Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL HomeNew Arizona Memorial visitor center nearly complete

New Arizona Memorial visitor center nearly complete

By Jim Mendoza bio | email

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Construction of the new USS Arizona Memorial visitor center has crossed the halfway point.

Several structures now dot the construction site.

"Now we're getting to the point where we can actually envision what it's going to be like," National Park Service project director Tom Fake said.

Renderings show the finished product. It will be better and bigger.

"We're going to almost triple the size of this visitor center. There won't be this clustering and crowding but rather spread out throughout the shoreline," USS Arizona historian Daniel Martinez said.

The building's feature canopy roofs, sloped to funnel trade winds and set high to give off shade. A quarter of the energy will come from solar power. Work's nearly done on an education center, research room, and a new ticketing booth.

The layout is designed to tell a more complete story of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and the aftermath. The Arizona's anchor and other artifacts are being relocated to an oceanside walk. The center will be solid and built to last.

"The new phase of the visitor center is actually supported on 200-foot deep piles," Fake said.

The old building went up in 1980. It's too small for today's crowds. The new center opens in February.