Rocky Flats Plant, Plant Security and Armory
HAER No. CO-83-X (Rocky Flats Plant, Building 121)

Location:
Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, Highway 93, Golden, Jefferson County, Colorado. Building 121 is located west of Third Street and south of Central Avenue.

Significance:
This building is a primary contributor of the Rocky Flats Plant historic district, and is associated with the U.S. strategy of nuclear military deterrence during the Cold War, a strategy considered of major importance in preventing Soviet nuclear attack. Protection strategies for the plant included having a highly trained special response team that could respond to actual or potential terrorist incidents, hostage barricade incidents, and other emergencies. Building 121 was one of the original structures at the Rocky Flats Plant, and was used for the site security central office.

Description:
Building 121 is a two-story, 6,530 square foot building built on a concrete slab on-grade foundation. Exterior walls are constructed of concrete and concrete block. Interior walls are concrete, concrete block, gypsum board, and ceramic tile. The facility has a flat roof covered by neoprene-hypalon and butyl rubber over plastic foam insulation. The roof structure is cast-in-place concrete over corrugated metal decking and bar joists. Floors are covered with 12-inch-square vinyl asbestos tiles or short pile industrial carpet. The windows are fixed, double-panes in metal sashing. The doors are metal.

Building 121 is irregularly shaped, extending approximately 100 feet north-south, 130 feet east, and 120 feet west.

The building houses offices, the plant's central alarm station, alarm consoles, the armory, the lock and key section, a computer room (on the second floor), a utility room, separate men’s and women’s locker rooms with showers and attached restrooms, and security management offices.

History:
Building 121 was constructed in 1953 as part of the original plant to serve as the central office building for site security. By 1971, the security force had grown in numbers to the point that Building 121 was too small. The locker rooms and briefing room could no longer accommodate the force. The supply room, where uniforms and equipment were stored and issued, was inadequate. Additions were made to the building to increase the size of the locker rooms on the first floor, and a second floor was added for central dispatch and communications systems. The supply room was moved to another building.

Protection strategies for the plant included maintenance of a weapons arsenal, training new security police officers, investigating violations of federal laws, and maintaining liaisons with federal and local law enforcement agencies. The security contractor had a highly trained special response team that could respond to actual or potential terrorist incidents, hostage barricade incidents, and other emergencies.

Sources:
Cunningham, Steven, employed at the plant since 1977 by the site security contractor. Personal communication, March, 1998.

United States Department of Energy. Final Cultural Resources Survey Report (1995), by Science Applications International Corporation. Rocky Flats Repository. Golden, Colorado, 1995.

United States Department of Energy. Site Safety Analysis Report, Notebook 13-Security, by EG&G Rocky Flats, Inc.
Rocky Flats Repository. Golden, Colorado, 1995.

Historians:
D. Jayne Aaron, Environmental Designer, engineering-environmental Management, Inc. (e²M), 1997. Judith Berryman, Ph.D., Archaeologist, e²M, 1997.

Index to Photographs

Located west of Third Street, south of Central Avenue, Golden Vicinity, Jefferson County, Colorado.

Photographs CO-83-X-1 through CO-83-X-2 were taken by various site photography contractors, dates are indicated in parentheses.