Fentress Architects has been chosen by California State Parks and the California Indian Heritage Center Task Force to design the California Indian Heritage Center (CIHC) in Sacramento. 

Per a press announcement, the site will be a destination where “visitors from across California, the nation, and the world will be drawn to this center of statewide significance for cultural preservation, learning and exchange, land stewardship based on Native American values, and a place to engage all visitors celebrating the living cultures of California tribal communities.”

The 51-acre CIHC will be located at the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers in West Sacramento. The project reflects a decades-long collaboration between the state and California Native American tribal governments and communities, along with allied individuals and institutions. The development gained momentum following a commitment of $100 million in state funds through California’s 2018–19 budget. An additional $100 million was secured through private and philanthropic support. The CIHC Task Force was established in 2019 to inform and lead the project until its completion. 

Video courtesy California State Parks on YouTube.

Fentress Architects was chosen out of 22 firms that submitted a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) for the project, including Morphosis Architects, Olson Kundig, SmithGroup, and Mithun. Other partners include Amatoollik Studios for Native American architecture consultation and tribal outreach, Dennis Hendricks from Tuolumne Band of Miwok Indians who will serve as the CIHC Tribal Liaison, and James Pepper Henry, Vice Chairman Kaw Nation and Director of First American Museum (FAM) who will work on public engagement, outreach, and expertise on museum operation and programming. 

The CIHC Task Force, California State Parks, and Fentress Architects are now set to initiate a public engagement process in the next few months, which will include extensive tribal outreach. The CIHC is expected to open to the public in 2028.