City of Clinton Natchez Trace Visitor’s Center

The City of Clinton asked for a design reminiscent of traditional local building types, to be built adjacent to the Natchez Trace Parkway. The building contains a multi-media/conference room with adjacent catering kitchen, history/museum room, gift shop/reception area, public restrooms, vending, and general staff offices. After extensive research, a building plan was developed utilizing forms from local traditional residential structures. The dog-trot is used to separate the public restrooms from the remainder of the building. The building appears to be two stories from the exterior, but the majority of the interior of the building is open to the full height giving the rooms the scale required to feel historic while maintaining a modern edge. The porches add another layer to emphasize the grand scale of the building. The front, back and side porches allow visitors to rest and take in the views. The selection of traditional building materials was critical to achieving the desired design effect. All exterior handrails, columns, steps, and wood details are re-milled 100 year old heart cypress. Completed with the City Engineer Williford Gearhart & Knight, Inc. the site was developed to provide for picnic areas, nature trails and views to the Natchez Trace Parkway.