YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK -- Sam Galindo was honored to open the doors to the long awaited new visitor center at Old Faithful. "It's a wonderful experience," said Galindo.

First Lady Pat Nixon opened the doors to the last center in 1972.

Hundreds attended the dedication of the new facility. Everyone from park officials to donors came together to celebrate.

"Over the course of five years the foundation raised $15 million in private funding," said Karen Kress, president of the Yellowstone Park Foundation. "We raised money from people who gave $2 to people who gave $3 million.

The total cost of the structure is $27 million, $12 million of that came from federal funding.

Yellowstone National Park is known as being one of America's first parks and now it has one of the most unique buildings of all the national parks.

"It's not the typical visitor center," said Kress.

The center has an eco-friendly design. Most of the materials are recycled. Contractors say the building will use one third less energy than other structures the same size.

"The lobby is beautiful the architecture is amazing on the inside," said attendee Terry Schwab.

The center has educational exhibits for all ages, explaining everything from different types of wildlife to how geysers work.

The dedication ended with a special salute from Old Faithful, the world famous geyser that helps bring in three million people into the park every year.