See the new Overland Park Arboretum visitor center that will open later this summer

A new $22.7 million visitor center is nearing completion at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. The 21,000 square-foot center, which sits west of the current entrance, will be known as LongHouse Visitor Center. It features a dramatic zinc-colored metal roof atop a stone building, contemporary in design, with floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing panoramic views for visitors.

The cost of the visitor center includes the purchase of 20 acres of land, design and construction services, along with equipment to operate the facility. The exterior ground around the new center will feature an upper pond, a great lawn, a wedding lawn, as well as entry gardens.

The name of the center pays tribute to Janet Long, a donor to the project, and also reflects the longhouses used by Native Americans and Scandinavians as community gathering spaces. The facility will be available as a rental venue for weddings, and community or corporate events. The city hopes to have a grand opening in August or September.