Fort Monroe Visitor and Education Center

WPL was retained as the landscape architectural consultant on the adaptive re-use of Building 138, Wisser Hall.  The structure was built in 1909 and is a contributing structure to the Fort Monroe National Historic Landmark (NHL) District. The building’s close proximity to the Casemate Museum and Fort Monroe Authority Administration offices along with the circulation patterns for visitors to the fort suggested that Building 138 be reused as the Fort Monroe Visitor Center.  Toward the end of designing the Fort Monroe Waterfront Park, WPL was asked to study the pedestrian connections from the waterfront and Continental Park along Ingalls Road to connect the proposed Visitor’s Center, Cannon Park at the west Fort entry, and the Base Theater as an overall walkable loop for future visitors. WPL ultimately master planned the 400^th Commemoration Walk retracing the first steps of the first freed Africans as they walked from the waterfront into the fort in 1609.

The Visitor Center site design improvements include an enhanced main entry area, drop-off area for visitors on Ingalls Road, enhanced parking area on the southeast that connects to the Commanding General’s Quarters Formal Garden for garden, wedding, and other formal events and a redesign of the service areas. Enhanced pedestrian connections to the Fort and Casement Museum along the north side of the Visitor’s Center and development of a small, raised terrace for interpretation by National Park Service and Fort Monroe staff to address visitors prior to their entry into the Fort and Casemate Museum are also designed.