National Park Service Mission 66 Era Resources: National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form

Carr, Ethan; Jackson-Retondo, Elaine; Warner, Len; Wheaton, Rodd; Feinberg, John

The Intermountain Region contracted with The Collaborative, Inc. for the completion of a National Register of Historic Places Nomination Multiple Property Documentation Form for National Park Service Mission 66 Era Resources (throughout the national park system). The nomination provides a comprehensive historical context for the National Park Service's Mission 66 Era and National Register, Mission 66 Associated Property Types registration requirements for nominating Mission 66 resources in National Park Service units. The "Mission 66 Era" was announced by the National Park Service in Washington, D. C., during a Mission 66 Research Working Meeting on May 28-29, 2003. Historical Landscape Architect Ethan Carr, then an employee of the National Park Service Historic Structures and Cultural Landscapes Program in the Washington Office, detailed the development of a nationwide "Mission 66-Era (1945-1973) Contextual Essay and Multiple Property Documentation Form." The first phase of the Mission 66 era, "pre-Mission 66" (1945-1955), provides context which includes the vastly increased visitation after World War II, the overuse and deterioration of park facilities, and the increased feasibility of using ten-year funding programs as evidenced by other federal agencies. In the pre-Mission 66 period, design experimentations in the Modem Movement style were being planned and conducted in the parks for the following phase. After the establishment of the Eastern and Western Offices of Design and Construction in 1954, the design and planning processes were carried out in Philadelphia and San Francisco. The Modern Movement style formed the basis for architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, and construction during the National Park Service's "Mission 66 program" (1956-1966). The Mission 66 program was the largest construction program in the history of the agency. This phase was intended to conclude with the celebration of the National Park Service's 50th anniversary in 1966. After the "close" of the Mission 66 program, a long list of projects remained incomplete, and new parks were planned, designed, and constructed. As a result, the program was extended under a new name, "Parkscape USA" (1967-1973). The third phase authorized the conclusion of the construction program in time for the Yellowstone National Park centennial celebration in 1972. The end of the Mission 66 era came also with the closing of the Eastern and Western Offices of Design and Construction and the consolidation of personnel into the Denver Service Center in 1972. The entire era represents the National Park Service's presentation of a new way for the American public to experience national parks. Addressing the public was particularly significant because national park visitation increased due to the rise of American automobile culture following World War II and enhanced access via the construction of the interstate highway system.

National Park Service Mission 66 Era Resources: National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form

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