Seeing is believing

Steve Dangermond of Dangermond Keane Architecture designed the new Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center nearly two years ago. On Tuesday, he toured the site with its steel frame in place for the first time. ?It?s exciting to see because it gives a sense of what it will become when it?s finished,? he said. The next step is getting the skin on so Ainsworth-Benning can outfit the interior of the building. ?This feels really good,? Dangermond added.  

A cage once used in the Ross Shaft will be a focal point of the exhibit area. It recently was embedded into the concrete floor to make it handicapped accessible. When the building opens June 1, audio and video inside the cage will give visitors a taste of what a cage ride to the underground is really like.

A geology lesson

Below a large viewing window overlooking the Open Cut, a kick plate describes geologic features of the iconic landmark. The kick plate measures 16 feet long by 3 feet wide. The panoramic photo can be seen at the top of the page.   

Telling the stories

Ten panels, such as the one pictured at right, line two walls of the new Visitor Center. Each 8-foot tall by 5-foot wide panel give visitors a glimpse into the lives of the diverse peoples who lived and worked in Lead, the history of mining and the science at Sanford Lab. Black and white images surrounding the interior of the building depict life in Lead from the early days to the present.