to 100 shelters around the country, looked at all the good ideas that everybody else put into their shelters and tried to incorporate them here. We’re very, very proud of the space.”

The campus was designed by Boulder, Colorado-based architecture firm Animal Arts Design Studios, which specializes in creating buildings for animal-focused businesses and organizations, such as veterinary clinics, shelters, boarding facilities, and equine and large animal hospitals. Local construction firm Ryan Companies served as general contractor and builder.

As part of its RyanGivesBack initiative, the company provided its services at cost and credited back all of its project fees, reducing the overall cost of the build by about $1 million. The total cost for the project was approximately $52 million.

The Rob and Melanie Walton Foundation, established by the retired board chair of Walmart and his wife, contributed $5 million to the project, one of the largest single donations to AHS in its history. Local business owner Mike Watts and his wife, Cindy, donated the land on which the campus is located.

‘You can just spend time here, which is what we want’

The new facility is split between two buildings. The Watts Family Medical Complex houses surgical suites, a trauma center and end-of-life services. AHS takes in 22,000 animals each year, and 80% of those come in through the trauma hospital, according to Hansen.

“Our primary purpose for existing is our hospital,” Hansen said. “Everything else we do supports the hospital.”

At any given time, between 500 to 750 animals are sheltered in the organization’s facilities. Another 500 animals are in foster care. Oversight of this program will occur in the Ann Siner Foster Wing, named after the animal-loving owner of My Sister’s Closet.

Most visitors will come to the Nina Mason Pulliam P.E.T. (pet engagement and training) Center. The building’s bright and airy two-story lobby includes a retail store and outpost of Scottsdale-based Echo Coffee. Adoptable dogs are housed on the ground floor, while available cats are upstairs. Outdoor spaces include a play yard for dogs, catios for feline enrichment and a serenity garden for when it’s time to say goodbye.

“We’re very concerned about the health and welfare of animals first, but we’re also very interested in the health, wealth and welfare of our staff, volunteers and general public,” Hansen explained.

“We want this to be a place for people to just come — get a cup of coffee from Echo Coffee and go upstairs to the catios or take a dog out and walk them across the street at Papago Park. You can come in here and log into the WiFi — you can just spend time here, which is what we want,” he added.

AHS began in June 1957 with a small shelter at 13th Avenue and Hatcher Road in Sunnyslope. Until now, the campus served as the organization’s trauma hospital. With the relocation of the hospital to the Papago Park campus, the Sunnyslope facility will become a spay and neuter clinic serving residents of north Phoenix.

The South Mountain campus, which opened in 2001, will continue to offer adoptions. Because it is located on 20 acres of land, it will house dogs that need behavior modification or lots of space to run. The campus also cares for large animals, such as horses and pot-bellied pigs.

Phoenix New Times got a sneak peek of the world-class Papago Park campus prior to its official opening. Here are some things you can expect to see during your visit.