Overlooking the Santa Catalina Mountains, the park is located in a natural desert habitat within existing migratory tracks of several species of native fauna.

Maurice Reid, acting as realtor for Seaney, sold the future site of Tohono Chul Park to John T. deBlois Wack in 1937.

Mr. Wack was an avid polo player from Santa Barbara and a friend of the Reverend George Ferguson, pastor of the newly consecrated St. Philip's in the Foothills Episcopal Church.

During construction, the adobe bricks for the 18” thick outer walls were made on the premises and Ponderosa pine logs were brought down the winding back road from Mt.

Designed by Lewis Hall, a student of Tucson architect Josias Joesler, the hacienda-style home featured a traditional zaguan and fountained courtyard.

“At first we just went out and put down some lime to make a path and marked the names of some of the plants and bushes, but then it started to snowball.” In 1980 they received a citation from the Tucson Audubon Society for saving the desert greenspace and opening it to the public.

The Wacks' original 1937 adobe house was carefully renovated in 1984 to provide space for changing art exhibits, a museum shop and administrative offices.

In the spring of 1995, an 11-acre (4.5 ha) parcel abutting the property on the north was slated for higher density rezoning and offered for sale.

The Wilson family also donated land at Hart Prairie (Flagstaff) and Muleshoe Ranch (Willcox) to the Nature Conservancy.

[citation needed] Within the park, Tohono Chul has developed thematic displays using its botanical collections which consist primarily of plants native to the Sonoran or Chihuahuan Deserts.