[Source: Jim Walsh, Arizona Republic] -- Visitors to Banner Mesa Medical Center soon will get a bird's-eye look into Mesa's roots from an eighth-floor observation center overlooking the Mesa Grande Platform Mound Ruins. This month, a waiting room will be turned into a museum with exhibits explaining the history and significance of the ruins and a second site about a mile northwest at Mesa Riverview. It will feature a mural by artist Craig Chepley. "It's almost like having an aerial view," said Tom Wilson, executive director of the Mesa Southwest Museum, which is developing the exhibit with assistance from the hospital, the Salt River Project, and Southwest Ambulance. "This is an extremely important site and one of the major distribution centers for water."The Mesa Grande ruins, just west of the nine-story hospital, date to about A.D. 1300. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but are also on the Arizona Preservation Foundation's list of most endangered historical places. Wilson said Mesa Grande is one of three major Hohokam ruins. The others are Pueblo Grande in Phoenix and the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge. "I think it was a natural partnership for us to develop with the museum," said Susan Gordon, a Banner Mesa spokeswoman. "We have a great view of the ruins." It's unclear how long the observation center will remain open. Banner Health announced more than a year ago the facility would be phased out as the new Banner Gateway opens in Gilbert. [Photo source: Banner Health.]
