Hawk Mountain Sanctuary announced plans Thursday to replace its aging visitor center with a new $13 million facility designed to improve accessibility, expand educational opportunities, and showcase the organization’s conservation work around the world.
The announcement was made during an October 15 press conference at the sanctuary in Albany Township, Berks County, where President Sean Grace joined State Rep. Jamie Barton and Board of Directors Chair Beth Hucker to discuss the project.
The new Visitor Center and Center for Global Raptor Conservation is part of a $13 million capital campaign, with $10 million already raised and $3 million remaining. Demolition of the existing building is expected to begin in spring 2027, with construction immediately following. The new facility is anticipated to open in fall 2028.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Grace said during the announcement.
Grace explained that the project has been in development for several years, with the organization spending the past five years refining designs and privately raising funds. He said discussions about replacing the visitor center date back approximately two decades.
The decision to construct an entirely new building rather than renovate the existing facility was driven by structural concerns and the cost of addressing those problems.
“Our current visitor center has serious structural integrity issues,” Grace said, also noting that portions of the building, including the Wings of Wonder Gallery, are not accessible to visitors with disabilities.
According to the sanctuary, the decision to move forward with construction comes as building costs continue to rise and fundraising enters its final phase.
“With $10 million already committed and construction costs continuing to rise, Hawk Mountain’s Board has determined that spring 2027 is the right time to move forward with this historic project,” Grace said. “We are tremendously grateful to the donors who have supported us to this point, and we’re excited to invite the entire Hawk Mountain community to help us finish what we started.”
The replacement facility will be approximately 31% larger than the existing visitor center and feature a fully accessible, single-floor layout. Plans include a soaring timber-frame entrance with vaulted ceilings nearly 30 feet high, new interpretive exhibits, additional office space, and a multipurpose educational room.
Other features will include covered porches and terraces, an outdoor fireplace, native landscaping, bird-feeding and observation areas, bird-friendly glass windows, and energy-efficient building features.
The design also calls for improved connections to the sanctuary’s existing accessible trail and outdoor spaces. Grace said the building will be oriented along an east-west axis to provide southern roof exposure for potential solar energy use.
The sanctuary also intends to preserve and reuse selected features from the current building, including stained glass artwork created by local artisans and a prominent carved wooden beam bearing the Hawk Mountain name.
Grace emphasized that the new center will be designed primarily around the visitor experience while highlighting the scientific research, conservation initiatives, and educational programs that extend well beyond the mountain itself.
“First and foremost, we really took a look at this from what do our visitors need? What do they want? What do we need as far as to put across education?” Grace said.
Although the current visitor center will be demolished, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary will remain open throughout construction. Visitors will continue to have access to trails and overlooks, while educational programming, public events, and conservation research will continue.
A temporary visitor service area will be established during construction. The sanctuary said additional information about parking, visitor check-in, restrooms, accessibility, and programming arrangements will be announced before work begins.
Grace explained that temporary workstations and facilities will be established near the parking lot and pavilion, while some employees will work from trailers and other existing buildings on the property.
“We will be open for programming the entire time,” Grace said. “We have restrooms on site. We’ll have some limited facilities here on site. We have our amphitheater, which we built four years ago, so we expect to be completely in business.”
The organization is also continuing its fundraising efforts to reach the $13 million campaign goal. While $10 million has already been committed, sanctuary leaders emphasized that additional contributions are needed to complete the project.
Hucker reaffirmed the board’s commitment to the project and praised the staff and volunteers responsible for advancing the sanctuary’s scientific and educational mission.
“The board’s commitment to a new visitor center will advance the scientific and educational aspects of our organization exponentially,” Hucker said. “As Sean mentioned, we have a $13 million goal. We are working hard to cross that finish line.”
She added that the organization is working toward obtaining the necessary permits before construction begins.
Barton, who grew up in the area, spoke about Hawk Mountain’s importance to the surrounding community and its international reputation for conservation and education.
“What we think of is education, conservation, and certainly recreation,” Barton said. “People come here for different things, but they get all three of those.”
He also highlighted the sanctuary’s economic contributions to the region, noting that visitors traveling to Hawk Mountain support nearby businesses, restaurants, artists, and accommodations.
Grace said the sanctuary currently attracts approximately 70,000 visitors annually and expects that number to increase following the completion of the new facility.
He explained that visitation has become more evenly distributed throughout the year as hiking and outdoor recreation have grown in popularity, rather than being concentrated primarily during the fall raptor migration.
“We really want to try to make this a destination location,” Grace said.
Beyond tourism, the new visitor center will provide an opportunity to better communicate Hawk Mountain’s international conservation efforts.
Founded in 1934 by conservationist Rosalie Edge, Hawk Mountain became the world’s first refuge for birds of prey, helping to end the shooting of migrating raptors at the site. Today, the sanctuary protects approximately 2,600 acres along Pennsylvania’s Kittatinny Ridge and conducts conservation science, education, forest stewardship, and professional training programs.
According to Grace, the sanctuary’s training programs have supported 542 individuals from 78 countries, many of whom have continued into scientific research and conservation leadership positions.
The organization also participates in research involving American kestrels, vultures, snowy owls, and other raptor species, along with statewide bird monitoring initiatives.
Grace said the new exhibits will help visitors better understand that work and the sanctuary’s role in protecting birds of prey around the world. Exhibits currently in development will also highlight Hawk Mountain’s history, including the effort to stop the shooting of migrating raptors that led to its founding.
The project will also place greater emphasis on the Native Habitat Garden, which Grace described as an important educational resource. Plans call for better integration between the garden and visitor center, along with improvements to bird-feeding areas and opportunities for visitors to learn about native plants.
Grace said the new building’s footprint is designed to encroach less on the garden than the existing visitor center, despite the overall facility being larger.
The sanctuary has worked with native plants for more than 30 years, and Grace said the garden plays an important role in educating visitors about the relationship between native vegetation, insects, and birds.
He also expressed hopes that the completed facility will become a model for nature centers internationally.
“If there’s an award in 2028 for the best new visitor center on the globe, I want it to be this one right here,” Grace said.
As the project moves toward construction, Hawk Mountain is seeking additional support to raise the remaining $3 million needed to complete its capital campaign.
“Thousands of people have a Hawk Mountain story: a first visit, a school field trip, a day at North Lookout, or a moment when a migrating hawk passed overhead,” Hucker said. “This project is about making sure those experiences continue for generations to come and we need your help.”
The sanctuary expects demolition to begin in spring 2027, with the new facility anticipated to open in fall 2028.
Additional information about the project, architectural renderings, and fundraising campaign is available at www.hawkmountain.org/visitorcentercampaign.
