Antelope Island State Park Visitors Center
Syracuse
- Catalog No.0536
- ClientUtah Dept. of Natural Resources
- Area15,200 SF
- Completion1995
Serving as the gateway to this unique 30,000-acre state park on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, it introduces and transitions visitors to the lake and the island. The timeless award-winning design, rooted in the concepts of regional modernism, follows the northern ridge of the island, complementing and emphasizing the power of the natural landscape. We used site topography to anchor the building, creating a modernist building which integrates itself into the local landscape. Comprised of cast-in-place architectural concrete and salvaged timbers, the center is evocative of the island’s sparse flora and rocky geology. The exhibit area includes a central room running the entire length of the facility as well as a multipurpose room used for films and lectures. Both have carefully framed views of the island Great Salt Lake and mainland. The roof frame for the central portion of the structure employs exposed timbers salvaged from the 12-mile railroad trestle, which spanned the northern arm of the Great Salt Lake as part of the Southern Pacific Railroad’s Lucin Cutoff. The recycled redwood and fir timbering adds to the heft and feel of the visitor center, as do the exposed infrastructure, the highly articulated joints, and smooth concrete slabs. Throughout the building there is an easy juxtaposition of natural and artificial materials.