Author and historian Paul Schullery encouraged the crowd of more than 600 invited guests and park visitors to heed the sentiments of President Theodore Roosevelt after his 1903 visit to the park: “Every day, we work to understand Yellowstone again, in light of new science, new needs, and new dreams,” noted Schullery. “Roosevelt felt that we have learned to cherish Yellowstone not only for all it has given us so far, but also for all the things that it keeps in trust for us until the day we are wise enough to recognize them.”

$15 million of the $27 million cost of design and construction of the new Old Faithful Visitor Education Center was provided by the nonprofit Yellowstone Park Foundation, the official fundraising partner of Yellowstone National Park. More than 400 individuals, foundations, and corporations made contributions to the Yellowstone Park Foundation for the project, ranging from two dollars to three million dollars.

Tom Strickland, the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks commented that this is part of our nation’s tradition. “Conservation in America has always been a partnership between the government and the people.” Strickland went on to praise the fact that “this new visitor center is a stunning example of what can be achieved through public-private partnership to advance the causes of conservation, preservation, and education.”

National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis unveiled the plaque from the U.S. Green Building Council recognizing that the new Visitor Education Center has achieved Gold LEED certification in recognition of its sustainable construction and operational standards.

The building was also designed to set new standards for accessibility and for the interpretation of complex scientific information to the public. “The interactive exhibits will engage curious young minds, reaching a generation … that is more technologically sophisticated than any other in our history,” said Jarvis.

It was a theme Bannus Hudson, the Chairman of the Yellowstone Park Foundation, echoed in his remarks. “Yellowstone aspired to create more than just a visitor center so that the 3 million people who visit the area would leave Old Faithful with a deeper understanding of its extraordinary geothermal features and be inspired to help steward Yellowstone.” Hudson reflected that “the building would not be what it is today without the generosity of these many partners in the effort.”

The doors to the new facility opened to the public for the first time at the conclusion of the ceremony. Those unable to attend the event in person were able to go online to watch the event live on the Old Faithful streaming webcam.

The dedication ceremony was held in conjunction with the 94th birthday of the National Park Service. Yellowstone National Park is the world’s first national park, created by an Act of Congress and signed into existence on March 1, 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant.