Title: EAGLES ISLAND NATURE PARK’S VISITOR CENTER
Location of Proejct: Eagles Island, Wilmington, NC
Project Completion Date: 05/2022
Firm Name:

Short Description: The Eagles Island Visitor Center is the first structure proposed for the Eagles Island Nature Park Master Plan. The Visitor Center is inspired by 19th-century waterfront warehouses that once housed turpentine and maritime materials. It is located on the island’s high ground, above base flood elevation. It reflects the history of the site with an iconic style. An 8-story observation tower creates a unique vertical experience during a visit to the site. The building creates a strong visual connection with the atmosphere of Downtown Wilmington, a mere 200 yards across the Cape Fear River.

Architect's Statement: OVERVIEW

The Eagles Island Visitor Center was inspired by the old waterfront warehouses that once dotted the island–containing industrial materials used for shipbuilding. Located on the northeast side of the island, the Center is sited on the high ground to avoid nuisance flooding or storm surge following a hurricane.

The building creates a strong visual connection with the atmosphere of Downtown Wilmington. An observation tower creates a unique vertical experience, offering a panoramic view of Wilmington, and of the surrounding landscape. It also creates visual balance and evokes the visual memory of the smokestacks that were often located close to waterfront warehouses.

A first-time visitor to the Island can rent one of 24 kayaks, and take a guided tour from a park ranger. The water is perhaps the best place to admire the unique aspects of this island—and a kayak launch creates a chance to float into a new experience.

PLAN+PROGRAM - ARCHITECTURE (IMAGES 1-9)

The Visitors Center is divided into two buildings. The first is the main visitor center, containing a small gallery, display rooms, and an administrative office for park staff. It attracts first-time visitors to the island and those who are interested in knowing its history. It also contains kayak storage for those who would like to experience the river. The kayak storage contains space for 24 boats. The buildings are sited 14 feet above sea level, accommodating the 9’ Base Flood Elevation and 5’ of free-board. A metal roof and cedar cladding are harmonious materials with its surrounding environment. The observation tower is 8 stories high, exactly as tall as a proposed hotel development at the site. It serves as a visual landmark to anyone along the river where to find the Visitors Center.

A first-time visitor to the Island can rent one of 24 kayaks, and take a guided tour from a park ranger. The water is perhaps the best place to admire the unique aspects of this island—and a kayak launch creates a chance to float into a new experience.

From the bottom up, the kayak storage area and launch is made of tabby-aggregate concrete. Above is a coastal foundation, rated for Category 5 Hurricanes. The framing is made from galvanized steel, supporting exposed cedar rafters–evoking an architectural quality similar to those seen in the region’s historic churches.

The second building is a place for gathering. It attracts visitors and the residents of the region. The deck accommodates gatherings for weddings and parties, with space for 100 people. It stays open after 5 pm, and can be reserved. Its goal is to activate the Cape Fear riverfront.

PLAN+PROGRAM - SITE PLAN (IMAGES 10-12)

We believe Eagles Island deserves to be treated as a natural system, rather than a series of parcels from which value is extracted. The highest and best use for this part of the island is a visitors center and nature walk, practically located on high ground, linking to a major tourist destination and future pedestrian bridge, providing spectacular views of downtown Wilmington and opportunities to fish, discover history, and encounter shipwreck remnants.

Eagles Island Nature Park begins just beyond the newly redesigned living shoreline landscape at the Battleship North Carolina. Abutting the Cape Fear River, a nature walk made from sustainably sourced and manufactured Accoya deck boards and stabilized shell tabby welcomes first-time visitors and year-round users alike. A trip through the park connects visitors to the Battleship all the way to the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge.

The first phase of the Visitor Center and Nature Walk begins with a 1000’ shell tabby path from the ferry terminal. An observation & education deck shares the history of how this island came to be and its unique relationship with the commerce and industry of downtown Wilmington. Another deck gives the first glimpse of the Visitors Center, a state-of-the-art building constructed above the 100-year flood line.

A later phase of the Nature Park affords the chance to explore shipwrecks at a covered observation deck, and weave through black ash and pond pine in a forested shrub wetland on a quarter-mile nature walk. A half-mile boardwalk links pedestrians from the Visitors Center to Battleship Road.

The third phase imagines the decommissioning and replacement of the existing Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, on which 62,000 vehicles cross daily. As a new bridge is constructed to the south to accommodate the projected 100,000 daily vehicular crossings, the old bridge can continue to function as a critical linkage to pedestrians and cyclists visiting the park from Wilmington.