Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument Welcome Center
To create a point of focus for visitor welcome and orientation within Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, Elliotsville Foundation commissioned Saunders and Reed Hilderbrand to join a process with National Park Service and Wabanaki Nations to create a visitor contact station with an associated landscape and sequence of paths, lookouts and roads. Work is conceived in dialogue with and will be executed in partnership with a Wabanaki Advisory Board. All Wabanaki Cultural knowledge and intellectual property shared within this project is owned by the Wabanaki Nations.
Architectural and landscape designs resulted from a process between Elliotsville Foundation, representatives of the Mi’kmaq Nation, Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Penobscot Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe; Saunders Architecture, Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture, and National Park Service (NPS). A multitude of thoughts, cultural narratives, and ideas are forming a collective lens with Wabanaki sensibilities, helping orient the interior, landscape and exhibit design of the Welcome Center.
A design team with top U.S. and international talent, in consultation with the NPS, has completed construction documents including state-of-the-art sustainability features, innovative use of forest products, and landscape architecture sensitive to the rich context and to the needs of diverse visitors. A holistic interpretive and creative plan will be grounded with works of Wabanaki people. As of December 2021, the north road section to the building site, service road, and parking areas are passable; the south road section is cleared. The building foundation is poured, following extensive blasting, ledge removal, and site preparation. The interpretive plan is in design development. Full-scale construction, landscaping, interpretive design, and fabrication will commence in late spring 2022.
Location
Millinocket, ME
Dates
2019-
Size
11 acres
Leadership
Team
