For more than 50 years, the Cyclorama building has sat on Cemetery Ridge at the heart of the historic Gettysburg battlefield.
“I was only 15 years old and I remember what a great building I thought it was,” recalled Hanover resident Stephen Manger.
But now fans of the building are fighting a new type of battle. A handful of people gathered on the battlefield Sunday to protest plans to tear it down.
“America has this habit of tearing down anything that’s old. I think we need to preserve not just our old history like here at the battlefield, but our current history,” said John Weidman, who helped organize the protest.
The building, which was once home to the 360-degree Cyclorama painting of Pickett’s Charge, is now a shell of its former self.
“Many people have worked for many years to save it. And the National Park Service has refused to listen,” said Susan Cabot, a historian who attended Sunday’s protest.
The National Park Service announced in January they’re planning to tear the building down this winter.
“I feel terrible about it. I think it’s a great travesty,” Cabot said.
A spokesperson from Gettysburg National Military Park issued a statement on the decision to demolish the building which reads in part: “In early January 2013, the National Park Service made the decision to demolish the Cyclorama building at Gettysburg in order to rehabilitate the battlefield.”
The National Park Service plans to restore the battlefield to what it looked like in 1863 once the building is torn down.
12 Comments to “Group protests plans to demolish Cyclorama building”
February 25, 2013 at 9:31 AM
The US Park Service is actually trying to restore an important piece of the Gettysburg Battlefield by destroying the Cyclorama. How convenient that THEY took and restored the original at THEIR Park Headquarters and Visitor Center. I have an idea for them, unless they wish to continue at Gettysburg that which the did @ Harpers ferry, when they took over the whole town in the early 1990's and drove out all private businesses (All in the name of historic preservation, of course). I propose that From Seminary Ridge @ SW Confederate Avenue, directly East to the corner of Washington St., continuing AROUND the National Cemetary, to Cemetary Ridge , South to the Tanneytown Road until it corners @ Route 15 then back West to Confederate Ave. Nice BIG square park that encases MOST of Gettysburg battlefield. I'm SURE the National Parks Service will LOVE telling all those business owners and owners of private homes that their being told to sell their property to the Park Service, for the better good, as they did to the FEW citizeens of Hapers Ferry. Lets see how well, that attempted take-over, all for the greater good, of course goes.
February 25, 2013 at 11:12 AM
Let it go!
February 25, 2013 at 12:12 PM
no…obviously…
February 25, 2013 at 12:23 PM
How can you not be in favor of the sites preservation? Yes, the Park Service built the building many years ago, but the time has come to make changes. The efforts to preseve the battlefield should be welcomed. We are not talking about private home owners or small businesses. This is a building that has no further use and any money spent on it is money wasted. At some point it only makes sense to replace the old and move on. We all do this everyday in our own lives. With homes, cars, appliances,… ect. It's seen it's better days and is time to move on. After all, it's about the battlefield NOT the building.
February 25, 2013 at 10:12 PM
Dear Eric –if their spoken motives and actions were truthful "restoring the battlefield " –there might be some point to it . But the TRUTH is that is NOT the case —there are many other buildings and memorials at Gettysburg—they don't like this one because it is a MODERN design. The reason for wanting preservation is on many levels — I went there as a child and the cyclorama gave me information and substance and therefore understanding of what had taken place there. That presentation also has the theme of peace and reconciliation. It was very meaningful to me —and I still remember being there vividly . Then of course it is by one of our leading historic and iconic architects – Richard Neutra—whose work is gaining even more acclaim as the world has become enamored with the life and times of the 1950's era in which he designed. We need to preserve this national treasure.
February 25, 2013 at 10:35 PM
yea, we are a "throw away society" and apparently we are willing to pick and choose our history as well. Considering the views of architectural historians and scholars who have identified that building as a serious contribution to American architectural design and clear acknowledgement of its qualification for the National Register of Historic Places, it looks like the park service is picking and choosing our history. Demolishing this outstanding example of this Neutra designed work is nothing short of cultural vandalism. That is a practice not unlike the behavior of the Islamic extremists who are demolishing historic mosques in north Africa and elsewhere in the name of their version of their religion.
February 25, 2013 at 12:52 PM
Excellent ideas regarding preservation are incredibly wonderful, but, it seems, only when it serves the purposes of the National Park Service. As I said, IF the National Park Service wishes (or PRETENDS to wish) that it will rid the battlefield of that building for the good of all involved, I would hope that they would extend the same ideas outward from ONE building, and take out ANY structures NOT of the battlefields on July 1-3, 1863. Otherwise, as usual, they seem a bit self-serving.
February 25, 2013 at 4:51 PM
It's all free money (taxpayer), right? A few more million won't matter to a 17 Trillion dollar debt, right?
February 25, 2013 at 5:55 PM
So a high-cost removal of a landmark is wiser than a cheaper re-roofing job? Yeah…makes financial sense. Cretin.
February 26, 2013 at 1:21 PM
That building is an eyesore … poorly designed …. and serves no purpose. I know if I designed a montrosity like that I would be not want my name associated with it… The real history is what took place on that part of the field before this thing was built. It was a mistake to build it to begin with. Look at it as righting a wrong, and move on.
February 26, 2013 at 10:19 PM
I feel like the Gettysburg Civil War Community (like America is organized, living all together in the same place) stole a federal park for themselves, really.
So, Mr. OBAMA let them go with their IGNORANCE, the American Institute of Architects honored to Richard Neutra with a Gold Medal in the 77 ', because at least they are far from being fascists. http://www.preservationnation.org/ National Trust for Historic Preservation owns 2 National Monuments that originally were designed as housing build around the 50's, FARNSWORTH HOUSE & GLASS HOUSE, I think all of you has to re-bird to understand why? I'm also really surprised at your irrelevant comments mostly 'locals' over the global cultural community that are ashamed of what NPS are doing with the support of all of you, even the Park doesn't belong PA, is a Federal land.
The 77' was the LUCKY YEAR for the NPS, when the architect hired by Mission 66 TURNED INTO A MASTER-DESIGNER receiving the American Institute of Architects MEDAL GOLD, (nobody will guess that before and many others Visitors Centers was unsuccessful choices), corroborating what envisioned for the GNMP (one of the best buildings at that times) was a complete success!, and all these DISRESPECTFUL PEOPLE commenting here in pro for the Neutra's Cyclorama demolition throw away what were painstakingly built by many other scholars and leaders in this country today considered part of Contemporary American History that enlarged the nation. I hope someday soon, all this disrespectful people will realize the wrongness of their thoughts.
February 27, 2013 at 9:36 AM
I find it ironic that the building the NPS built to expand visitors to Gettysburg, is now a big eyesore. If the NPS didn't expand operations during the baby boom, a lot less people would have visited these sites, and there would not be a push to tear down the very thing that probably brought all these people to town. Face it, the battlefield itself is not that interesting. You can look at any open area piece of land and think what the battle is like. Gettysburg is nowhere near this with all the monuments and other modern amenities. If they want to "restore" the battlefield, they should remove all these as well and the roads, etc. that run on the battlefield.
I think they should have renovated the building and turn it into a museum showcasing the history of the NPS. a part of the museum could have been on the fact that the NPS has made mistakes with site selection of buildings. Yes, they made a mistake and now they are trying to reverse that mistake.