New Oak Ridge Center Opens, Bringing Footprint of Massive K-25 Into Focus

From left, American Museum of Science and Energy (AMSE) Foundation Executive Director Alan Lowe, UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter, Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Manager Erik Olds, Roane County Executive Wade Creswell, Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, William H. Wilcox, son of William J. Wilcox, Oak Ridge City Mayor Warren Gooch, AMSE Development Director Jennifer Lee, AMSE Board President Jim Dodson, former Y-12 Plant Manager Gordon Fee, and Oak Ridge Historian Ray Smith cut the ribbon to open the new K-25 Interpretive Center.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — Visitors to the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant can view the entire footprint of what was once the world’s largest building from a new vantage point now that an interpretive center overlooking the site of the mile-long K-25 Building has opened.

K-25 was one of five large gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment facilities at the Oak Ridge location, now called East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP). Constructed in 1943, it produced enriched uranium used in the weaponry that helped end World War II.

Local elected officials and other dignitaries recently gathered to celebrate the opening of the viewing facility, called the William J. Wilcox Jr. K-25 Interpretive Center.

The center is named after Oak Ridge’s first official historian, an original resident of the city when it came into existence in the 1940s. The late Wilcox ultimately became the technical director for all research and development programs for the plant, and he used his extensive knowledge from his 43 years of service to educate future generations about what was accomplished at the site.

Attendees included Tennessee Lt. Gov. Randy McNally, Roane County Executive Wade Creswell, Oak Ridge City Mayor Warren Gooch, Oak Ridge City Councilman Jim Dodson, American Museum of Science and Energy Foundation Executive Director Alan Lowe, UCOR President and CEO Ken Rueter, and Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management (OREM) Manager Erik Olds.

“Our employees are proud to be part of the accomplished history of this site, and their efforts have played a pivotal role in making today possible,” said Olds. “Our cleanup has paved the way for the public to be able to enter and experience a site that was once off limits, and it has created an exciting next chapter involving new businesses, new jobs, and new visitors through our land transfers, historic preservation, and conservation.”

A scaled model of the K-25 Building is located on the top floor of the K-25 Interpretive Center. It provides additional insight into the size of the former structure as visitors view the building’s massive 44-acre footprint.

OREM and cleanup contractor UCOR completed demolition of the K-25 Building in 2013, leaving behind a massive 44-acre footprint that was impossible to fully view from ground level. With the interpretive center’s elevated view, the entire footprint is visible. The facility also features displays and exhibits, including a scaled model of the building, detailing K-25’s extraordinary contributions through the years.

Construction of the center fulfills an agreement OREM signed in 2012 to commemorate the history of the former Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant. That commitment also included construction of the K-25 History Center next to the interpretive center, as well as preservation of the historic Alexander Inn.

Crews completed construction of the interpretive center through a partnership among OREM, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and contractor Geiger Brothers. UCOR and subcontractor Smee + Busby Architects designed the facility.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its construction contractor, Geiger Brothers, completed construction on the K-25 Interpretive Center. The facility helps visitors understand the size and scope of the former Manhattan Project and Cold War-era uranium enrichment complex.

“This center is an important piece commemorating the historical significance of the K-25 Building, and its construction completes one of the final tasks to achieve our vision for the site,” said Mark McIntosh, ETTP portfolio federal project director. “We’ve finished major field work to clean the site, and our efforts have also made it possible for future generations to learn about what was accomplished here.”

The interpretive center is the latest installation on a site that has seen major transformation during the past three decades. OREM and UCOR have completed demolition and soil remediation at the site, marking the first-ever cleanup of a gaseous diffusion complex.

As OREM completed cleanup, it simultaneously made land available for new businesses. To date, 1,800 acres of former government land have been transferred to the community for economic development. That land is attracting companies investing billions of dollars, creating new jobs and advancing energy technologies to meet the nation’s future power needs.

-Contributor: Wayne McKinney