Crews Monday will begin tearing down the original Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center at Mount Rainier National Park.

Superintendent Dave Uberuaga told me Saturday that demolition crews have removed all the salvageable and hazardous materials from the structure, which opened in 1966.

Unfortunately, the public will not be able to watch the demolition because the Nisqually Road remains closed because of flood damage at Kautz Creek. The road is not scheduled to reopen until Friday.

Named after the late Henry “Scoop” Jackson, the visitor center was the focal point for the 450,000 people that typically visit Paradise each year. It housed exhibits and movies, served as the starting point for guided hikes and snowshoe walks and was a place for winter visitors to warm up after a day playing in the snow.

Since late September, workers have been going through the 60,000 square foot structure removing hazardous materials, including asbestos, and anything that could be recycled, Uberuaga said.

The demolition was once set to take place next spring, but crews were able to finish quicker than planned, Uberuaga said.

A crane with a wrecking ball will be used to smash the roof of the building, which had a $1.6 million price tag 42 years ago. The saucer shape of the building precludes the use of explosives to bring it down.

The park plans to use about 90 percent of the concrete from the structure to fill the area before it is turned into additional parking spaces, Uberuaga said.

In October the park opened a $22 million new visitor center. The new structure is just 18,000 square feet, compared to 60,000 square feet in the building to be torn done. Park officials estimate the carbon footprint of the new building is 75 percent smaller than the 1966 building. That will result in an energy saving of almost $145,000 annually.