Demolition of the Old Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center Update #3

The 1962 addition to the “old” Visitor Center had the area where the Electric Map Lobby was located almost completely removed on Thursday. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

You might be saying to yourself, did they really do three days in a row of Visitor Center demolition? Yes we did. In our first post we saw the initial work in the middle of the structure. In our second post we saw the breaching of the wall to the 1962 addition. In today’s post, they have almost completely removed the 1962 Electric Map Lobby.

This video shows some of the work in progress. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

A closer view of the excavator working with the debris you saw in the previous video. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

The three doors should help you place this location. The center door is where one entered the Electric Map auditorium. The two outer doors were the exit doors from the auditorium. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

Here’s what this area looked like less than a year ago when the last Electric Map show occurred. The center door entrance to the map with the ticket booths. View looking west at approximately 4:00 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

The south exit doors from the map. This view was taken facing west at approximately 4:10 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

Lining up in the Electric Map lobby for the final, 4:25 PM show. The floor here is now almost completely gone. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 4:15 PM on Sunday, April 13, 2008.

The steel beams in the left foreground were from this lobby floor. The contractor working when we were there said the rainy day was a good day to work because it kept down the dust and they didn’t have to look into the sun. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

The contractor also told us today (Friday) would be a short day. He hopes to finish taking out the final area of the Electric Map Lobby floor above the old guide room. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

The contractor also told us he is leaving the south (far) wall up over the weekend. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

The contractor said that he wants to leave the wall up over the weekend so that when visitors go to the cemetery from this direction, they won’t see all the debris. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

So if you’re by this weekend, take a last look at this side of the old Visitor Center/Rosensteel building… This view was taken facing north at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

…because this center part’s coming down on Monday. This view was taken facing north at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

Our previous information had the contractor starting on the 1921 part of the building soon. However, all the debris around it has not yet been removed. This view was taken facing south at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

Today the contractor told us he wants to get into the 1962 Electric Map auditorium next week. He also said that most of the stadium seats are in there and will not be removed when the building is torn apart. He said that nothing was being sold, and that he wasn’t to give away anything, not even a brick. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

See the following related posts:

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.