Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is preparing to demolish the landmark Jaggar Museum.
On Wednesday, contractors fenced off the museum, the adjacent former site of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, and part of the attendant parking lot at Uekahuna in preparation for an eventual demolition of the buildings to take place “in the weeks ahead,” according to a park news release.
The museum and HVO station were critically damaged during the 2018 Kilauea eruption, when the countless earthquakes triggered by the volcano’s caldera collapse forced the closure of the park for 134 days. HVO has since moved its operations to Hilo, while the museum has remained inaccessible to the public.
With half the parking lot closed off for a staging area, vehicles longer than 25 feet and wider than eight feet will not be allowed past Kilauea Military Camp.
Although the buildings will be removed, the observation deck there will remain, along with minimal interpretive displays. Uekahuna will be restored to a “more natural landscape,” according to the park.
Some materials from the buildings — such as decorative stained glass, plaques and the like — may be repurposed at a new HVO field station, currently under construction near the ballfield at Kilauea Military Camp.
The park also will make changes to Crater Rim Drive to improve safety at the entrance to the park, including the installation of an administrative lane and a roundabout beyond the entrance station. The contract for that phase of the project is 600 days, but can be extended.
“Park visitors, tour operators and the community should expect reduced parking, delays at the entrance station, and the potential for temporary area closures, especially if a summit eruption occurs during construction,” said park Superintendent Rhonda Loh in a statement. “We thank our partners, visitors and the community for their patience during this process.”
Meanwhile, rehabilitation work at the Kilauea Visitor Center is slated to begin as early as fall 2024.