What’s been dubbed the living room of Fort Vancouver will open its doors this afternoon, following a 13-month renovation.
The Visitor Center at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site will stage a reopening celebration from 1 to 4 p.m. at 1501 E. Evergreen Blvd., just across the street from the east end of Officers Row.
“This building is the living room to the national park,” Superintendent Tracy Fortmann said Thursday as she and other staff members worked on some finishing touches.
The interior was reorganized to produce more usable space, even though the center’s footprint wasn’t expanded.
New display cases are stocked with items from Fort Vancouver’s extensive museum collection. The artifacts — including coral from Hawaii and the lid from jar of bear grease hair pomade — highlight some of the chapters of history that get more extensive interpretation around Fort Vancouver.
The displays also illustrate something that distinguishes Fort Vancouver; most historic sites represent one moment in time or one historic figure.
“This place brings many events together, and they all interconnect,” Fortmann said.
There are interactive exhibits and tables where families can participate in hands-on activities.
Curator Theresa Langford offered one interactive topic: “What things you use today will be artifacts of the future?”
The interior will feature the work of Northwest artist Lillian Pitt, whose family represents Yakama, Warm Springs and Wasco tribes.
The nonprofit Friends of Fort Vancouver will operate the center’s bookstore.
The Visitor Center was built in 1961. With the renovation, the facility will be ready for the National Park Service’s centennial celebration in 2016. The $1.7 million project was funded by entrance fees generated throughout the Park Service system.
Exterior work will continue, including landscaping and renovations of the picnic shelter.
Today’s event is free and open to the public; it will include refreshments and live music by the Vancouver Community Concert Band.
