K-25 PRESERVATION
National Historic Preservation (NHP) efforts at the K-25 Site will honor the men and women who designed, built, and operated the world's first gaseous diffusion plant and the hundreds of facilities and structures that followed. For more than 70 years, the site and its people have delivered defense, energy, and environmental cleanup missions that have helped end war, fuel nations, and restore the local landscape.
Please note that the images in the following gallery are from the conceptual design and are not to be interpreted as the final design.
The Department of Energy will commemorate the site's contributions through the delineation and dedication of the K-25 Building "footprint." In the spot where the story began, visitors will explore the rich history of this Manhattan Project site, cloaked in secrecy and driven by urgency.
The History Center's exhibits and displays will feature building equipment replicas, period artifacts, and worker oral histories.
Burn Barrel for secure collection and eventual disposal (burning or shredding) of classified documents
Cover Badges were handed to workers upon entry through a K-25 portal and worn from their photo ID badge to ensure authorized entry into K-25
Potentiometer from Building K-1401 formerly used at Columbia University SAM Laboratory where barrier material was being developed
Poster of classified "special chemicals" developed for use with uranium hexafluoride at K-25 with code names to disguise actual chemical names
A cross-section of K-25's gaseous diffusion cascade (click HERE to learn about K-25 Building) will be recreated in an Equipment Building. The visitor will experience the size and magnitude of the site's signature facility from the Viewing Tower.
National Park Service-style wayside exhibits will provide additional information about the site, its people, and its missions.
In December 2014, the footprint of the former K-25 Building and other historic facilities in Oak Ridge became part of a larger preservation effort through the National Defense Authorization Act, authorizing establishment of a Manhattan Project National Historical Park. Current NHP activities will complement plans for the multi-site park.