Architecture Program
Date of this Version
April 2005
Abstract
The project consists of designing a cultural event center to be located in the original Historic District of downtown North Platte, Nebraska. The project will be a redevelopment of a previous redevelopment project completed in the 70’s. The event center will be designed around the existing Canteen Monument. It is this location that over six million service men and women were greeted and served free coffee, milk, cigarettes, candy bars and several other items as well. The cultural events center will house offices to fulfill economic development and tourism for the city of North Platte. The cultural events center must be flexible in the amount of people it will serve at different times. The events will range from 10 to 500 people. The cultural events center could host activities ranging from musical events to lectures and presentations regarding area agricultural business, tourism, commerce, history, etc. These facilities will also provide a link to the past canteen spirit and the building that once stood proud in North Platte. The site is adjacent to the busiest train yard in the world. The railroad is an important economic and historical part of North Platte. The Cultural Events Center site is adjacent to the tracks and would incorporate a viewing deck and possibly provide a siding track for the Challenger during frequent visits to North Platte. The current facility puts up a barrier between the edge of downtown and the rail activity. The rail activity should be celebrated and brought to the foreground as a part of the development of North Platte, Nebraska. The event center will serve as a focal point of activity for the main street. This focal point must be a high profile activity to bring visitors as well as commerce to the downtown area. This attraction through the main street buildings will be incorporated with some storefront improvements to link the events center with the downtown district. Mentor: Wayne Drummond
Comments
M. Arch. thesis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, May 2005