The Recent Past Preservation Network Sues to Prevent Demolition of Historic Building at Gettysburg.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The Recent Past Preservation Network, a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation and understanding of modern architecture, has sued the National Park Service to prevent the agency from demolishing the historic Cyclorama Center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The lawsuit, filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges multiple violations of the National Environmental Policy Act and the national Historic Preservation Act, and would prevent the Park Service from demolishing the Cyclorama Center until the agency complies with federal law.

The Cyclorama Center was designed by the late architect Richard Neutra, who is recognized by architectural historians and the popular press alike as a master architect of modern design. Neutra's buildings stand alongside those of fellow architect and friend Frank Lloyd Wright in the history of American architecture. Neutra's contributions to American design include some of the greatest works of architecture in this country, such as the Lovell "Health" House in Los Angeles and the Kauffman House in Palm Springs. In 1977, Neutra was posthumously awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal, an exclusive and prestigious award honoring his "lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture."

The Cyclorama Center is a rare example of Neutra's civic architecture on the East Coast. The architect himself described it as the project closest to his heart. In 1998, the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places declared the Cyclorama Center to be an historic structure, concluding that the building possesses "exceptional historic and architectural significance."

The Park Service currently plans to demolish the Cyclorama Center as part of an agency plan for the area of Gettysburg known as Ziegler's Grove. In 1999, the agency pledged to notify and involve the public in any future changes to Ziegler's Grove, and to comply with federal environmental laws. Today's lawsuit charges that the Park Service has not kept these promises. Instead, the agency has determined to tear down the Cyclorama Center without any public notice or involvement, and in violation of two major federal laws protecting the environment.

The Recent Past Preservation Network hopes to persuade the Park Service that the Cyclorama Center should be relocated, not destroyed. The group has been working with the community and has received strong interest in preserving and relocating the building within Gettysburg. The organization has the support of a variety of businesses, property-owners, and developers, and has even identified suitable land in town. However, the Park Service has not responded to any letters or phone calls from the plaintiffs in more than two years.

The other plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Dion Neutra, the architect son and professional partner of Richard Neutra, and Christine Madrid French, who has authored several published works on modern architecture in America's national parks. All three plaintiffs are represented, on a pro bono basis, by the law firm of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP.