The Cyclorama Building at Gettysburg was a historic

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

concrete and glass

Mission 66 Mission 66 was a United States National Park Service ten-year program that was intended to dramatically expand Park Service visitor services by 1966, in time for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Park Service. When the National P ...

building dedicated November 19, 1962 by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

(NPS) to serve as a

Gettysburg Battlefield The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first shot ...

visitor center, to exhibit the 1883

Paul Philippoteaux Paul Dominique Philippoteaux (27 January 1846 – 28 June 1923) was a French artist. He is best known for a cyclorama illustrating the Battle of Gettysburg. Life and career Paul Philippoteaux was born in Paris, the son of the French artist ...

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

cyclorama and other artifacts, and to provide an

observation deck An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclosed ...

(replacing the 1896

Zeigler's Grove The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first shot ...

observation tower). The building was demolished in 2013.

History

Richard Neutra Richard Joseph Neutra ( ; April 8, 1892 – April 16, 1970) was an Austrian-American architect. Living and building for the majority of his career in Southern California, he came to be considered a prominent and important modernist architect. He ...

was awarded the design, and began work in 1958. The design included a central park administration office, space for the cyclorama painting previously held remotely at Baltimore Road, and an auditorium that opened out onto the adjoining lawn. Neutra subtitled the building "the Abraham Lincoln Shrine of the Nation." Orndorff Construction Company, Inc., won the construction contract with a bid of $687,349, in 1959. The site at Ziegler's Grove was intended to tie the painting closely to the battle location it depicted. The total construction cost was $959,603. The building was dedicated on November 19, 1962, the 99th anniversary of the

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a Public speaking, speech that President of the United States, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, Soldiers' National Cemetery, ...

. Toward the end of the 20th-century attitudes towards battlefield presentation had changed, and the National Park Service sought to remove many modern structures from key sites. In 1977, the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation recommended that the Cyclorama Building be relocated to a less central portion of the battlefield. Funding requests to rehabilitate the Cyclorama Building were denied in 1993 and 1996, i.e., $2.7M in 1993 for roof removal/replacement, asbestos ceiling removal, patching cracks and treating masonry, and redesign of interior. But, in 1998, the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places noted that the building possessed "exceptional historic and architectural significance,""Cyclorama Richard Neutra's 1961 Lincoln Memorial at Gettysburg."
''reCyclorama'' June 7, 2007. making the determination that the "Cyclorama Building was eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places," reversing conclusions by the National Park Service in December 1995 and the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Officer in May 1996. In 1999, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts opposed its demolition. During this time, Dion Neutra, the architect’s son (who worked on the design) launched a preservation campaign that generated more than a thousand letters of support.

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...

wrote that Neutra’s building “reflects the highest ideals of his own time, and deserves the highest appreciation of ours.” The

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

described the Cyclorama as “one of the most important buildings constructed by the ark Serviceduring the 20th century.” In 2005, the

Gettysburg Cyclorama ''The Battle of Gettysburg'', also known as the Gettysburg Cyclorama, is a cyclorama painting by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux depicting Pickett's Charge, the climactic Confederate attack on the Union forces during the Battle of Gettysburg ...

painting was removed from the building for restoration (it would be relocated to the

Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center The Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center is a Gettysburg National Military Park facility, with a museum about the American Civil War, the 1884 Gettysburg Cyclorama, and the tour center for licensed Battlefield Guides and for buses to see the Getty ...

in 2007), and the Cyclorama Building was closed to the public. After the building was not added to the National Register of Historic Places, in 2010, a U.S. District court judge ruled for the Recent Past Preservation Network (Plaintiff) that the NPS "had failed to comply with federal law requiring it to analyze the effect of the Cyclorama Center demolition and come up with alternatives to destroying it." Gettysburg Cyclorama Neutra PA5

In August 2012, the court-ordered NPS study concluded that "the best course of action would be to demolish the Cyclorama Building that has stood in the park for 50 years." In January 2013, the Park Service announced plans to demolish the building during the winter of 2013. In February 2013, there was a protest. In March 2013, the building was demolished. The

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 by ...

cited the Cyclorama Building as one of ten historic sites lost in 2013.

References

External links

* {{commons category, Gettysburg Cyclorama (Richard Neutra) Richard Neutra buildings Gettysburg Battlefield Defunct museums in Pennsylvania Demolished buildings and structures in Pennsylvania Buildings and structures completed in 1962 Museums disestablished in 2005 Buildings and structures demolished in 2013 Buildings and structures in Adams County, Pennsylvania History of Adams County, Pennsylvania Historic American Buildings Survey in Pennsylvania Mission 66 Modernist architecture in Pennsylvania