Flamingo Visitor Center

National Park Service ~ Homestead, FL ~ 18,502 SF ~ Construction: $9,630,000

St John Principal Ed Setzler served as AE Project Director for the National Park Service’s complete rehabilitation of the historic 1950’s Guy Bradley “Flamingo” Visitor Center in the Everglades National Park. This highly complex 18,502 SF historic rehabilitation included structural improvements to meet 175-mph Miami-Dade standards; roofing replacement; replacement of mechanical, electrical, and fire protection systems; and the interior build-out of a new museum gallery, medical aid station, law enforcement precinct, curatorial storage area, classroom, and staff office spaces. Interior finishes include durable custom terrazzo flooring and indigenous natural wood, integrated into a Miami Modern interior design theme. The Secretary of the Interior's Standards (36 CFR 67) were carefully integrated into the design to harden the facility to withstand hurricane force winds and 5-feet of standing water at ground level. Infrastructure improvements included ABAAS accessibility upgrades, revegetation of historic landscapes, and replacement of a 0.4-mile water supply line to provide adequate water pressure for fire suppression systems.