Historic Structure Report: Grand Canyon Park Headquarters, Former Visitor Center

Built to the designs of Park Service architect Cecil J. Doty, the Grand Canyon Park Headquarters was formerly known as the Visitor Center and was completed in 1957. The building epitomized a new style of architecture for the national parks. Initially called the Public Use Building at the Grand Canyon, the building was one of the earliest products of the Mission 66 building program, a one-billion dollar government effort to improve visitor facilities nationwide in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Park Service in 1966. Within the context of the development of a new style of park architecture, sometimes called Park Service Modern, this early building was critical in the visitor center building type development. During Mission 66, the Park Service introduced the comprehensive visitor center as a new building type. The Park Service constructed one hundred new visitor centers, a series of distinct modem buildings representative of post-World War II prosperity and architectural design in the mid-20th century. The information presented herein provides the basis for evaluating future alterations that may be proposed for the Grand Canyon Park Headquarters and will 'aid in the rehabilitation and stabilization of this significant park structure. As a building of the recent past, it has not been well-documented nor have maintenance records been consistently retained. The project team has developed a more thorough analysis of the structure's place within the context of post-war park architecture. This document defines the elements that give the building its architectural character and help convey its significance. The contents of this Historic Structure Report (HSR) are: • a concise historic context associated with the building and its architect; • a detailed chronology of building development including alterations and maintenance through time; • an evaluation of the period of significance, historic integrity, and historic significance of the structure; • an evaluation of building conditions; • a list of character-defining features; • updated existing conditions drawings; and • plans that identify the primary, secondary and tertiary spaces of significance within the building.

Historic Structure Report: Grand Canyon Park Headquarters, Former Visitor Center

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