GETTYSBURG, Pa. (AP) — The National Park Service says it will tear down the Cyclorama building at the Gettysburg National Military Park that used to hold the 377-foot painting depicting a pivotal moment in the Civil War battle.
The park service has planned to tear down the building since 1999 but the architect Richard Neutra’s son and a preservation group opposed the decision. The court battle over the building has lasted more than three times the length of the Civil War.
A court-ordered study last year found the best course of action would be to demolish the building.
The building was constructed in 1962 to house Paul Philippoteaux’s 360-degree painting of Pickett’s Charge. The restored painting-in-the-round was moved to a new visitor’s center in 2008.
The Park Service says demolition should begin this winter.
