Beaver Meadows Visitor Center and Rocky Mountain National Park
Dates
January 2001 - Designated as a National Historic Landmark
Context
The Beaver Meadows Visitor Center continues to be one of Mission 66’s biggest successes, gaining recognition as a National Historic Landmark in January of 2001. The building’s design is harmoniously in line with Mission 66’s core philosophy of enhancing the visitor experience in tandem with the rise of the automobile. This impressive structure shifts the viewer’s focus to the park itself and encourages mobility. Its expansive, window-laden interior constantly reminds visitors to explore the outside world.
The center’s furniture and decor, personally selected by Olgivanna Lloyd Wright and Taliesin Associated Architects, take a similarly modernist approach as the building itself, mixing manufactured aesthetics with a hint of naturality (National Historic Landmark Nomination, 2001). Like the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center itself, the furniture offers visitors a welcome place to rest, but discourages them from lingering for too long while the park beckons.
