Letting your resource take center stage: A guide to thoughtful site selection for interpretive centers

In 1956, the National Park Service began a 10-year initiative, known as Mission 66, to improve the conditions surrounding many National Parks, which were experiencing a boom in attendance after World War II. During this time, the modern interpretive center was born as over 100 were constructed as part of the program. The common approach at the time was to site the building as close as possible to, if not on, the resource. An example of this is the Visitor Center at Gettysburg National Military Park, also known as the Cyclorama Building.