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Interior view of Richard Neutra's Cyclorama Building showing the Gettysburg Cyclorama, painted by French artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

NPS study recommends razing Gettysburg landmark

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf
Interior view of Richard Neutra's Cyclorama Building showing the Gettysburg Cyclorama, painted by French artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Interior view of Richard Neutra’s Cyclorama Building showing the Gettysburg Cyclorama, painted by French artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) – A study by the National Park Service recommends tearing down the building at the Gettysburg National Military Park that used to hold the 377-foot painting depicting a pivotal moment in the Civil War battle.

The court-ordered study found the best course of action would be to demolish the Cyclorama building that has stood in the park for 50 years.

The park service has planned to tear down the building since 1999, but the architect Richard Neutra’s son and a preservation group opposed the decision. The court battle over the building has now lasted more than three times the length of the Civil War.

The building was constructed in 1962 to house Paul Philippoteaux’s 360-degree painting of Pickett’s Charge. The restored painting-in-the-round was moved to a new visitor’s center in 2008.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

AP-WF-08-29-12 1107GMT

ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Interior view of Richard Neutra's Cyclorama Building showing the Gettysburg Cyclorama, painted by French artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Interior view of Richard Neutra’s Cyclorama Building showing the Gettysburg Cyclorama, painted by French artist Paul Dominique Philippoteaux. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Gettysburg Cyclorama. Image courtesy of Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation.
Gettysburg Cyclorama. Image courtesy of Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum Foundation.