Last Showing Electric Map, Electric Map Auditorium Demolition, Old NPS VC Update

The Electric Map Auditorium as it appeared before its final show. This photograph is courtesy of Andy and Lucy Jurcak. This photograph was taken facing northwest at 4:18 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

In today’s post, we show scenes from the last showing of the Electric Map on April 13, 2008. The Electric Map photographs are courtesy of Gettysburg residents Andy and Lucy Jurcak. We then show some “action shots” of the demolition of the Electric Map Auditorium. Those shots are courtesy of National Park Service Volunteer Extraordinaire Barb Adams. Finally, we update you on the site as it looked on a rainy Sunday afternoon (yesterday, May 3, 2009). The debris has been removed, and topsoil has been placed on the site.

The Old Electric Map Visitor Center as it appeared on the final day that it was open to the public. This photograph is courtesy of Andy and Lucy Jurcak. This photograph was taken facing southeast at 4:00 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

National Park Service Historian Tom Holbrook allows some latecomers to see the final Electric Map program. The program began at 4:25 and it lasted for 30 minutes. This photograph is courtesy of Andy and Lucy Jurcak. This photograph was taken facing southwest at 4:30 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

Finally everyone is in the last Electric Map show… This photograph is courtesy of Andy and Lucy Jurcak. This photograph was taken facing southwest at 4:31 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

…and the lights were turned out at the ticket booth. This photograph is courtesy of Andy and Lucy Jurcak. This photograph was taken facing southwest at 4:31 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

Approximately 130 people were in the show as it started at 4:25, and 30 were let in late as we showed you in a previous photograph. Therefore, the auditorium that seated 550, had approximately 160 for its last show. This photograph is courtesy of Andy and Lucy Jurcak. This photograph was taken facing west at 4:25 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

This photograph is courtesy of Andy and Lucy Jurcak. This photograph was taken facing northwest at 4:25 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

This photograph is courtesy of Andy and Lucy Jurcak. This photograph was taken facing south at 4:25 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

The south side of the auditorium is the most filled as visitors sitting there are oriented to the north as they are on most maps. This photograph is courtesy of Andy and Lucy Jurcak. This photograph was taken facing south at 4:25 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

Here are the contributors to the first pictures in this post, Andy and Lucy Jurcak.

The Electric Map is being loaded on the trailers for storage. This photograph is courtesy of Barbara Adams. This photograph was taken facing southeast prior to Tuesday, March 24, 2009.

The excavator begins on the 1962 Electric Map Lobby. This photograph is courtesy of Barbara Adams. This photograph was taken facing southwest on Tuesday, March 24, 2009

This photograph is courtesy of Barbara Adams. This photograph was taken facing south on Tuesday, March 24, 2009

This photograph is courtesy of Barbara Adams. This photograph was taken facing southwest on Tuesday, March 24, 2009

This photograph is courtesy of Barbara Adams. This photograph was taken facing southwest on Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The excavator is advancing well into the 1962 Electric Map Auditorium. This photograph is courtesy of Barbara Adams. This photograph was taken facing southwest on Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

This photograph is courtesy of Barbara Adams. This photograph was taken facing southwest on Tuesday, March 31, 2009

This photograph is courtesy of Barbara Adams. This photograph was taken facing southwest on Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

This photograph is courtesy of Barbara Adams. This photograph was taken facing southwest on Tuesday, March 31, 2009

This photograph is courtesy of Barbara Adams. This photograph was taken facing southwest on Tuesday, March 31, 2009.

Topsoil has now been placed on the Electric Map Visitor Center demolition site. This photograph is taken near the Taneytown Road. This photograph was taken facing west at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

The Cyclorama parking lot is in the background. This photograph was taken facing southwest at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

The donator’s bricks are still in place by the old restroom tree. This photograph was taken facing southwest at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

We hope the equipment that’s left will be used to demolish the old visitor center parking lot. This photograph was taken facing southwest at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

The Borough of Gettysburg is asking the National Park Service to leave this parking lot in place so that groups on ghost tours in the town will have a place to park their buses while the groups are on their tours. The National Park Service is leaving it in place for now to be a demolition “staging area” when work begins on the Cyclorama Visitor Center. This photograph was taken facing northwest at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

We don’t understand why the Borough isn’t asking the Gettysburg School District to use their parking lots at their middle school, elementary school, and former elementary school which are much closer to most of the ghost tours off Baltimore Street. Tours from Steinwehr Avenue could use the Cyclorama parking lot. Hopefully the National Park Service will do what they planned to do in the first place, and restore this area closer to the way that it looked at the time of the battle. This photograph was taken facing south at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

The debris piles that were here a couple of days ago have now been removed. This photograph was taken facing southeast at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

If the Visitor Center had still been standing, we would be looking at the back of the 1962 Electric Map Auditorium. This photograph was taken facing east at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

Here are the ten seats still remaining from the 550 seats in the Electric Map Auditorium. This photograph was taken facing east at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

This photograph was taken facing northeast at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

A wider view of the area to be rehabilitated… This photograph was taken facing east at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

…and a closer view. This photograph was taken facing east at approximately 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 3, 2009.

See the following related posts:

Old Visitor Center Restoration Update and some Demolition “Action” Shots on April 27, 2009.
Old NPS Visitor Center and William Patterson House Updates on April 21, 2009.
William Patterson House and Old National Park Service Visitor Center Updates on April 15, 2009.
Culp’s Hill Part 2 with LBG Charlie Fennel, and Visitor Center Demolition #13 on April 10, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #12 on April 8, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #11 on April 7, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #10 on April 6, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #9 on April 4, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #8 on April 3, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #7 on April 2, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #6 on April 1, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #5 on March 31, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #4 on March 27, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #3 on March 26, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #2 on March 25, 2009.
Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Begins on March 24, 2009.
Cyclorama Construction Fencing: Completed on North Side, Redone on West Side on March 13, 2009.
A Fence Too Far: Cyclorama Construction Fencing Completed on West Side on March 1, 2009.
Construction Fences Arrive at Old Visitor Centers on February 27, 2009.
Old Visitor Center Lawn in Limbo on May 28, 2008.
Lights Out at the Electric Map on April 13, 2008.
Moving Day at the Gettysburg Visitor Center on April 12, 2008.
An Emptiness at the Visitor Center on March 31, 2008.
Gettysburg Guide Room: The Final Days on March 8, 2008.
A Sunday Afternoon Walk Around the Old Gettysburg Visitor Center on February 24, 2008.