Parker Dam, 230-kV Switchyard General Utility Building, Spanning Colorado River between AZ & CA, Parker Dam

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-54-A. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

On the California side of the Colorado River, one-half mile south of Parker Dam, in the vicinity of the town of Parker Dam, about 13 miles no,thwest of Parker, Arizona and about 18 miles southeast of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. San Bernardino County, California U.S.G.S. Gene Wash, CA-AZ Quadrangle 7.5 Minute PR UTM: General Utility Building (Control Building): l (NAD27) Date of Construction: Engineer/Building: Designed by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado. Built by Government Forces under management by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER AZ-54-A. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Parker Dam is significant for its role in control of the lower Colorado River, fulfillment of obligations under the Mexican Treaty of and economic development of the Southwest after World War II. The Switchyard General Utility Building (Control Building) is a critical element of the Parker Dam industrial complex, providing connection and control of electricity produced at Parker Dam power plant for transmission to regional markets and interconnection with other federal power plants by means of regional power grids. Report Prepared By: Jonathan Held TEC Inc. Golden, Colorado Date: June PARKER DAM, SWITCHYARD GENERAL UTILITY BUILDING HAER AZ-54-A (Page 2) I.

Introduction The Switchyard Control Building is located within one of three electrical switchyards that provide connection of generators at Parker Dam Power Plant with transmission lines that carry high-voltage current to markets in Arizona, Nevada, and California. The Parker Dam switchyards consist of the yard the upper and lower yards and a (Indian Service) switchyard The switchyard complex is located to the southwest of the Parker Dam Power Plant, which is located downstream on the Colorado River below Parker Dam. II. Architectural and Engineering Information The Parker Dam Switchyard is essentially a rectangular facility with general dimensions of x The yard is enclosed within a chain link fence and accessed via the main entry gate in the southeast comer of the yard.

The Switchyard Control Building is a one-story with basement, poured-in-place, reinforced concrete structure with an integral, poured-in-place concrete beam-and-slab roof. The rectangular building measures 50' -6" x 30' and is sited on a northeast-southwest axis near the main entry gate. The building's height from grade to top of roof surface is 6". The upper peak of the concrete roof tapers-downward from a center hip at a rate ofY-i-inch per foot and is presently sheathed with foam insulation and a rubberized membrane. A metal coping strip anchoring the membrane to the roofs outer edge rings the perimeter and overhangs the fascia by approximately two inches. The projecting eves extend three feet beyond and perpendicular to the walls around the entire perimeter of the building.

Recessed, nominally square continuous window openings puncture the upper one-third of the wall surfaces on each of the building's elevations. A continuous concrete sill course projects slightly from the wall surface beneath all four sets of windows. Uniform mullions unite each set of windows. The original 23 windows were one-over-one- light, inward-opening steel frame hopper windows; all but three have been infilled with solid flush metal panels or vertically oriented plywood. All exterior surfaces are defined by the wood grain imprints and gaps left by the individual, horizontal 5 W' wide wood boards used to create the concrete forms for the walls, eves, soffits and facia.

The form boards were butted and stacked evenly along the wall surfaces, chamfers were formed on the vertical comers of the building, a cant strip was formed at the comer transition between the walls and eves, and the eve surfaces were formed with 90 degree miter joints at the corners. The wood-grained surface treatment is presently obscured by several layers of paint, and the panels infilling most of the windows openings detract from the composition, but the overall appearance of the building is a post-war derivation of the Prairie Style, with an emphasis on horizontality, wide projecting eves, an extremely low-pitched roof, and an asymmetrical fac;ade.

The primary elevation, nominally the south elevation, is asymmetrical, counter to the other three elevations, which are predominately symmetrical. The south elevation consists of two parts, each centered upon two vertical control joints. The lower two-thirds of the south elevation contain two sets of flush metal double doors, each served by an at-grade concrete pad. A glass dome light with a round metal frame is centered over each double door opening. In the right portion of the south elevation, the six window openings are situated in the right-most portion of the upper one-third of the wall, over the pair of flush metal main entry doors, and centered upon a vertical control joint.

The left-most window opening contains the original motor operated metal louvers, while the remaining openings are infilled with panels. In the left portion of the south elevation, the pair of flush metal storage room doors is centered upon the left-most vertical control joint. A single fixed metal framed one-over-one window is situated to the right of these doors; centered below the louvered opening. The west elevation features five evenly spaced window openings centered within the upper one-third of the wall. A single flush metal entry door with an overhead glass dome light with a round metal frame is centered below the second and third window from the left.

The right-most three windows contain the original steel frame hopper windows, which bring light into the interior basement stairwell. A square concrete pad is at grade below the entry PARKER DAM, SWITCHYARD GENERAL UTILITY BUILDING HAER AZ-54-A (Page 3) door. The north elevation has no door openings and features eight windows, all centered within the upper one-third of the wall. All the original steel frame windows have been replaced with solid panels. The second, fourth and seventh window openings from the left have been infilled with vertically oriented plywood and are each pierced by electrical conduit serving the interior equipment. The east elevation has no door openings and features five windows, all centered within the upper one-third of the wall.

All of the window openings have been infilled _ with solid panels. III. Design, Construction, and Alterations Parker Dam is located across the Colorado River joining California with Arizona below the confluence of the Bill Williams River and the Colorado River. The dam was constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation with funds provided by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California following authorization of the project by the Rivers and Harbors Act of August 30, (49 Stat.1028).

Contracts were awarded by the Bureau ofReclamation, and excavation for the Parker Dam and Power Plant began, in October The dam was substantially completed in September Construction of the Power Plant began in July and was completed for commercial operation in December (Linenberger Concurrently with construction of the Power Plant, transmission lines and switchyards of the project were constructed and put into operation. Because of the onset of World War II, certain features were constructed with temporary materials or were omitted until proper materials could be made available and installed.

Postwar work included replacement of temporary wood supporting structures with permanent steel structures in the switchyards (Parker Dam Project History Among these "permanent" structures is the existing Control Building at the Switchyard. Both the yard and the building were constructed by Government Forces, from designs created by the Bureau of Reclamation in Denver, Colorado. Sub-contracts were let for the installation of electrical equipment, transmission line towers and mechanical systems within the Control Building.

The Switchyard at Parker Dam was constructed between and Excavation for the switchyard commenced in July During that year, cubic yards of common material was excavated, an estimated 90% ofrock excavation was completed, and cubic yards of concrete was placed in footings (Parker Dam Project History, USBR Specifications No.

Steel Structures and Switchyards, Parker Power Plant and Parker-Gene Transmission Line, The cut tunnels, or duct lines, which connecting the switchyard and Control Building with the power plant, were also worked on during the fall of (Parker Dam Project History, Construction on the yard's Control Building began in November when excavation for the building was completed and concrete footings were placed (Parker Dam Project History By December the exterior of the Control building was substantially complete, and the overall construction of the Control Building was 83% completed: one-half of the doors and windows were installed, and the original built-up gravel roofing material was being applied to the concrete slab roof, plumbing was one-third complete while the oil piping was 95% complete.

The duct lines were 90% completed with only the installation of the racks and trays unfinished. All temporary switchyard installations and connections had been dismantled (Parker Dam Project History In November Notice to Proceed was given to contractor Gardner to install the HV AC system; this work was finished in February (Parker Dam Project History By the switchyard, including the Control Building, was considered 99% complete. In finishing work on the switchyards included the installation of fencing and gates, the constructing a septic tank for the Control Building, and construction of a drain from the Control Building to the berm of fill in the switch yard.

All of this work was completed by Government Forces (Parker Dam Project History The Switchyard has been nearly entirely rebuilt since the During the mid-1970s, Reclamation upgraded switchyards at Parker Dam to provide increased capacity for the Parker-Davis Project, Central Arizona Project, and Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie transmission systems (Bureau of Reclamation / PARKER DAM, SWITCHYARD GENERAL UTILITY BUILDING HAER AZ-54-A (Page 4) In Stage 02 construction was completed for the switchyard under Specifications No.

Stage 02 of the switchyard also included modifications to the Control Building including the removal of20 of the original 23 steel windows, installation of closure panels within these 20 window openings, power distribution and lighting modifications, installation of a completely new HY AC system, and removal of at least one interior partition wall. . As part of Stage 05 work on the Switchyard in the and the Control Building's original roofing material was stripped off and replaced by foam insulation beneath a rubberized roofing membrane applied to the concrete slab roof (Western Specifications No. USBR Parker Power Plant Switchyard General Utility Building Architectural Elevations and Details 1 April and 28 April At an undetermined date, the original exposed concrete exterior was painted.

At an undetermined date, a rectangular metal roofed sunshield was added to the north side of the building to protect vehicles and machinery. The approximate dimensions of the sunshield are 46' x The structure is attached to the Control Building along the sunshield's southern edge, while the remaining supports for the flat roof are six trussed metal posts. IV. Project Information This documentation ha:s been prepared at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration (Western), Phoenix, Arizona to fulfill Western's responsibilities under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Parker Dam and associated features have been determined to be eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places as an historic district.

Western has considered the effects on cultural resources caused by replacing electrical equipment in the switchyards that have become unreliable due to age, as well as the construction of an addition to the Control Building to house batteries and other equipment. This HAER documentation partially fulfills the Special Conditions for Compliance for Section 106 and its implementing regulations at 36 CFR as specified in a Memorandum of Agreement between Western, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the California State Historic Preservation Officer. This documentation was accomplished by TEC Inc., Denver, Colorado. Jonathan Held ofTEC Inc. was Principal Investigator, photographer, and preparer of the draft and final documentation packages.

Research for this HAER documentation focused on the electrical switchyards within the Parker Dam complex. Most information was drawn from records, reports, historic photographs, and drawings and specifications held by Western Area Power Administration in Phoenix and Denver, and from similar documents held by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Denver, Colorado; Boulder City, Nevada; and at the National Archives and Records Administration in Lakewood, Colorado. Research conducted for the current documentation of the electrical switchyards does not provide adequate information for documentation of the engineering character and construction history of the dam structure, power plant, and other features of the complex. V.

Sources Published Sources Associated Cultural Resource Experts (ACRE) Historical Evaluation of Western Area Power Administration Facilities in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas PARKER DAM, SWITCHYARD GENERAL UTILITY BUILDING HAER AZ-54-A (Page 5) Bureau of Reclamation Parker Dam, Annual Project History. United States Department of the Interior. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado. Parker Dam, Annual Project History. United States Department of the Interior. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado. Parker Dam, Annual Project History. United States Department of the Interior. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado. Parker Dam, Annual Project History. United States Department of the Interior. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado. Parker Dam, Annual Project History.

United States Department of the Interior. Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado. Parker Davis Project, Annual Project History. United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado. Parker Davis Project, Annual Project History. United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado. Parker Davis Project, Annual Project History. United States Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, Colorado. Linenberger, Toni R. The Parker-Davis Project (Third Draft). Bureau of Reclamation History Program, Denver, Colorado. Westem Area Power Administration Contract No. DE-ME65-82WP39130, Modifying the Davis Switchyard and Control Room, January 19, U.S. Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration, Phoenix, Arizona.

Maps and Drawings Western Area Power Administration (all drawings on file at Western Area Power Administration, Lakewood, Colorado) 23 Parker Dam Power Plant 230 kV Switchyard General Utility Building. Architectural elevations and Details. Denver Colorado. revised 23 Parker Dam Power Plant 230 kV Switchyard General Utility Building. Equipment Plan and Sections. Denver Colorado. revised 23 Parker Dam Power Plant 230 kV Switchyard General Utility Building. Conduit Plan and Sections. Denver Colorado. revised PARKER DAM, SWITCHYARD GENERAL UTILITY BUILDING HAER AZ-54-A (Page 6) 23 Parker Dam Power Plant 230 kV Switchyard General Utility Building. Reinforcement - Walls. Denver Colorado. revised 23 Parker Dam Power Plant 230 kV Switchyard General Utility Building.

Reinforcement - Floors and Roof. Denver Colorado. revised 23 Parker Dam Power Plant 230 kV Switchyard General Utility Building. Lighting and Heating Installation. Denver Colorado. revised Parker Dam Power Plant 230 kV Switchyard General Utility Building. Miscellaneous Metalwork - Cable Trays and Brackets. Denver Colorado. revised Parker Dam Power Plant 230 kV Switchyard General Utility Building. Foam Stop Details. Denver Colorado. Parker Dam Power Plant 230 kV Switchyard General Utility Building. Distribution Boards LZHA and Panel Schedules. Denver Colorado. revised PARKER DAM, SWITCHYARD GENERAL UTILITY BUILDING HAER AZ-54-A Location Map (Page 7) /-1/ltltHrOII" t -- - l., ,o-J rJ ., - ! 1 ! I! . . .

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