Henry M. Jackson Visitor Center, Paradise, Mt. Rainier National Park
The photograph on this postcard shows the former visitor center of Paradise, Mt. Rainier National Park. The card is from Dexter Press, Inc. and published by Ellis Post Card Co., Arlington, Washington. At the lower left corner on the reverse is the code: 45087-C. At the upper left corner on the reverse is: “Visitor Center at Mt. Rainier National Park. This five level building provides a circular picture window which gives a panoramic view of Mt. Rainier and the surrounding scenery. W-434. Ektachrome by Clifford B. Ellis.” The card has scalloped edges that were produced on postcards from the beginning in late 1930s. The cards are punched out with a die cut. They are not particularly scarce but also not common.
The Paradise Visitor Center opened in 1966 and was renamed the Jackson Visitor Center in 1987 after the late Senator Henry M. Jackson who had promoted the development of the project. It was demolished and replaced by a newer day-use facility in 2008. The original building, seen on the card, was part of the Mission 66 program to expand National Park visitor services. Many people did not like the way the building looked, comparing it to a sunken version of the Seattle Space Needle or a flying saucer, and did not think it blended in with rustic style of older park buildings or the location. However, similar modernist style buildings were consistent with other Mission 66 projects. The most significant problem with the building turned out to be the roof which was not able to handle the amount of snow that falls during the winter at Paradise. The winter snow had to be melted off the roof, at great expense, in order to prevent the roof from collapsing. Adding ramps and other features failed to meet newer accessibility codes and signaled the demise of the building.
New Jackson Visitor Center, 2019
The new smaller, energy efficient day-use building that opened in 2008 is still named the Jackson Visitor Center. It was designed and constructed in the more popular National Park Service Rustic style. The new building offers exhibits, films, guided ranger programs, a book store, snack bar, gift shop, public restrooms and informational brochures and maps.
For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_M._Jackson_Visitor_Center
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/1288182986
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