National Park Service: Mission 66 Visitor Centers (Chapter 5)

In March 1965 Superintendent Liles met with Regional Director Garrison, staff members, and Casey to review the building's working drawings and overall construction program. As on-site "architects' representative," Taliesin selected Charles Gordon Lee, a former apprentice who had established private practice in Denver. [32] The bidding process for the construction of the Headquarters began with notices advertising the "partly reinforced concrete and partly structural steel frame" building, and a May 24 press release invited potential contractors to obtain copies of plans, specifications and a photograph showing "an artist's conception" of the building. [33] Gordon Lee and WODC staff attended a June 17 "pre-bid conference" for construction companies interested in the project. Five days later, Kunz Construction Company of Arvada, Colorado, submitted the lowest bid of $652,871.95. The ground-breaking ceremony took place on July 16, and the Park Service issued a "start work order" the next week. [34] Shortly after, Liles transferred to a different park and was replaced by Superintendent Fred J. Novak.

Figure 58. The concrete and stone panels were cast on the site and lifted into place by crane, November 1965.
(Photo by Miller. Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park archives.)

The Headquarters' unique materials and construction required all sorts of special provisions, not to mention the use of building techniques unfamiliar to most contractors. Monthly superintendent's reports and Park Service snapshots (by WODC architect Jerry Riddell) capture the drama of the construction process, as cranes lifted the heavy walls into place. The concrete and stone walls were a puzzle of one hundred and one pre-cast concrete panels in sixty-four different sizes, one of which weighed 65,000 pounds. The challenge was to fit each panel into its proper location. In April, "the contractor was advised to correct the alignment of a concrete column consisting of panels PC/3-4-5," which was "out of plumb by 4 1/2"." [35] Even such a slight maladjustment could result in a serious structural problem and required immediate correction. Sections were cast in wooden forms assembled on-site; large stones were placed in the forms, concrete was poured around them, and then pebbles—or gravel aggregate—were sprinkled on the exposed wet mortar. This method of creating a "naturalistic" wall originated during the construction of Taliesin West in 1937-1939, when Wright was searching for a method of building with regional stones that could not be cut easily like granite or limestone. [36] "Face rocks" were selected for flat surfaces, thickness, and color. These were set into wood frames along with smaller stones, or "rubble," to hold them in place while a mixture of concrete and sand was used to fill the crevices. [37] By varying the size of the stones and laying them in rough horizontal rows, Wright created the illusion of cut-stone masonry. At the Headquarters, auditorium panels included electrical wires and other utilities imbedded in concrete along with the stones. Once the concrete hardened, the panels appeared to be composed of natural stone, but the seams between panels were also a visible design element, creating both horizontal striations resembling geologic strata and a sense of the building's structure. According to former apprentice Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, the horizontal concrete lines also originated in the Arizona desert and were perfected at Taliesin West. He recalls

. . . An outing the Fellowship made to northern Arizona into one of the canyons which had once been under water, the deep, horizontal grooves in the stone canyon walls caused by water erosion greatly appealed to Mr. Wright. On his return to camp he instructed the apprentices building the walls to insert triangular strips of wood stretching in thin lines on the inside surface of the wooden forms prior to placing stones and pouring concrete. When the forms were removed the indentation of the horizontal strips left an impression within the concrete surface of the wall, creating yet another element with which the sun could make deep shadow lines across the mosaic wall. [38]

At the Headquarters, the use of lichen-covered pink fieldstone from the nearby town of Lyons heightened the ornamental effects. As Tom Casey remembers, the stone had been left in an abandoned quarry established by the government for use in Denver's first federal courthouse. The architects were delighted to find leftover red sandstone the thickness of stairs, now suitably weathered and broken into smaller chunks. They had only to gather the stone and haul it to the site. [39]

Figure 59. The building's steel framework, as seen under construction in January 1966.
(Photo by Lockwood. Courtesy Rocky Mountain National Park archives.)

The November 18, 1966, Estes Park Trail announced that the Headquarters employed a "structural steel truss system" on the second floor. The architects called this dynamic and complex pattern of triangles, formed of hollow steel tubes and thin metal sheets, "architecturally exposed bare structural steel." Sections of tubes were welded together to form the triangular skeleton of the design and the Cor-ten steel welded to either side. Steel-stamped spandrel panels were attached directly to the exterior walls. A similar stamped sheet metal facia encircled the edge of the roof. This complicated mixture of structure and surface ornament proved to be one of the most problematic aspects of the design. Taliesin had to special order the material as needed because the supplier, U. S. Steel, did not warehouse the required type and only manufactured it in one mill. The steel was blasted to a white hot state to achieve the desired color effect, which required allowing the material to oxidize (rust) for a period of one to two years. Cor-ten, high carbon steel, was a new, self-sealing product that never required painting. [40] The designers chose Cor-ten both for its low maintenance and for its rich color, which worked with the desired earth tone palette and the surrounding environment. The steel typically rusted to a warm purple in the city, but at high altitudes without excessive pollutants, it turned a deep brown. In its final aged state, the steel was said to resemble tree bark. One of U. S. Steel's promotional ads includes a photograph of the Headquarters next to a tree with the caption, "this building is painting itself!" Despite pressure from the design office in Washington, D.C., slow production of the steel resulted in construction delays. [41]

The Headquarters was half complete by January 11, 1966, when union officials from the Denver Building Trades visited the site to speak with James O'Shea, acting project supervisor. A Mr. Nilander and his partner asked questions about pay rates, overtime wages, subcontractors and job classifications, promising to continue their interrogation the next week. Although they did not return, a picket line of employees from Sheet Metal Workers Local #9 formed near the site on January 17. Park Service officials met with union representatives and learned that the problem lay with the contractors handling the heating and air conditioning systems. For some time, the union had been picketing all projects associated with Croy Brothers Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. The steel workers, plumbers and electricians chose not to cross the line for a few days, but arrangements were made with their respective unions to allow the resumption of work. At the time, the incident caused little more than an unanticipated delay, but in retrospect, it foreshadowed a history of serious deficiencies in the building's air circulation systems. The lack of a typical forced air cooling system was specified by Superintendent Liles, who believed air conditioning an extravagance, particularly at over 7,000 feet. [42]

Over the next few months, the contractors placed concrete floors with terrazzo finish, installed window walls, completed electrical and plumbing work, and built up the roof installation. The pink terrazzo was laid with gold adonized aluminum seams, the colors carefully chosen to add warmth to the interior. Window casings were of steel obtained locally. In addition to the attention lavished on interior surfaces, the Taliesin apprentices employed a Wrightian technique of dividing interior space in their use of an elaborate partition system. The basic drawings of the first and second floors included only the permanent walls around utilities and bathrooms; the remainder of the building was left open space. Additional drawings specifically devoted to the interior partition system show the space divided into the chosen office arrangement. The typical office partitions were gypsum board with a corrugated paper core. Anodized aluminum studs stretched the height of the walls about every four feet. The upper few feet of most partitions were glass, sometimes filling a triangular space, with the gold aluminum continuing up to the ceiling as a mullion. Doors were red oak veneer but solid wood to the core. In some of the fancier offices, red oak wood panels covered the gypsum board. Although the walls give the impression of permanency, their potential for change adds to the flexibility of the plan, not to mention the "breaking of the box." Whether or not park employees were intended to move the walls frequently is unknown, but one current ranger did successfully re-configure his office space at a recent date. [43] Wright used the partition system in all of his office buildings, and Casey recalled such flexibility in the Sunday school at Wright's Greek Orthodox Church (1956) as well.

At the height of excitement over the Headquarters in the fall of 1966, architect Victor Hornbein met with the superintendent to discuss preliminary drawings for the new West Side Administration Building. Although superintendent's reports indicate that Hornbein's plans were approved and even admired, the extant facility (later named the Kawuneeche Visitor Center) appears to have been designed by the Park Service's San Francisco Planning and Service Center. It is unclear whether or not collaboration took place, but Hornbein's name never appears on the final drawings. In any case, the Park Service was intrigued by Hornbein's preliminary designs, and, perhaps, by the Wrightian aspect of his work. A Denver native, Hornbein was an advocate of Wright's principles and had written about his architecture. His work in the Denver area includes two buildings that exemplify a Wrightian range of design—the Frederick R. Ross Branch Library (1951) and the Boettcher Conservatory at Denver Botanic Gardens (1964 ). The library emphasizes horizontal lines in a colorful mixture of brick and glass, while the conservatory is a bubble of seemingly woven concrete that manages to appear appropriate in its garden setting. Having made a reputation for himself with local buildings, and a recent splash at the botanic garden, Hornbein was an exciting choice as architect of the park's final Mission 66 structure. [44]

Although considering the design of a third new visitor center, the superintendent was still occupied with a variety of issues at the Headquarters as the building entered its final months of construction. Park staff and members of Kunz Construction gathered in his office on May 3 to discuss defective road paving and problems with "ceiling lighting, air return, upper floor and fireplaces." [45] Taliesin did not take part in this meeting, perhaps because it resulted in some minor change orders relating to lighting, the buzzer system, relocation of the audiovisual control panel, and information desk alterations. By August 1966, the estimated completion date for the Headquarters was mid-September, but a "pre-final" inspection near the end of the month revealed two hundred and twelve items requiring attention. Nevertheless, the final inspection of the building took place on October 21. Approval was contingent on smoothing the uneven terrazzo floors in two rooms. Although "many deficiencies" remained, the Headquarters was accepted in November contingent on their correction. Park Service officials and staff began moving into the building at the end of the month. Kunz Construction was still fulfilling its part of the contract in early January, with minor repairs and alterations, which included modifying the heating system. Final payment on the building had not yet been made in April, as preparations were made for its dedication on June 24, 1967.

As the Headquarters' dedication approached, Park Service planners were busy with the design and construction of the West Side Administration Building. An excellent example of Mission 66 style and planning, the visitor center was organized according to a standardized visitor circulation pattern. Upon approaching from the parking lot, visitors were immediately confronted with the restrooms to the right and a path to the visitor center to the left. A natural stream flowed under the bridge between the restrooms and lobby. Inside, the lobby space featured a large information desk surrounded by items for sale and small exhibits, a map, and relief model. Exhibit and audio-visual rooms were envisioned as a future wing of the building, to be entered from the right side of the lobby. [46] In the interim, this space featured an outdoor patio and pool made by the stream. The lobby was discreetly connected to a rectangular administration wing hidden in the back along with employee parking. Although the visitor center has little in common with the Headquarters, both buildings are unabashedly modern and also manage to blend into their respective park environments. The West Side Administration Building drawings included a "design statement," declaring a desire to "reflect the vertical forms as found in the adjacent lodgepole forest," and noted the choice of "wood and stone materials throughout structure to relate to the natural environmental phenomenon at the area." The building's simple vertical wood framework is punctuated by floor-to-ceiling sections of glass.

The final work on the landscaping of the Headquarters began in the spring and continued through the building's dedication. The park's new resident landscape architect, James O'Shea, worked on the exterior lighting in May and June to produce field layouts and inspections. The west entrance road was staked and graded. O'Shea's other responsibilities included examining the building and concrete curbs. In August, the park issued a change order to insure exposed aggregate finish on the curb and gutters. Work on the planting plan for the Headquarters, which involved mapping the area and researching plant material, occupied O'Shea during the spring of 1967. He may have filled the three roof planters installed in the center of each side of the auditorium. [47] Despite progress with the landscaping, a few technical problems remained to be solved. The heating and air conditioning system installed by Croy Brothers was operating so poorly that a mechanical design company was recommended as a consultant for the firm.

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