| The National Park Service, a federal agency known for its stewardship
of our greatest natural and cultural resources, is determined to
demolish one of its own historic structures. Supported by the Secretary
of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, the Park Service has approved a plan
to destroy the Richard Neutra-designed Cyclorama Building without
considering re-use or preservation alternatives and despite the
protestations of architects, preservation professionals, and noted
historians.
The demolition is a key component of the recently approved general
management plan for Gettysburg National Military Park. Under the
approved plan, Robert Kinsley and his company Kinsley Construction
(an enormous private development firm) would tear down this valuable
cultural resource located within walking distance of the town
of Gettysburg and construct a massive new structure over a mile
away, complete with expansive parking lots, on previously undisturbed
battlefield land within the Park Service boundaries. This plan
goes against everything the Park Service stands for--prevention
of urban sprawl, sustainable use of agricultural land, and the
preservation of historic structures.
Many members of Congress are wary of this new plan for Gettysburg
as well. Representative James Hansen (R-Utah), Chairman of the
Subcommittee on National Parks and Public Lands, urged Bruce Babbit,
then Secretary of the Interior, to withdraw the Gettysburg General
Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement pending further
investigation, referring to the plan as "fatally flawed"
and a "subversion of the public process."
Numerous architects, professionals, and organizations have endorsed
preservation of the Cyclorama Building. J. Carter Brown, Chairman,
Commission of Fine Arts, and Terence Riley, Chief Curator of Department
of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York,
wrote to the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation during
the Section 106 process. Thomas S. Hines, Professor of History
and Architecture, University of California, Los Angeles and noted
Neutra scholar, lent his support during the National Register
of Historic Places determination. William McDonough, architect,
named a "Hero for the Planet" by Time Magazine in February
1999, and Robert A.M. Stern, architect and Dean at the Yale School
of Architecture, penned letters in support of the National Historic
Landmark nomination for the Cyclorama.
You can contribute to this dialog! We are urging all those involved
n to rescind their previous approval of the Gettysburg National
Military Park General Management Plan until such time as the Park
Service can demonstrate that it has carefully considered the contextual
history of the Cyclorama Building and alternatives to its demolition.
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