Oak Ridge gatehouses
Encyclopedia
The three Oak Ridge gatehouses, also known as "checking stations", "guard houses", or "guard shacks", are security checkpoints in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
, built circa 1948-1949 to control access to the Atomic Energy Commission
(AEC) production and research facilities in Oak Ridge. These are individually listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
as Bear Creek Road Checking Station, Bethel Valley Road Checking Station and Oak Ridge Turnpike Checking Station.
and until 1949, the entire Oak Ridge area had been enclosed by a fence and was restricted. Access was controlled at seven security gates equipped with wooden guardhouses. In 1949, access restrictions on the Oak Ridge townsite were eliminated. At that time, the three checking stations went into use to control access between the townsite and the AEC facilities. A station on Bethel Valley Road controlled access to the "X-10" site in Bethel Valley, where Oak Ridge National Laboratory
is located; a station on Scarboro Road near Bear Creek Road controlled access to the Y-12
nuclear weapons production facility in Bear Creek Valley; and a station on Oak Ridge Turnpike (now part of Tennessee State Route 95) controlled access to the K-25
site uranium enrichment facility near the Clinch River
in western Oak Ridge.
The structures were used for their intended purpose until 1953 when the gates to each of the three government sites were relocated to the specific sites. The three white Gatehouses remained in federal government ownership for many years, but stood vacant. In 1992, they were listed on the National Register as three separate properties, identified as the Oak Ridge Turnpike Checking Station, Bear Creek Road Checking Station, and Bethel Valley Road Checking Station. All three were included in a larger Multiple Property Submission for Oak Ridge-related properties. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the AEC-successor agency that currently controls both the large and small structures of the Bear Creek Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike properties and the small structure on the Bethel Valley property restored the large structures at the checking stations at the Oak Ridge Turnpike and Bear Creek Road sites. The large structure at the Bethel Valley Road site belongs to Lockheed Martin who obtained it with the Commerce Park property in 1984 when Martin Marietta took over the managing and operating contract for the three DOE sites in Oak Ridge as well as Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, KY. The Bethel Valley Road large structure was painted in 2005 but the interior remains untouched as does the small structure on the south side of the road.
main building with a two-story guard tower at one corner and a smaller one-story guard house across the street. Gun
portal
s are visible on both buildings in each pair, and the windows on both buildings are protected by bulletproof glass
. Military police controlled a metal gate that extended between the pair of buildings. Workers and visitors had to show special badges to the guards in order to pass through the gates.
The two restored gatehouses are now fitted with period and replica furniture
from the 1940s and 1950s and decorated with historic photograph
s by Ed Westcott
. They are used as meeting rooms and for educational, cultural, and civic activities sponsored by DOE. In 2010, the Tennessee Department of Transportation
began a project to widen State Route 95 in the vicinity of the Oak Ridge Turnpike checking station with a road design that does not affect the checking station. The design for the widened roadway calls for five lanes and a sidewalk
in the segment that passes between the two gatehouse structures.
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
, built circa 1948-1949 to control access to the Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
(AEC) production and research facilities in Oak Ridge. These are individually listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Bear Creek Road Checking Station, Bethel Valley Road Checking Station and Oak Ridge Turnpike Checking Station.
History
The three gatehouses were built circa 1948-1949 and went into service on March 19, 1949, when the residential and commercial portion of Oak Ridge, known as the "townsite," was opened to public access. During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and until 1949, the entire Oak Ridge area had been enclosed by a fence and was restricted. Access was controlled at seven security gates equipped with wooden guardhouses. In 1949, access restrictions on the Oak Ridge townsite were eliminated. At that time, the three checking stations went into use to control access between the townsite and the AEC facilities. A station on Bethel Valley Road controlled access to the "X-10" site in Bethel Valley, where Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
is located; a station on Scarboro Road near Bear Creek Road controlled access to the Y-12
Y-12 National Security Complex
The Y-12 National Security Complex is a United States Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration facility located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near the Oak Ridge National Laboratory...
nuclear weapons production facility in Bear Creek Valley; and a station on Oak Ridge Turnpike (now part of Tennessee State Route 95) controlled access to the K-25
K-25
K-25 is a former uranium enrichment facility of the Manhattan Project which used the gaseous diffusion method. The plant is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on the southwestern end of the Oak Ridge Reservation.-History:...
site uranium enrichment facility near the Clinch River
Clinch River
The Clinch River rises in Southwest Virginia near Tazewell, Virginia and flows southwest through the Great Appalachian Valley, gathering various tributaries including the Powell River before joining the Tennessee River in East Tennessee.-Course:...
in western Oak Ridge.
The structures were used for their intended purpose until 1953 when the gates to each of the three government sites were relocated to the specific sites. The three white Gatehouses remained in federal government ownership for many years, but stood vacant. In 1992, they were listed on the National Register as three separate properties, identified as the Oak Ridge Turnpike Checking Station, Bear Creek Road Checking Station, and Bethel Valley Road Checking Station. All three were included in a larger Multiple Property Submission for Oak Ridge-related properties. In 1999, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the AEC-successor agency that currently controls both the large and small structures of the Bear Creek Road and Oak Ridge Turnpike properties and the small structure on the Bethel Valley property restored the large structures at the checking stations at the Oak Ridge Turnpike and Bear Creek Road sites. The large structure at the Bethel Valley Road site belongs to Lockheed Martin who obtained it with the Commerce Park property in 1984 when Martin Marietta took over the managing and operating contract for the three DOE sites in Oak Ridge as well as Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, KY. The Bethel Valley Road large structure was painted in 2005 but the interior remains untouched as does the small structure on the south side of the road.
Design and uses
Design of the three checking stations was identical. Each one consists of two concrete block buildings: a single-storyStorey
A storey or story is any level part of a building that could be used by people...
main building with a two-story guard tower at one corner and a smaller one-story guard house across the street. Gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
portal
Portal (architecture)
Portal is a general term describing an opening in the walls of a building, gate or fortification, and especially a grand entrance to an important structure. Doors, metal gates or portcullis in the opening can be used to control entry or exit. The surface surrounding the opening may be made of...
s are visible on both buildings in each pair, and the windows on both buildings are protected by bulletproof glass
Bulletproof glass
Bulletproof glass is a type of strong but optically transparent material that is particularly resistant to being penetrated when struck by bullets, but is not completely impenetrable. It is usually made from a combination of two or more types of glass, one hard and one soft...
. Military police controlled a metal gate that extended between the pair of buildings. Workers and visitors had to show special badges to the guards in order to pass through the gates.
The two restored gatehouses are now fitted with period and replica furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
from the 1940s and 1950s and decorated with historic photograph
Photograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s by Ed Westcott
Ed Westcott
James Edward Westcott is a photographer who worked for the U.S. government in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during the Manhattan Project and the Cold War...
. They are used as meeting rooms and for educational, cultural, and civic activities sponsored by DOE. In 2010, the Tennessee Department of Transportation
Tennessee Department of Transportation
The Tennessee Department of Transportation is a multimodal agency with statewide responsibilities in aviation, public transit, waterways and railroads...
began a project to widen State Route 95 in the vicinity of the Oak Ridge Turnpike checking station with a road design that does not affect the checking station. The design for the widened roadway calls for five lanes and a sidewalk
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
in the segment that passes between the two gatehouse structures.