Access Acadia: Inclusive Descriptions of Park Destinations
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LINK TO WAYSIDE IMAGE IN NPGALLERY
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LINK TO RECORDED AUDIO DESCRIPTION
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Access Wayside: Gateway into Acadia
An audio description is provided for "Gateway into Acadia," an interpretive wayside at Acadia National Park.
Date created:
08/22/2023
Audio Transcript
Across the paved Park Loop Road from Jordan Pond Gate Lodge, a wayside exhibit features a panel angled atop a rectangular stone base. A stand of trees forms a backdrop for the stone lodge and its separate carriage building, topped with a steeply angled roof.
The exhibit's title, "Gateway into Acadia," appears over an architectural drawing for Jordan Pond Gate Lodge.
Introductory text reads: "This gated lodge was built in 1932 to keep motor vehicles off of John D. Rockefeller Jr.'s carriage roads and out of Acadia's interior. Rockefeller hired New York architect Grosvenor Atterbury to design the building in harmony with the natural surroundings. Atterbury chose the Rustic Norman style typical of European hunting lodges to emphasize Acadia's early French influence. Look carefully for features like the high-pitched roof and half-timber detail and for Atterbury's signature "A" carved into the shutters. Local granite, coupled with shades of red, brown, and black, blend the building into its forested setting. Originally serving as a residence for Rockefeller's road engineer, the lodge has since become housing for park employees. Please respect their privacy."
Two insets show a photo of Grosvenor Atterbury and of Rockefeller Hall, which is now open to the public as a welcome center at the Schoodic Education and Research Center on the Schoodic Peninsula.
A quote: "The group of buildings is much more imposing and important than I dreamed it would be, and of course exceedingly charming and decorative." - John D. Rockefeller Jr. in a letter to Grosvenor Atterbury, 1932
Access Wayside: Gateway into Acadia
An audio description is provided for "Gateway into Acadia," an interpretive wayside at Acadia National Park.
Date created:
08/22/2023
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service