Goodbye, old friend!
The demolition of the old Visitor's Center is underway.
The NPS service has long planned to tear the old building down in its ongoing plan to restore the battlefield as much as possible to its 1863 appearance. In fact, they’ve made more progress since this photo was taken on Tuesday and the building is now almost completely leveled to the ground. The plan is reportedly to also tear up the parking lot and re-plant the area with grass and trees.
Next on the chopping block is the Cyclorama building but it is embroiled in a federal lawsuit so it may not be torn down any time soon. The NPS has said that they will also tear up most of the Cyclorama parking lot, leaving space for only 30 cars and 2 buses.
Sadly, the reduction in parking is likely to discourage visitors to the National Cemetery. Local merchants also fear that it will further isolate them from the park visitors, hastening a downward trend in foot traffic that they seen on Steinwehr Avenue since the Visitor’s Center was relocated last year.