The ongoing redevelopment of the administrative center at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona will convert the site into a net-zero energy facility.

Major rehabilitation work is underway on five buildings and public spaces in the Painted Desert Community Complex. Crews are upgrading the visitor center and administration building, one housing block, a vehicle storage building, a maintenance building, and the central outdoor plaza.

Construction began late last year and is expected to finish in 2027. The updated complex will improve space for park visitors, staff, and residents.

The park is known for its Triassic fossils and large deposits of petrified wood.

The original complex was completed in 1965 during the Park Service’s ‘Mission 66’ development program. Mission 66 was a ten-year plan to expand visitor services by 1966, in time for the Park Service’s 50th anniversary. Designers planned the site as a “microcosm of a city,” using low-rise buildings and flat roofs around protected outdoor courtyards.

The buildings developed structural problems soon after construction. Expansive clay soils damaged foundations and concrete masonry walls. Later repairs only partially solved the issues and, in some cases, affected the original design.

Hennebery Eddy Architects is leading the rehabilitation with the National Park Service (NPS). The team is also working with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Neutra Institute, and the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office. The project team plans to strengthen the buildings while preserving the original design.