VANCOUVER, WA -- To prepare for a $1.7M rehabilitation of the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Visitor Center, the National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site will be temporarily relocating its visitor service functions to Pearson Air Museum & Jack Murdock Aviation Center, beginning Monday, Sept. 15, 2014.
On Sept. 15, the national park’s visitor service functions--including in-person visitor information and site orientation, park and regional publications, and orientation films--will be available in the expansive lobby area of the Pearson Air Museum & Jack Murdock Aviation Center, where they will continue to orient visitors to resources and activities in and around Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. The main floor of the air museum will continue to highlight the park’s nationally-significant aviation history.
In addition, beginning on Sept. 15, 2014, the operating hours of the air museum will be expanded to seven days a week, mirroring the operating hours of the visitor center.
Through Nov. 2, 2014, the hours of operation at Pearson Air Museum will expand to be:
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9 am to 5 pm Monday through Saturday
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10 am to 5 pm on Sunday
Beginning Nov. 3, 2014 (consistent with past practices at the end of daylight saving time) the hours of operation will be:
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9 am to 4 pm Monday through Saturday
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10 am to 4 pm on Sunday
Pearson Air Museum and Jack Murdock Aviation Center, operated by the National Park Service, is located at 1115 East Fifth Street, Vancouver, Washington--just a few hundred yards south of the visitor center.
In July 2014, the National Park Service announced the award of a $1.7 million contract to DSL Builders, LLC, of Salem, Oregon, to rehabilitate the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Visitor Center. The contract includes design and construction which will reconfigure interior space to allow for accessibility, increase educational opportunities and enhance visitor experience.
“We’re excited about this rehabilitation project," said Tracy Fortmann, Fort Vancouver NHS Superintendent, “and we felt it wasimportant to relocate our visitor services so that the project has as little impact as possible on those who visit the park while it is in progress."
“Pearson Air Museum & Jack Murdock Aviation Center is the ideal place to temporarily relocate visitor services," said Dr. Bob Cromwell, manager of Pearson Air Museum. “We looked at other options within the national park, but none provided the combination of access, location, and a mix of indoor and outdoor space. The air museum is the location that we and our partners felt most suited to provide a seamless visitor experience during this short rehabilitation period."
With visitor service functions relocated to Pearson Air Museum, the park's visitor center will be closed as of Sept. 15, 2014. It is projected to reopen in late summer 2015, with the array of visitor services returning to the rehabilitated visitor center.
Who: National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
What: Temporary relocation of main visitor services at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site during closure of visitor center for rehabilitation.
Where: Visitor services temporarily relocated to lobby of Pearson Air Museum & Jack Murdock Aviation Center, 1115 East Fifth Street, Vancouver WA, 98661.
When: Effective Sept. 15, 2014, through the completion of rehabilitation of the visitor center, projected in late summer 2015.
Why: To ensure continuation of visitor services during the rehabilitation of the national park’s visitor center.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
