The Powerhouse Visitors Center in Kingman, Ariz., may get a makeover from Thayer Design Inc. from Virginia, reports the Kingman Daily Miner.
Thayer representatives met with the ETDC in May and took note of the perceived problem areas in the center, including the lack of outdoor shade and curb appeal; difficulty in navigating the building; lighting and noise levels; the need for food service due to the loss of the Memory Lane restaurant; and the use of the back portion of the building for public functions. […]
The two versions of the Powerhouse improvement plan are alike in that they both create an updated building facade, shaded outdoor picnic pavilion areas, upgraded literature and local merchant display racks and cases, and a Crossroads Café. […]
Both versions of the plan relocate the visitor information desk to the center of the main room on the first floor, thereby allowing visitors quick access upon entering the center. The desk is currently located to the far left of the entrance.
In addition to updates in the overall color scheme – the “modern ’50s” theme – each concept includes a more professional looking entrance to the Route 66 Museum upstairs.
It makes your head swim when you realize how far Route 66 has come. When the revival started in the early 1990s, most museums devoted to it were of a homemade affair. Now design firms are being hired to tweak these facilities.