Elk Country Visitor Center
Keystone Elk Country Alliance
Keystone Elk Country Alliance
Situated on 245 acres within the heart of Pennsylvania's elk range and within the Elk State Forest, the Elk Country Visitor Center will be a premier elk watching and conservation education facility in the Pennsylvania Wilds and the entire Eastern United States. Home to the largest elk herd in the Northeast, this rugged and mountainous area is a destination for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds. The Center, housed in a LEED Gold certified building, is just a short distance from the small village of Benezette, PA., will provide a needed focal point for elk watching tourists coming to the area.
The 8,400-square foot eco-friendly building has a stone fireplace to greet visitors, a Great Room with ceilings supported by large wooden trusses and a panorama of windows looking out on elk viewing areas and food plots. It also features a Story Theatre presenting a multimedia experience and other techniques and interpretive exhibits to immerse the visitor in the sights, sounds and smells of a mixed hardwood forest, the natural world of the elk and native wildlife and the heritage of the region. The site also includes a gift shop, public restrooms and a series of wildlife watching trails, observation areas and viewing blinds.
For this project we conceived every aspect of the guest experience including siting the Elk Country Visitor Center; developing the landscape including interpretive biomes representing critical elk habitat; conceptualizing and providing architectural design direction; design direction for all interior detailing, furnishings and finishes; concept and design direction for the interpretive exhibitions and interactive media; concept and design direction for the 4D theater experience, including the unique screen effect which unveils a glass enclosed observation area and the exit from the theater; and, concept and design direction for the trail system and observation stations. The project would not have been possible without the extraordinary commitment and efforts of Rawley Cogan, President of the Keystone Elk Alliance and Greg Kurk of Magic Lantern Studios in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information visit: www.ExperienceElkCountry.com
The 8,400-square foot eco-friendly building has a stone fireplace to greet visitors, a Great Room with ceilings supported by large wooden trusses and a panorama of windows looking out on elk viewing areas and food plots. It also features a Story Theatre presenting a multimedia experience and other techniques and interpretive exhibits to immerse the visitor in the sights, sounds and smells of a mixed hardwood forest, the natural world of the elk and native wildlife and the heritage of the region. The site also includes a gift shop, public restrooms and a series of wildlife watching trails, observation areas and viewing blinds.
For this project we conceived every aspect of the guest experience including siting the Elk Country Visitor Center; developing the landscape including interpretive biomes representing critical elk habitat; conceptualizing and providing architectural design direction; design direction for all interior detailing, furnishings and finishes; concept and design direction for the interpretive exhibitions and interactive media; concept and design direction for the 4D theater experience, including the unique screen effect which unveils a glass enclosed observation area and the exit from the theater; and, concept and design direction for the trail system and observation stations. The project would not have been possible without the extraordinary commitment and efforts of Rawley Cogan, President of the Keystone Elk Alliance and Greg Kurk of Magic Lantern Studios in Pittsburgh, PA. For more information visit: www.ExperienceElkCountry.com
Preliminary Concept Plan for Elk Country Visitor Center
Concept Illustration of Entry showing Interpretive Biomes and effect of concealment berms.
The Pennsylvania Elk Country Visitor Center includes a 4D Theater experience. Set around a crackling and smoking fire, guests join the scene and are surrounded with the sights, sounds, and smells of elk country. As the story unfolds stars come out overhead, seats rumble with the approach of a thunderstorm, snow falls inside the theater and guests are transported to a Winslow Hill campsite. At the conclusion of the experience the wall of the theater opens to reveal the exit path and a view of the elk habitat.
In the site's concept plan above, one can see the suggested viewshed across Buckenizer Hollow to the Quehanna Wilds and beyond. As the program developed I wanted to capture that view for the final 'reveal' effect in the Story Theater. This photo, taken four years after I sketched the site plan and views, shows the first time the screen was opened revealing the viewing window and exit from the theater. Right on queue, the elk showed up for the occasion.
Great Room showing Central Hearth feature and Timber Truss detailing. In the foreground is the diorama fabricated by Taylor Studios. At the far side of the room is the entry to the Discovery Lab, a hands-on investigative space inspired by the 19th Century idea of the
Interior of Discovery Room where guests are invited to share in hands-on exploration of the critters and culture of elk country. Since announcing the construction of the Elk Country Visitor Center, numerous volunteers have come together to deliver educational programming and assist those who visit. Through the efforts of the volunteers the Discovery Room is rapidly filling with outstanding artifacts and specimens utilized in the Center's programs and outreach initiatives.
View of the Elk Country Visitor Center which opened in Fall of 2010 with a grand celebration and ribbon cutting by Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania.
In this view from opening day you can see a family experiencing the Pennsylvania Elk Country Visitor Center as it was envisioned, as a gateway to the Pennsylvania Wilds. Here, the family has just exited the Visitor Center and headed out on the Meadow Trail. A group of elk, including a large bull wearing a radio collar are seen in the background.
