Into the Woods at Last

If architect Tom Holden gets his way, lovers of the Louisiana outdoors will soon have a view of the Mississippi River they’ll never forget. As president and CEO of Holden Architects, Holden’s has been the guiding hand behind many architectural projects. But ten years ago, when the Louisiana Office of State Parks came calling with a concept to build a state-of-the-art treetop interpretive center amid 1100 acres of Tunica Hills wilderness northwest of St. Francisville, he knew he wanted to do it. Working with structural engineers from Ove Arup Engineers and landscape architects from Joseph Furr Design Studio, Holden designed a state park interpretive center to bring the area’s spectacular but rugged natural topography within reach. Plans describe four buildings elevated eighty feet above the ground, connected by 120-foot-long footbridges that crisscross a forested, steep-sided ravine. Visitors will traverse the ravine at treetop level to visit exhibit buildings and classrooms. The complex will be connected to the park entrance by a natural-gas-powered tram system and twenty miles of hiking trails, four miles of which will be handicapped-accessible.

Sound too good to be true? With $10.5 million approved in the 2013 Capital Outlay budget, Holden expects construction for Phase 1 to begin within six months. Completion of Phase 1 is anticipated within two years. This phase covers roads, bridges, the entrance station, hiking trails, primitive campsites, a manager’s residence, and the pièce de résistance: A cable-stayed river outlook cantilevered over a bluff 160 feet above the Mississippi. “On a clear day you’ll have a ten-mile view up and down the river,” noted Holden. “This project has the potential to put the public in touch with this area with such sensitivity and awareness. There’s nothing else like it in the state.”

Read more about the project at holdarch.com and jfds.com/portPlanning01.htm.