C&O Canal Headquarters

MFSE staff provided both a structural assessment of several historic buildings on the site of the National Park Service Headquarters and Visitor Center for the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Historical Park, as well as structural design for a new Headquarters building.

Sitting at the northwest corner of the site, the G.A. Miller Lumber Company complex includes a series of connected, historic buildings thought to have been built in stages from approximately 1790 to the late 1920’s. Miller Lumber moved to this location after their previous place of business was destroyed in the 1889 flood and made various modifications and additions, including a series of wood-framed lumber storage sheds and wood shops. Several pre-engineered metal buildings and a lean-to lumber shed were added in the late 20th Century and were removed to make room for the new Headquarters building. The older buildings on this site are contributing resources within the Williamsport Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

The new Headquarters building is designed to harmonize with Williamsport’s traditional architecture. The structural systems are primarily wood, with selective steel framing integrated. Site improvements and landscape elements were also designed to guide visitors through the site. The design included significant environmental goals for sustainability.