Rocky Flats Plant, Guard Tower
HAER No. CO-83-J (Rocky Flats Plant, Building 901)
Note: The documentation for Building 901 also represents other guard towers,
including Buildings 375, 550, and 761.
Location:
Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site, Highway 93, Golden, Jefferson
County, Colorado. Guard Tower 901 is located in the southeast corner of the protected
area.
Significance:
This building is a primary contributor to the Rocky Flats Plant
historic district, 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. As the Cold War continued and concerns and fear escalated, security was tightened.
In 1983, a perimeter security zone was constructed around the protected area to enhance
protection of plutonium operations. Building 901 is an integral part of the perimeter
security zone and built to monitor activities around the plutonium operations.
Description:
Building 901 is 12 by 12 feet and 45 feet high (144 square feet). The building
has an interior stairwell leading to an observation deck. The tower is brick and concrete
with a concrete-on-metal roof. The structure has three levels. The first floor has a
protected entrance and houses a transformer. Approximately 26 feet above the first level is an
equipment room for electrical heating and air conditioning equipment. The observation deck
is about 10 feet above the equipment room.
Buildings 375, 550, and 761 are similar in construction and size of Building 901.
History:
In the 1970s and1980s, security at the Rocky Flats Plant shifted its focus
from espionage to the threat of terrorism and infiltration by protesters. The terrorist
attack during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich led the U.S. government to believe that
trained terrorists could attack national defense facilities. A few years later, the plant
also began to experience anti-nuclear demonstrations and rallies. In response, the
protective force initiated riot control training and adopted a more offensive security
posture (Richmond). In 1978, plans to install a $5 million perimeter security zone
surrounding the plutonium operations buildings were developed. The Perimeter Security
Zone, completed in 1983, consists of a double perimeter fence with closed circuit
televisions, alarms, and an uninterrupted power supply. Security personnel were constantly
on surveillance and provided verification of movement detected by the security system at
the perimeter of the plutonium operations. Access into and out of the zone was controlled
at three checkpoints.
Four guard towers were installed as part of the perimeter security zone inside the
inner fence. The towers provided security personnel with a clear, higher view in all
directions, including the protected area, fence lines, and the buffer zone. Building 901
is located in the southeast corner of the perimeter security zone. The other towers are
located in the three remaining corners of the perimeter security zone. Building 550 is in
the southwest corner, Building 761 is in the northeast corner, and Building 375 is in the
northwest corner.
Prior to construction of the perimeter security zone, each of the production buildings
had a separate protected area. Fencing surrounded each building complex, as
well as the entire industrial area. Production buildings outside the perimeter security
zone (beryllium and uranium) maintained separate protected areas until well
after production stopped in 1989. The protective force controlled access into each
building. Multiple layers of security were enforced throughout the site and at every
production building.
The end of the Cold War and weapons production at the Rocky Flats Plant brought the end
to site protests. The protective force has returned to a more defensive security posture
(Richmond).
Sources:
Cunningham, Steve, employed at the Rocky Flats Plant since 1977 by the
site contractor. Personnel communication, September 1997.
Richmond, Lou, employed at the plant since 1970 by the site security
contractor. Personal communication,
August 1997.
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 (1995), 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 in the southeast corner of the protected area, Golden Vicinity, Jefferson County, Colorado.
Photograph by Timothy McGrath and Katherine T. Abeyta, Source One, site photography
contractor, summer 1997.
CO-83-J-1 – View looking north at the south elevation of Building 901. Building 901 is one of four guard towers installed as part of the perimeter security zone to provide protective force personnel with a clear, high view of the surrounding areas. The perimeter security zone consists of a double perimeter fence with closed circuit televisions, alarms, and an uninterrupted power supply.
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