New Visitor Education Center at Old Faithful Ready to Welcome Visitors

More than two years of construction work have drawn to a close on a new Visitor Education Center at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.

State-of-the art exhibits have been installed set to coincide with the 94th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service.

The visitor center designed and built in the late 1960s was demolished between the fall of 2006 and the spring of 2007 to make way for the new two-story, 26,000 square foot structure. Park officials had the building designed to be compatible with the rustic architectural style of the Old Faithful Historic District.

The new building was designed to set new standards for accessibility and for the interpretation of complex scientific information to the public. It will be one of the first National Park Service visitor centers to achieve Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification awarded by the U. S. Green Building Council. It achieved the Gold rating by using sustainable elements in building location and construction, water conservation, use of sustainable materials, and indoor air quality.

The nonprofit Yellowstone Park Foundation provided $15 million of the $27 million cost of design and construction. The foundation is the official fund-raising partner of Yellowstone National Park. More than 400 individuals, foundations, and corporations made contributions to the Yellowstone Park Foundation for the project, ranging from $2 to $3 million.

Visitors can browse the interactive exhibits in the new building, including a working model geyser.