the architects

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson
Bohlin Cywinski Jackson specializes in architecture, planning, and interior design and has been creating spirited structures in the midst of complex programs and varied environments for nearly four decades. Celebrated for their exceptional design that ranges greatly in scale and circumstance, BCJ’s architecture is alive with the subtleties of place. As open to the rich possibilities of materials and means of construction as they are to the varied natures of people and the characters of institutions, BCJ consistently exhibits an extraordinary aesthetic that’s both intellectual and intuitive.

With a portfolio that includes the Visitor Center and Museum for Turtle Bay Exploration Park, the Liberty Bell Complex in Independence National Historic Park, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science Raptor Center, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s Bear Run Interpretive Center, this firm believes visitor centers are an exciting building type. With more than 255 regional, national, and international awards, BCJ welcomes intriguing opportunities to educate and inspire the public in some of the most extraordinary landscapes on our continent.

Peter Bohlin, FAIA, Awarded the 2010 AIA Gold Medal

The American Institute of Architects' board of directors awarded the AIA Gold Medal to Peter Bohlin, FAIA, on December 3, 2009. The Pennsylvania-based architect and founder of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson is renowned for his versatile, contextual use of materials. The AIA Gold Medal is the highest honor the AIA confers and acknowledges an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. more...

the exhibit designers

Ralph Appelbaum Associates
For the past two decades, Ralph Appelbaum Associates has provided comprehensive services to clients with challenging missions in the areas of public education, public space, institutional design, capital funding, and the promotion of new products and programs. Best known for large-scale permanent exhibits, RAA has completed more than 125 installations in the fields of social, natural, and cultural history for national and international museums, memorials, and heritage projects.

Currently the largest interpretive museum design firm in the world and employing a staff of seventy specialists in various design and communications disciplines, RAA brings significant events, people, and artifacts to life. With more than ninety awards to their credit and an extensive portfolio of clients including the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Park Service, and the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, RAA reaches and educates more than twenty million people a year through interpretive experiences and exhibits.

the builders

Intermountain Construction
Intermountain Construction of Idaho Falls was selected to build the new visitor center. With experience building ski lodges at Sun Valley, ID, and Snowbasin, UT, Intermountain Construction has completed contracts for several government agencies, including the General Service Administration, U.S. Navy, Army Corps of Engineers and other areas of the park service. The company won a national award for historic renovation at Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park.