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Little Round Top

Gettysburg, PA

Capturing the essence of the battlefield experience while accentuating key moments

A key historical landmark in the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, Little Round Top is one of Gettysburg National Military Park’s most heavily visited sites. Current visitation levels far exceed the capacity of Little Round Top’s trails and roadways, and visitors often stray from authorized trails, causing damage to natural and cultural resources. Overcrowding can also compromise the visitor experience. Parking configurations and congestion create conditions that are dangerous for pedestrians crossing the roadways.
Project Details
Client
The Gettysburg Foundation
Size
70 acres
Completion Date
Warehaus’ contributions were completed in 2016
Services
Architecture, Civil
Site Plan for Little Round Top Battlefield in Gettysburg National Military Park

We listen.

To address these concerns, The Gettysburg Foundation commissioned a cultural landscape report that sought solutions for overuse, overcrowding and landscape degradation. Warehaus partnered with The Gettysburg Foundation to create an architectural and site plan and budget to help secure funding for the improvements.

We design.

The schematic design focused on improving and/or adding approximately 1.5 miles of trails system. Surface treatment selections and widths for each trail were based on a hierarchy or significance of the trail system. In addition, the schematic design focused on constructing 10 observation decks and additional gathering areas to displace large groups off the trail system during tours which were proposed at key vantage points overlooking the battlefield. Due to the historic significance of the terrain, each element proposed was unique in nature to ensure the minimal amount of ground would be disturbed during construction.
Site Plan for Little Round Top Battlefield in Gettysburg National Military Park
Little Round Top Battlefield in Gettysburg National Military Park

We deliver.

Warehaus’ civil engineering team also created plans that outlined increased parking at the summit to improve circulation for both vehicular and bus traffic. Throughout the site, crosswalks were recommended to give visitors a safe path of travel. The civil team coordinated the schematic design to extend public utilities over a mile, to a proposed comfort station, which converted and expanded an existing schoolhouse into a rest space with vehicular and bus parking. Additionally, the team researched and discussed many different surface materials with the client, to minimize stormwater runoff on the new trail system, where erosion issues caused an ongoing threat.

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