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Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

News Release

For Immediate Release                                                                                  September 16, 2009

Kristy Wallisch 504-589-3882 ext. 225

An architect’s rendering of the new Visitor Center and a map of closures and parking are available on the park website at http://www.nps.gov/jela/new-chalmette-battlefield-visitor-center.htm (credit National Park Service if published). Construction progress will be updated regularly on the website.

Contract Awarded For New Chalmette Battlefield Visitor Center

The construction contract for the new visitor center at Chalmette Battlefield, site of the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, has been awarded. Work is scheduled to begin in October. The battlefield and adjoining national cemetery are located at 8606 West St. Bernard Highway in Chalmette and are one of six sites of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, part of the National Park Service system. During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, structures at the battlefield and cemetery were severely damaged and the visitor center was destroyed.

New Orleans-based Gee Cee Company of Louisiana, Inc. expects to begin construction on the new visitor center in October. Current schedules call for completion of construction in July 2010 with exhibit installation completed by September 2010. The construction schedule will permit the 2010 Battle of New Orleans anniversary event to be held at Chalmette Battlefield on January 8 and 9.

During construction, the historic Malus-Beauregard House on the battlefield grounds will serve as a temporary visitor center, open 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. The house and public restrooms will be accessible by a walkway from a visitor parking area at Cannon Battery 4 near the flagpole. The battlefield’s Tour Loop Road, visitor center construction area, Chalmette Monument, and the parking area near the monument and visitor center will be closed.

The new visitor center will encompass 3,500 square feet, more than twice as large as the old one. Displays, interactive exhibits, maps, and short films will address the War of 1812, the New Orleans campaign, the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815, and the effect that the American victory had on Louisiana, the United States, and the world. The visitor center will also include space for education programs and public meetings.

For more information, call the battlefield at 504-281-0511 or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/jela.

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