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The Cyclorama Building is slated for demolition under the preferred alternative in the recently approved General Management Plan (GMP) for Gettysburg National Military Park. Architect Richard Neutra (of Neutra and Alexander) designed the structure in 1961 to house the 1883 Cyclorama painting of the Battle of Gettysburg, a circular panorama by Paul Philippoteaux. (link to photos) The building was a showpiece of the "Mission 66" building program, a $1 billion effort to improve visitor facilities nationwide in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the National Park Service in 1966. During Mission 66, the Park Service introduced the "visitor center" as a new building type designed specifically to house an auditorium, interpretive exhibits, bookstores, and staff offices in one centralized structure. The Park Service constructed one hundred new visitor centers between 1956 and 1966; a series of distinct buildings representative of post-World War II prosperity and modern architectural design in the mid twentieth century.
New! Link to preservation support letters from Gehry, Roche, Stern and other prominent experts! |
reCyclorama,
an advocacy group, is working in cooperation with community organizations,
the National Park Service, preservation professionals, architectural historians,
and members of the public to save this building. Check the web site