Visitor Center

The Aleutian Islands World War II Visitor Center is located in a historic WWII era aerology building.

NPS Photo

 

 

The visitor center for Aleutian World War II National Historic Area is located in Unalaska. A unique type of National Park Service unit, this affiliated area is owned and operated by the Ounalashka Corporation.

Addresses

Directions

Hours & Seasons

Description

Closures & Seasonal Exceptions

Amenities

Contact Information

Image Gallery

Addresses

Directions

Hours & Seasons

Description

Closures & Seasonal Exceptions

Amenities

Contact Information

Image Gallery

 

Exhibits

The center interprets both the military events of the Aleutian campaign as well as the relocation and overwhelming hardships faced by the Alaska Native residents of the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands. Inside there are exhibits, a reconstructed 1940s radio room, and a 1940s style theater showing World War II-era films.

About the Building

The visitor center itself was built during World War II and is one of the most intact and architecturally significant World War II buildings in the Aleutian Islands. During World War II, the upstairs of the building housed meteorological equipment used to provide navy pilots and ship captains with weather forecasts, including information on wind speed and direction, impending storms, and the height of ocean swells. The Naval Air Transport Service operated on the first floor. The building served as the central station from which to monitor the unpredictable and harsh weather of Aleutians.

The National Park Service, in cooperation with the land owner, Ounalashka Corporation, has restored the exterior of the building to its original 1940s-era appearance and redesigned the interior as an interpretive center.