Don't Tear It Down!
reCyclorama and the Recent Past Preservation Network are urging the National Park Service
to reverse their plans for demolition of the Cyclorama Building.

Whether the building stays on site or is moved to a new location, all efforts should be put forth
to keep this extraordinary Neutra-designed visitor center erect as an historic place for public learning and education.

Latest Coverage:

America's Civil War "Christine Madrid French Wants to Save the Cyclorama," Kim A. O'Connell, November 2007.	deutsche bauzeitung: Zeitschrift fur Architekten und Bauingenieure Moderne Versus Geschichte? February 2008.

Recent Past Preservation Network Sues National Park Service to Prevent Demolition of Historic Building at Gettysburg

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Recent Past Preservation Network, a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation and understanding of modern architecture, has sued the National Park Service to prevent the agency from demolishing the historic Cyclorama Center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The lawsuit, filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges multiple violations of the National Environmental Policy Act and the national Historic Preservation Act, and would prevent the Park Service from demolishing the Cyclorama Center until the agency complies with federal law.

The Cyclorama Center was designed by the late architect Richard Neutra, who is recognized by architectural historians and the popular press alike as a master architect of modern design. Neutra’s buildings stand alongside those of fellow architect and friend Frank Lloyd Wright in the history of American architecture. Neutra’s contributions to American design include some of the greatest works of architecture in this country, such as the Lovell “Health” House in Los Angeles and the Kauffman House in Palm Springs. In 1977, Neutra was posthumously awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, an exclusive and prestigious award honoring his “lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.”

The Cyclorama Center is a rare example of Neutra’s civic architecture on the East Coast. The architect himself described it as the project closest to his heart. In 1998, the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places declared the Cyclorama Center to be an historic structure, concluding that the building possesses “exceptional historic and architectural significance.”

The Park Service currently plans to demolish the Cyclorama Center as part of an agency plan for the area of Gettysburg known as Ziegler’s Grove. In 1999, the agency pledged to notify and involve the public in any future changes to Ziegler’s Grove, and to comply with federal environmental laws. Today’s lawsuit charges that the Park Service has not kept these promises. Instead, the agency has determined to tear down the Cyclorama Center without any public notice or involvement, and in violation of two major federal laws protecting the environment.

The Recent Past Preservation Network hopes to persuade the Park Service that the Cyclorama Center should be relocated, not destroyed. The group has been working with the community and has received strong interest in preserving and relocating the building within Gettysburg. The organization has the support of a variety of businesses, property-owners, and developers, and has even identified suitable land in town. However, the Park Service has not responded to any letters or phone calls from the plaintiffs in more than two years.

The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Dion Neutra, the architect son and professional partner of Richard Neutra, and Christine Madrid French, who has authored several published works on modern architecture in America’s national parks. All three plaintiffs are represented, on a pro bono basis, by the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP.

Critical Links:

Download a PDF of the Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief, filed in U.S. District Court, District of Columbia, December 2006.

Contacts
*Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Linda Butler, 312-876-3453,
LButler@sonnenschein.com
*Christine Madrid French, 434-293-2872, president@recentpast.org

Letter from a Supporter - Save the Cyclorama

"I am writing to support your efforts to save the Gettysburg Cyclorama Center that has been slated for demolition by the federal government. By choosing to save this landmark building, the government will demonstrate a commitment to preserving an architectural, historical, and artistically-significant link to the past. Moreover, we will retain an important link to the Age of Cyclorama painting, an art form to which the building can claim heredity. ..." From Graham F. Watts, Toronto, Canada. Read more of Mr. Watts letter here.

A panoramic view of the battlefield landscape with the Cyclorama at the left and the now-demolished tower at the center.

GETTYSBURG'S CYCLORAMA CENTER SELECTED FOR 2006 WORLD MONUMENTS FUND
WATCH LIST OF 100 MOST ENDANGERED SITES
U.S. National Park Service Intends to Demolish Internationally Significant Building

This week, at the 142nd anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, preservationists are renewing their call for the restoration of the Cyclorama Center, a premiere American modern building that overlooks the famous battlefield and commemorates Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. On June 21, the World Monuments Fund (WMF), the foremost private, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic art and architecture worldwide, included the imperiled Cyclorama Center at Gettysburg on its biennial Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites.

Preservationists have labored for nearly a decade to save this building, one of the first "visitor centers" ever built in the national park system and a landmark in the work of famed architect Richard Neutra. The National Park Service, the primary public agency charged with protecting significant American sites, has so far refused to preserve the structure, one recognized by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places for "its exceptional historic and architectural significance." The Cyclorama Center remains on a short list for demolition; the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation, a private partner of the National Park Service and headed by Robert Wilburn, plans to raze the structure.

The Recent Past Preservation Network (RPPN), a non-profit, volunteer organization, nominated the Cyclorama Center for inclusion on the World Monuments Watch List, supported by preservation groups, such as DOCOMOMO and Preservation Pennsylvania, as well as Dion Neutra, project architect for the Cyclorama and head of the Neutra design firm, which celebrates its eightieth year of service in 2006. Architectural historian Christine Madrid French, president of RPPN and a Neutra scholar, hailed the Cyclorama Center's listing as a major victory in the group's campaign to save the building and raise public awareness for the preservation of postwar American architecture. "We applaud the World Monuments Fund for recognizing the significance of this building and highlighting the threat posed to it by the National Park Service. In this case, we cannot cross our fingers and hope for the best. The building needs strong advocates and public support. With this listing in hand, we will urge the President and the U.S. Congress to act in time to save this unique structure." MORE INFORMATION HERE

THE GETTYSBURG CYCLORAMA: SLEEK, SPARE, AND SEXY -that's the look internationally renowned architect Richard Neutra was going for when he unveiled his Cyclorama Center to the public in 1962. Opened just in time for the Civil War Centennial, the Center consisted of a sweeping, light-filled causeway that led to a large, drum-shaped white concrete building meant to house a 360-degree painting of the infamous Gettysburg battlefield. Today, architects still regard the Cyclorama Center as some of Neutra's best work and a prime example of mid-20th century modernist design. However, the National Park Service appears to have a slightly less- favorable opinion. Nearby, construction is currently underway on a new home for the cyclorama painting - which means tearing down Neutra's masterwork. At present, it's estimated the building will be razed no later than 2009. In the meantime, architecture lovers, historic preservationists, and local Gettysburg business owners have banded together to bring another fight to this already hallowed ground. Step one is mobilizing public support and awareness - accomplished most prominently when the Cyclorama Center was added to the World Monuments Watch list of 100 Most Endangered Sites in 2006. Step two is admittedly a little more confrontational, as it involves the long arm of the law. In December 2006, the Recent Past Preservation Network sued the federal government and alleged that the Park Service hadn't done enough to maintain the building and hadn't properly taken into account the impact the demolition would have on the surrounding environment. What happens next is anyone's guess, but given that the Park Service is standing firm on their plan thus far, it might not be a good idea to wait before you visit. MENTALFLOSS.COM, July-August 2007, Volume 6, Issue 4, by Maggie Koerth-Baker Others in this Top Ten: 1. Nauru (South Pacific), 2. The Dead Sea, 3. Mexico City, 4. Amish Country, 5. Freetown Christiania, 6. Route 66, 7. The Maldives, 8. The Snows of Kilimanjaro, 9. The Diamer Region of Pakistan, 10. The Gettysburg Cyclorama

See our new selection of measured drawings of the building, recently completed by the Historic American Buildings Survey on our HABS Drawings page with downloadable PDFs of each image!