Beginning on Monday, Oct. 17, the lobby at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center in Rocky Mountain National Park will be closed through the winter for a major remodeling project. Park rangers will still provide information to visitors from a temporary office trailer in the front parking lot of the visitor center. The park film will be shown from this location and items from the Rocky Mountain Nature Association bookstore will be available. Hours are currently 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and will change to winter hours on Oct. 23, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The major remodeling project will include the construction of an accessible lift between floors to accommodate people with disabilities so they may easily access the visitor center auditorium. Other improvements include reconstructing the lower floor restrooms and connecting the exterior balcony to the visitor center entrance plaza.
In 2001, Beaver Meadows Visitor Center was designated a National Historic Landmark, the nation's highest designation for historic properties. The visitor center was dedicated in 1967. The building that the visitor center is housed in was designed by Taliesen Associated Architects, Ltd. It reflects design principles typical both of the National Park Service Modern style developed by the "Mission 66" program which began in 1966, and Wrightian principles of design advocated by the apprentices who began Taliesen Associated Architects after Frank Lloyd Wright's death in 1959. The building is a unique example of Wrightian design in a national park setting.
Due to this major project, there will be no evening programs in the auditorium throughout the winter. For more information about Rocky Mountain National Park, please contact the park's Information Office at (970) 586-1206.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
