New Bedford,
MA—Congress identified $2.5 million within the Fiscal
Year 2004 budget it appropriated for the National Park Service
to be allocated toward the planned $5.5 million redevelopment
of the Corson Building. The President signed this bill into
law on November 10, 2003. The planning and design phase
of the Corson Building project, supported by a $500,000
appropriation in the Fiscal Year 2003 budget began last
year. Rehabilitating the Corson Building is a key development
project identified in the park’s General Management
Plan, completed in 2001 after three-years of public input.
The building will serve as an education and public program
center for the park.
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park Superintendent
John Piltzecker stated: “Creating space for the park
to engage students and teachers, and to involve the public
in discovering the region’s rich cultural heritage
was identified as a key priority for the National Park Service
and its local partners during the development of the park’s
master plan. We intend to design program spaces that serve
multiple needs and purposes. Our goal now is to see how
we can phase the project to make the best use of the funds
that were appropriated by Congress for this year.”
The National Park Service preserves and interprets some
of the country’s most extraordinary places. From the
red cliff walls of Arizona’s Grand Canyon to The Great
Hall of New York’s Ellis Island, national parks offer
opportunities for students and teachers to access information
that cannot be found anywhere else. Educational programs
based on the curriculum of area schools are recognized and
supported as an essential part of National Park Service
programming. Last year over one million students participated
in programs developed through partnerships between teachers
and staff at national parks. John Piltzecker stated: “Congress
has demonstrated its concern for this project and the overarching
goal of making our national parks ‘classrooms’
for life long learning. We appreciate the work of Senator
Edward M. Kennedy, Senator John Kerry, and Representative
Barney Frank and their support of education and our National
Park System.”
The Corson Building, which is located next to the park
Visitor Center and across from the New Bedford Whaling Museum,
consists of two three-story brick structures built in 1875
and 1884. For many years the Corson Building housed Moby-Dick
Marine Specialties on its first floor, a popular shopping
stop for visitors to the historic district. In 1997, a devastating
fire ripped through the building, destroying its roof and
top two floors. The Waterfront Historic Area League (WHALE),
a non-profit preservation organization, came to the building’s
rescue after the fire, hiring a structural engineer who
convinced the City Building Commissioner that the building
could be saved. WHALE acquired the building and secured
the funds for its stabilization.
To make the project happen, WHALE will donate the Corson
Building to the United States. The National Park Service
hired TAMS Architecture to undertake the planning and design
phase of the Corson Building Project. TAMS Architecture
was chosen for their strong engineering and environmentally
responsible design background, as well as past experience
with similar projects such as the Heritage Harbor Museum
in Providence, RI. The project is under the supervision
of the Denver Service Center, the design and construction
branch of the National Park Service.
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park was established
by Congress in 1996. One of over 380 National Park Service
areas, it is the National Park Service site addressing the
history of the whaling industry and its influence on the
economic, social and environmental history of the United
States. The park includes New Bedford’s 13-block waterfront
historic district, Schooner Ernestina, the Rotch-Jones-Duff
House & Garden Museum and several sites along the waterfront.
The legislation establishing the park also established a
connection between the NPS and the Iñupiat Heritage
Center in Barrow, Alaska.
For more information about New Bedford Whaling National
Historical Park, contact at the Visitor Center at (508)
996-4095, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/nebe.
Prepared 01/02/04
EXPERIENCE YOUR AMERICA
The National Park Service cares for special places saved
by the American people so that all may experience our heritage.
