_{Concept art of the Redwood Discovery Center’s interior. | Screenshot}

Crescent City is pursuing grant dollars that would ultimately lead to putting the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce, Redwood National and State Parks and Redwood Parks Conservancy’s visitor centers under one roof.

The city is seeking $985,000 in California Jobs First “catalyst” dollars that will pay for the environmental documents, plans, specifications and estimates needed to get the endeavor ready for construction. Its aim is to turn the Cultural Center into a regional landmark, City Manager Eric Wier told councilors on Monday.

But Crescent City is competing against about 50 other applicants from Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties, and only nine will receive grant funding, Wier said.

“They’re looking to award possibly nine applications in our region to the tune of about $500,000 to $1.5 million per application. We’re right in the sweet spot of that,” he said. “It’s not out of the question, but it’s highly competitive.”

Four members of the City Council ratified the California Jobs First grant application. Councilor Candace Tinkler was absent.

The proposed Redwood Discovery Center is part of Crescent City’s quest to get visitors to extend their stay. Putting the public-facing components of Redwood National and State Parks, the Crescent City-Del Norte Chamber of Commerce and the Redwood Parks Conservancy would allow them to learn about the parks’ attractions as well as where to stay, where to eat and where to shop.

In December 2023, the Crescent City Council, Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce and Redwood Parks Conservancy contributed more than $160,000 toward a feasibility study that included an assessment of the Cultural Center as well as concept drawings.

In November 2024, Councilors saw designs for a friendlier entryway into the 51-year-old structure that will include informational kiosks, fewer stairs and an accessible route that would either take visitors into the Cultural Center or to the nearby Tolowa Interpretive Walk. The second phase of a larger project paid for by $3 million in Clean California grant dollars, the Cultural Center’s entryway improvements would tie the building in with the city’s Beachfront Park expansion.

On Monday, Wier said the first phase of redesigning the Cultural Center’s interior calls for enclosing the porte-cochére — the covered driveway on the building’s ground floor. It would add 2,000 square foot to the structure. Visitors would walk into an atrium that leads into a gift shop and ranger station area, he said.

A new set of stairs and an elevator would take folks to office space on the building’s third floor, the city manager said. The chamber could use that space as could the Redwood Parks Conservancy, he added.

Preliminary estimates suggest the buildout for this phase would cost about $1 million.

The new floor plan for the Redwood Discovery Center also includes an exhibit hall and a gallery. Previous concepts also included a mock redwood tree in the center of the building to give folks an idea of what to expect inside the park.

“They’re even talking about a theater so you could sit down and learn about Redwood National Park and really get that full experience,” Wier said. “Then [there] is an accessible deck on back, which would put you on the Tolowa Interpretive Trail, which is also part of the California Coastal Trail.”

According to Wier, the total buildout cost for the Redwood Discovery Center, including the exhibit hall, gallery and theater, is  between $10 million and $12 million.

In response to Councilor Jason Greenough, who asked about weddings and other large events the Cultural Center often hosts, Wier said the vision at this point was to have a dedicated exhibit hall.

The city manager spoke of possible tribal partnerships creating an exhibit honoring Tolowa culture, saying it likely wouldn’t be conducive for a wedding.

“But a lot of times what you see in other buildings that have these types of components is you could facilitate an auction or hors d’oeuvres or something like that where people are in that space and are walking around.”

Wier said building out the proposed exhibit hall, theater and gallery areas would likely take a $12 million grant. Obtaining $1 million for the gift shop, lobby and ranger station areas is a stronger reality, he said.