Project Narrative and Photos provided by CTA
This project consisted of the rehabilitation of, and addition to, the Old Faithful Photo Shop. The building was originally built in 1927 by Jack Ellis Haynes as part of Yellowstone National Park’s photography concession, Haynes Picture Shops. Yellowstone National Park’s (YNP’s) goal was to revitalize this building and return it to public use. The Yellowstone Park Foundation (YPF) will operate the building as a support space for park patrons – providing them the facilities to view old photographs and postcards of the Park and also enjoy and share their current photographs and memories. The facility will provide access to the YPF website where visitors can post their photos for all to enjoy, and for emailing of digital photographs to friends and family.
The Old Faithful Photo Shop is located in a remote area, in the middle of a National Park. The National Park Service has restrictions on construction in the Park, and travel into the Park adds unwanted miles onto product delivery. The contractor pooled his deliveries together, to economize on fuel and man-hours. This location also limits the amount of locally available materials, since Wyoming and Montana are scarcely populated states with less product manufacturing than is present in many other states. A concerted effort was made by both the design team and the contractor to specify and purchase locally made materials. One local company – Montana Reclaimed Lumber – provided a 40% discount on the reclaimed wood used for siding and trim. The vast amount of natural illumination through the ample windows in the historic building was originally considered a benefit, yet could have become a liability. The intense heat gain and glare at certain times of day was simply solved with double-track blinds that shield light while still providing exterior views, supplemented with black-out shades that support educational sessions.
One advantage not originally considered was that the building is, in effect, part of a larger campus with shared facilities: parking, restrooms, recycling depositories, bus stops, stores, housing, etc. This community is accustomed to employee bicycle traffic and pedestrians. It is also accustomed to night skies, as mandated by the Yellowstone National Park Outdoor Lighting Standards. Lastly, as an existing built resource, its reuse has saved tons of material extraction and manufacture, the related carbon dioxide expenditure, and the manpower associated with its original construction. A common understanding in the historic preservation community is that the greenest building is the one already built. The Old Faithful Photo Shop is a testament to that adage and a physical reminder of the legacy built by Jack Ellis Haynes and his father, F.J. Haynes.
