What’s up with the visitors' center?

A year after the Delaware North concession stand opened, there is still little for visitors to see in the display portion of the visitors center.

So the State Park Visitors’ Center is still not complete.

I was walking past the washrooms last week when I saw a professional photographer working.

He had a tripod, an expensive camera and a bag of gear. It didn’t look like someone shooting B-roll for the chamber of commerce.

I approached and struck up a conversation. They worked for GWWO and were in town to capture the partially finished project. GWWO is a Baltimore-based architecture firm that specializes in public spaces.

The governor has come and gone. So have the dignitaries. Niagara Falls is still receiving no property tax for state lands along the river and no revenue from the Maid of the Mist or the parking lots.

The park, and its perfectly encapsulated experience, remains a sequestered experience detached from and not really benefiting the host city.

The Delaware North concession stand has been open for more than a year. The washrooms are open as well.

In fact, the bathrooms are gender neutral with no urinals and toilet stalls with doors that extend to the floor. The sinks have automatic soap, water and air dryers. It’s fun watching people walk in and not understand what is happening. All genders are welcome.

The visitors center itself has a desk inside for greeting people and answering questions and some map displays but it is devoid of meaningful displays. Completion is supposedly tied up in litigation. The Express has heard the same rumor from 3 different directions but has not been able to receive confirmation from State Parks.

The GWWO folks said the design is a “pavilion in a park” with glass using the natural light to make it seem part of the place. The panes were butt-glazed with transparent mullions to give a clear view. The architectural element on the windows that evokes falling water is actually “bird frit” designed to be visible to our avian friends who otherwise might fly into the glass.

The architect directing the photo shoot said BWWO has done lots of public projects including the Pike’s Peak visitor’s center in Colorado.

The State Park visitors center was designed to engage 3 kinds of visitors, the streakers who want to get past as quickly as possible, the strollers who take their time and look at things, and the scholars who want to stop and read everything and learn all the details. The lack of a finished product on the $40 million project means, at this point, there is nothing there for the scholars. You can, however get overpriced, trashy food and the bathroom is very pleasant.