Just in time for Independence Day, the jazzed up new visitor center at Monmouth Battlefield State Park in Manalapan, NJ, has been completed, incorporating new design ideas to showcase something very old. The park preserves the site of the 1778 Battle of Monmouth, a key turning point in the Revolution. “We were able to frame the battlefield by using large expanses of glass,” ikon.5 architects Joe Tattoni tells us, adding that the design enhances the visitor’s experience dramatically, providing views that were previously obscured.

ikon.5 designed the center to update and replace portions of the decades-old existing facility. The new visitor center adds 8k SF and includes 6k SF of renovated space, with a more environmentally friendly building and museum-quality exhibition space that tells the story of the battle, which is also associated with the legend of Molly Pitcher. The park is also the site of the Craig House, a restored 18th-century farmhouse. The firm has been recognized with an Honor Award by AIA-NJ for its design of the visitors center.