Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, X-104 Guard Headquarters, 3930 U.S. Route 23 South, Piketon

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER OH-142-J. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS), U.S. Route 23 South, Piketon vicinity, Scioto Township, Pike County, Ohio The Guard Headquarters is located at Ohio State Plane South coordinates at easting ft, northing ft and at Universal Transverse Mercator Zone 17N easting m, northing m. The coordinate represents the approximate center of the Guard Headquarters building. This coordinate was obtained on June 9, by plotting its location in EnviroInsite The accuracy of the coordinates is +/- 12 meters. The coordinate datum is North American Datum Date of Construction: Designer/Builder: Peter Kiewit Sons Construction Company Previous Owner: N/A

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER OH-142-J. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

The Atomic Energy Commission) oversaw construction and operation of PORTS until when the Energy Research and Development Administration was established with responsibility for research and development duties from In the U.S. Department of Energy was established, overseeing operations at PORTS.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER OH-142-J. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Since its construction, the Guard Headquarters has served as the central operation point for protection forces assigned to PORTS. PORTS was a part of the U.S. Cold War nuclear weapons complex. PORTS primary Cold War era mission was the production of highly enriched uranium by the gaseous diffusion process for defense/military purposes.

Source document Quoted word for word from HAER OH-142-J. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Fluor B&W Portsmouth LLC photographed the site in August Gray & Pape, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, served as the primary author of the historical narrative and resource descriptions drawing from numerous historical records and reports, drawings, photographs and plans. For additional contextual information, see Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, HAER no. OH-142. This Guard Headquarters HAER was completed in PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 2) Part I. Historical Information In support of this report, there are three appendices that are provided: Appendix A through C, which consist of survey photographs, historical photographs, and historical drawings, respectively.

Construction History of the Guard Headquarters: Peter Kiewit Sons Construction Company subcontracted the construction of the Guard Headquarters to the Clark Construction Company, of Owensboro, Kentucky (Appendix B, Figures 4 through Construction on the Guard Headquarters began in the summer of and was largely completed by August The building was renovated in and the northwest addition was built in Historical drawings of building plans are included in Appendix C (Figures 13 through Part II. Site Information Description of the Guard Headquarters: The Guard Headquarters is a vernacular, one-story, rectangular shaped building located just inside the main entrance to the limited area of the site. The building shows elements of the International Style (Appendix A, Figures 1 through 3).

The building served as the central operation point for protection forces assigned to PORTS. It consists of three independent structures joined by a connecting corridor. The main structure, located in the center and eastern portion of the facility, houses the offices, supply rooms, restrooms, and locker facilities. The smaller building on the southwest corner houses the guard communication facilities. The slightly larger addition on the northwest corner contains training rooms, offices, and storage areas. Also associated with the Guard Headquarters is a steel-frame, two-bay garage, and the X-104A Indoor Firing Range, adjacent to the north.

The main structure is approximately 96' long and 76' wide (approximately square feet), with a small, southern wing protruding approximately 14' beyond the south fa ade. The Guard Headquarters has a very low-pitched gabled roof with the ridge extending from north to south. The building has a concrete slab foundation and concrete block bearing walls. Window openings on the main building contain commercial-type, projected steel sash with double-strength B-grade glass and cast concrete sills. A simple wood trim fascia runs the width of the roofline. Exterior doors are wood with metal canopies above, with the exception of the metal security door to the communication building. The main double entry doors on the south fa ade feature large glass panes with metal door pulls.

The roofline is punctuated by a variety of metal vents, exhaust fans, and air intakes. An incinerator was originally located on the north fa ade and was used to burn classified and business sensitive documents. The interior of the main building originally featured a central corridor on the western half of the building with a large open locker room to the east and smaller rooms for offices and other uses on the west, as well as a smaller connecting corridor to the communications building. Interior partitions and ceilings are composed primarily of wood studs and gypsum board. Partition walls in the toilet and shower rooms consist of glazed tile walls and plastered ceilings, while the partition walls in the ammunition room are reinforced concrete.

The finished flooring throughout the building is composed of the polished concrete slab, with the exception of ceramic tile in the restrooms and asphalt tile in the offices. Ceilings throughout the building are approximately 9', 5'' high. The building was renovated in and the layout was altered to its present configuration. PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 3) The communications building is approximately 44' long and wide with 9' ceilings and features reinforced concrete construction and a flat roof. The concrete walls have no window openings, and there is one exterior steel door on the west fa ade.

The original connecting corridor is also of reinforced concrete construction and contained steel doors at either end of the corridor for security purposes. Renovations in extended the west wall to the edge of the main building, encompassing the connecting corridor. The interior features a partition wall separating the main communications room on the south from the emergency generator and restrooms on the north. The concrete slab floor features a large cable trench in the communications room that was covered with vinyl asbestos tile during the renovations. The addition on the northern half of the west fa ade was built in for additional training space.

The addition matches the construction materials and design of the main building with a concrete slab foundation and concrete block bearing walls. Also associated with the Guard Headquarters is the X-104A Indoor Firing Range to the north of the main building. The building serves as a practice firing range for PORTS protective forces. The X-104A Indoor Firing Range was built in conjunction with the northwest addition to the main building in The building is approximately long from east to west and 27' wide from north to south. There is a screen wall to the north of the building hiding the mechanical space. The building features a concrete slab foundation, concrete block bearing walls, no windows, and metal doors with aluminum canopies.

PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 4) Part III. Sources of Information Department of Energy. The Role of the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Cold War History. Piketon, OH: U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Energy. Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Report for the Process Buildings and Complex Facilities Decontamination and Decommissioning Evaluation Project at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Piketon, Ohio, DOE/PPPO/03-0245&D3. Piketon, OH: U.S. Department of Energy, Department of Energy. Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis for the Plant Support Buildings and Structures at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Piketon, Ohio, DOE/PPPO/03-0207&D4. Piketon, OH: U.S. Department of Energy, October Department of Energy.

National Historic Preservation Act Section 110 Survey of Architectural Properties at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Scioto and Seal Townships, Piketon, Ohio, DOE/PPPO/03-0147&D1. Piketon, OH: U.S. Department of Energy, January Giffels & Vallet, Inc. Gaseous Diffusion Plant at Portsmouth, Ohio, Project History and Completion Report (Redacted). Washington, U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 5) Appendix A: Survey Photographs Figure 1: Location and Orientation of Exterior Photographs (A-2 through A-3) PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No.

OH-142-J (Page 6) Figure 2: East Side of the Guard Headquarters, August Facing Southwest Figure 3: South Side of the Guard Headquarters, August Facing Northwest PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 7) Appendix B: Historical Photographs Figure 4: Looking Northwest at Guard Headquarters, August 12, Figure 5: Looking East at Guard Headquarters, October 14, PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 8) Figure 6: Looking East at Guard Headquarters, September 15, Figure 7: Looking Southeast at Guard Headquarters, November 13, PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No.

OH-142-J (Page 9) Figure 8: Interior View of Locker Room at Guard Headquarters, January 18, Figure 9: Interior View of Guard Headquarters, February 15, PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 10) Figure 10: Interior View of Communications Room of Guard Headquarters, March 17, Figure 11: Interior View of Guard Headquarters, April 15, PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 11) Figure 12: Looking Northeast at Guard Headquarters, August 19, PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 12) Appendix C: Historical Drawings Figure 13: Guard Headquarters Elevations PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No.

OH-142-J (Page 13) Figure 14: Guard Headquarters Elevations PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 14) Figure 15: Guard Headquarters Floor Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 15) Figure 16: Guard Headquarters Floor Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 16) Figure 17: Guard Headquarters Building Sections and Details PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 17) Figure 18: Guard Headquarters Elevations and Details PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 18) Figure 19: X-104A Firing Range Building Elevations and Details PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No.

OH-142-J (Page 19) Figure 20: Firing Range Building Foundation and Slab Plan PORTSMOUTH GASEOUS DIFFUSION PLANT, GUARD HEADQUARTERS HAER No. OH-142-J (Page 20) Figure 21: Firing Range Building Floor and Roof Plans