Eisenhower Lock Visitors’ Center

The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation (GLS) is a government-owned corporation created in the 1950s to construct, operate and maintain parts of the St. Lawrence Seaway between the Port of Montreal and Lake Erie within the territorial limits of the United States.  

Aubertine and Currier (A&C) has provided Professional Design Services as Prime Consultant for a brand new Visitors’ Center at the Eisenhower Locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway with the intent of building a center that will host visitors from all over the world to learn about the St. Lawrence River’s living environment, history and how the lock systems work along the corridor. The facility will allow for year-round activities and was designed to incorporate several sustainable features while utilizing natural and locally available materials. Its systems were designed to be energy efficient and follow LEED guidelines.

As part of the design, interactive exhibits were integrated throughout the center to tell the story of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Beginning at the entryway, you will find visitor services, security, and restrooms, then continue along the covered pedestrian walkway to the three-story 8,800 SF Center. Integrated into the center are security offices, training rooms, a conference area, elevator, kitchen, gift shop, and display areas for historic lock construction artifacts and photographs and of course large viewing platforms facing the lock.